I will be chasing the starlight

Young Ambassador Seminar Innsbruck

2011-10-15T13:00:00.003+02:00

Hey folks,

As outlined in the last blog entry, I wrote an article for the new Young Ambassador section of the Innsbruck 2012 homepage. The sub-page - which looks absolutely stunning - is now online, so make sure to check it out!

For your convenience, I took the liberty of re-posting the article her. You can of course also find it on said sub-page or by clicking here.

"For the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, 33 Young Ambassadors from around the globe have been selected to help the athletes participating in the Games discover and live the Olympic Values Excellence, Respect and Friendship. These Ambassadors were invited to Innsbruck at the start of September to take part in a training seminar including workshops, discussions, team-building activities and plenty more besides. Indeed, if there was one thing that was missing during the Young Ambassador Seminar it was the chance to sleep!

As well as spreading the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games, the Young Ambassadors’ main task is to prepare their athletes for the Innsbruck 2012 Culture & Education Programme (CEP). During the Seminar, the 33 youngsters got an exclusive preview of the Culture & Education Programme and had the chance to try out some of the CEP activities which will be on offer during the Games in January 2012. However, the journey to Innsbruck alone proved a true odyssey for some of the Young Ambassadors. For example, Sarah from New Zealand needed no fewer than five flights and 21 hours to get from the tip of the Southern Hemisphere to the regional capital of Tyrol. And with Ambassadors representing everywhere from Australia to Chile and Canada to Japan in attendance, she certainly wasn’t the only one who had jetted half way around the world to be in Innsbruck for the Young Ambassador Seminar.

After such long, arduous journeys, the official Welcome Dinner – complete with accordion player and dancers performing the traditional Austrian ‘Schuhplattler’ dance – was the perfect chance for the Young Ambassadors to shake off any remaining jet-lag and immerse themselves in Tyrolean culture. Just as during the Seminar itself, the guests at the Welcome Dinner were encouraged to get involved at every opportunity – not least on the dance floor! After seeing their moves, we reckon that Lea from Slovenia and Aliona from Lithuania must have Tyrolean roots – after all, how else could they have learned all the right dance steps so quickly? Straight after the Welcome Dinner the group headed out for the first ‘venue tour’ of the weekend – an expedition into Innsbruck’s nightlife via the city’s main bars. Suffice to say, much fun was had by all! ☺

Bright and early next morning the Ambassadors gathered to try out the different CEP activities for themselves. As well as finding out more about the activities in order to be able to support the
athletes in January 2012, they were also encouraged to make suggestions about how the individual seminars and workshops could be improved between now and Games-time. From getting down to the beat together in the Drumming Workshop to exploring the mountains of the Nordkette under a cloudless sky, all of the activities were characterised by fun, laughter and a real sense of team spirit, marking the start of many friendships.

However, the aim of the Seminar was not only to give the Young Ambassadors the chance to try out the CEP. Another important aspect was to learn more about the Young Ambassadors’ role in general and their mission for the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. On hand to provide an overview of the Young Ambassador Programme was none other than IOC Executive Director Gilbert Felli, the man responsible for the organisation of all Olympic Games. “Singapore blazed the trail for the Youth Olympic Games,” Felli told the Young Ambassadors. “Now it is down to us to take the next steps along this trail.” To help them with their task during the Games, the IOC brought along a few surprises, including a cool outfit, useful accessories and the latest technological gizmos.

The Young Ambassador Seminar was over far too quickly, and despite only having met four days
earlier, there were many heavy hearts among the participants when the time came to say good-bye. However, it won’t be long until the Young Ambassadors are back together in Innsbruck for the Games, and in the meantime they will be working hard in their home countries to promote the 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games. Innsbruck 2012 – Be part of it!"

Innsbruck calling

2011-10-07T19:29:00.003+02:00

Hey folks,

First and foremost, sorry for neglecting this blog for so long (People that have followed it since Singapore will know that this introduction will become quite frequent with me ;)). Last week(s) have been quite busy, so I was forced to step down from the blog writing a bit. I hope I can update it more frequently in the upcoming weeks.
Speaking of which: We are in the double-digit zone!! Only 98 more days to go until the first Innsbruck 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (try saying that 3 times fast) will be opened.
Anni from IYOGOC has asked me to write a report on the Young Ambassador seminar taking place in Innsbruck in early September. I was of course more than happy to comply. However, after writing the text, I felt that it much rather belongs on this personal blog than the official games website. So I wrote another one much more suited to be published on the Innsbruck 2012 site. Since I did not want to have written the other article in vain, I just put it online here for yours to enjoy :)

Innsbruck calling

„Anyone who goes travelling has stories to tell “ If those travels lead said anyone to the Olympic city of Innsbruck to attend a Young Ambassador program, it will be hard to tell all the stories needing to be told. Let's try it anyway.

