The IOC's Obsession with Youth

Has anybody noticed how obsessed the IOC is with capturing the attention of youth? Recently in Copenhagen, they held a Congress (a pretty big deal in the Olympic Movement), and some of the biggest topics of conversation were social media, and youth in sport.

The IOC seems to have this huge fear that in 40 years, nobody will care about the Olympics anymore. That everyone will watch skateboarding instead of track and field or swimming. That the Olympic Movement will be lost in a sea of tweets and MySpace.

I wonder if they really have a grasp of the real public, and real youth. Last year, everybody stopped to watch Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. Including high schoolers. Why is there such a fear of irrelevance? If the IOC keeps the programme rolling, if Olympic Solidarity creates storylines, and if sports like Rugby and Golf (new to the programme, but still traditional sports) take off, the Olympics will do just fine.

The Rio Precedent

Welcome to my blog. Here I'll discuss things that I'm interested in professionally- namely: The Olympic Movement (bids, planning, etc. for the Games and other major events), Economic Development, Ski Resort Development, Airlines, and other Marketing trends.

My first post involves what I'll call the "Rio Precedent." When the IOC selected Rio De Janeiro over Tokyo, Madrid, and Chicago two weeks ago, I wasn't upset. I think it is a bold move that sets in motion the IOC's intentions to move to new locations. South America has never hosted (nor has Africa), Brazil has a top 10 economy (by some measures), and Rio definitely has cultural draw. It also has great potential for developmental impacts and legacies from hosting the Games.

What I wonder about, though, is the sort of precedent that Rio 2016 might set. Some are predicting that the 2020 Games will go to a much "safer" candidate than Rio. Jacques Rogge acknowledged that the "big money" was in Chicago. But the vote for 2020 comes in 2013, 3 years before Rio has a chance to execute. The vote for 2024, however, will be decided in 2017. If Rio is even marginally successful, will the IOC take up a self-imposed mandate to develop cities and regions?

Make no joke about it, the IOC is not as neutral or apolitical as it likes to purport. If Rio is a success, will the IOC look to Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia as destinations? I think there is a danger here for developed, western cities here. Chicago, Madrid, and Tokyo have great cultural and sporting environments. They also have relatively stable and established economies. With Rio's selection, does its success apply a "so what" factor to major, developed cities in "wealthy" nations? Why bother with a city like Toronto when there's the option of Cape Town?

I'm not saying that this shift in priorities and criteria is good or bad. If this is the direction the IOC chooses to go, though, it definitely changes the game.