IOC President Bach gives all thumbs up to Nanjing Youth Olympics

NANJING - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach Thursday gave high praise for the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games  held in Nanjing, east China' s Jiangsu Province.

"We have seen an excellent organisation during this Youth Olympic Games from transport to communication to venue management. Everything went very, very well," said Bach, who has visited all the venues for the 28 sports featuring in the Aug 16-28 Games.

Bach added that the Youth Olympic Village impressed him most at the Games, saying: "It's great to see the great atmosphere in the village, to see the athletes, all happy, to see them mingling, to see them yogging."

"We have seen the great friendliness and efficiency of the volunteers. I think everybody was impressed by the work of these volunteers, by not only the work but also by their smiles. We had organisation which was not only efficient it was also a very sustainable organisation."

"We have many reasons to say thank you and congratulations to our Chinese hosts, to the Organising Committee, to President Yang Weize, to the Chinese government for its great support they've always gave to the Games, to the volunteers for making these Games possible but also very much to the people of Nanjing who embraced these Games and who were really great hosts which we will never forget."

He believed that the Nanjing Games will leave a great legacy for both the people of Nanjing and the world.

"These Games gave the opportunity for Nanjing to make sustainably use of the existing facilities is all ready a legacy by itself."

"We hope by watching these Youth Olympic Games many of the youth not only in Nanjing, but all over China will be inspired not only to watch sport but to play sport so that these YOG can make a contribution to get all the couch potatoes off the couch all over China."

The Youth Olympics, a sporting event for the youth of the world, was proposed by former IOC President Jacques Rogge. Singapore held the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010.

The 3rd Summer Youth Olympics will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018.

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