For me, going to Innsbruck was linked to a problem everyone would love to have. After having been honored with representing Austria at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, I honestly did not know what to expect from the anew Young Ambassador seminar. Singapore has hands down been one of the best times in my life. What, if the games in Innsbruck could not live up to the ones in Singapore? What, if the new ambassadors won't be as much inspiration and fun as the "old" ones? I have to admit: I have been way too wrong. That's quite a nuisance, being given the fact that I should know by now that spending time with the Young Ambassador always is a tremendous experience.

So what is this Young Ambassador seminar all about? Basically, it is about two aspects. First, to introduce the 33 Young Ambassadors from all over the world - from Australia to Chile, from Canada to Japan and everywhere in between - to the Culture and Education program (CEP). Because one of the YA's main tasks is going to be promoting the CEP to their qualified athletes.

The other aspect might sound funny, however, it's a quite important one as well. To do their "job" as good as they can, the YAs need the right environment. So the seminar in Innsbruck provided an excellent opportunity to get to know each other and form a great team for the upcoming games. The team building process was significantly aided by the various CEP workshops and seminar, but also some extensive venue tours to Innsbruck's bars and clubs...let's but a mask of silence on those ;).

Back to the workshops and seminars: Those are a part of the CEP and were put through their paces by the Young Ambassadors. The feedback on all activities was very positive - all of them were planned and executed with a whole lot of dedication and motivation. At this point, I should definitely give a shout-out to Verena and Anni, not only for putting the CEP together, but also for taking splendid care of us during our time in Innsbruck.

One of the questions people asked me the most in Innsbruck was to what extent the Young Ambassadors of the Innsbruck Games compare to those of the Singapore Games. Unfortunately, this is a question I can not answer, since it is impossible for me to compare all the great people I met in both Innsbruck and Singapore. The question I could easily have answered, would go something like this: Do the Innsbruck Young Ambassadors have the same staggering energy? Oh yeah! And the travel continues...

The Culture and Education Program - Competence Program

2011-09-26T10:00:00.002+02:00

Hey folks,

A couple of days ago, I wrote about the fantastic Athlete Role Model Program (ARM) at the Innsbruck 2012 Games. Short update: Vincent is very happy and excited to be part of the program, as he is sharing on his Facebook page.
As I mentioned back then, the ARM is part of another CEP activity, which I would like to outline for you today: The Youth Olympic Competence Program.

I think I already wrote about the fact that - for being a successful athlete - there is so much you have to keep in mind: What food you should eat, how much rest you should get, how you can stay focused and the like. However, as a young athlete, there are some other very important questions. One of the most crucial ones, which I think athletes around the globe are confronted by, is how to combine your athletic with your educational career. Because even for the most talented athletes out there, it's always good to have a Plan B if things don't go as well as you intended them to go.

The Youth Olympic Competence Program is aiming at just those questions. I really like the name of the program, since it is spot on: It gives the athletes the competences to themselves take care of their lives and tackle the challenges ahead. Because the easy way to answer all those questions would be: "Don't you worry, what do they have a coach/nutritionist/personal trainer for?". Personally, I am a strong fan of personal responsibility, so if they have the competences at hand to take care of their own life, it sounds like a much better deal to me.

The activities and topics covered in the Competence Program are quite diverse. The ARM Program is one of them, where athletes can get information from people that know it first-hand. There will also be discussions, "Chat with Champions" as they were called in Singapore, were the athletes can discuss a wide array of different topics. There will be a great career plan workshop, led by the IOC Athlete Career Program's Patrick Glennon. Patrick was already on-board in Singapore and he is an important source of guidance for the athletes. What I really like about his approach is that, rather giving them a "one size fits all" solution for their individual career choices, he tries to empower the athletes to find a satisfying solution themselves. I just hope that he does not bring his puzzle...I still got nightmares thinking about it :).

So far for the "practical" side of aspiring elite athletes. However, there are also plenty of activities "on the lighter side". For instance, one of my favorites, will be the "Be your own Chef!", where athletes can learn how to cook delicious and nutritious meals for themselves. (I wish that would have existed when I was young...if I got a dime every time we had pasta during competition, I could possibly buy an Ipad ;)). Another funny and very important workshop will deal with intercultural experiences. After all, there will be more than 65 different countries represented in Innsbruck. Personally, I just love how sport can transcend cultural boundaries, so making the kids aware of different stereotypes that might exist will definitely be a big plus for everyone. Right now, they are putting finishing touches on that workshop, so I am sure it will be a very enriching experience by the time January comes around.

The Youth Olympic Competence Program will arguably be the CEP's key element. Because the athletes that are going to compete in Innsbruck 2012, will most likely be the athletes competing in 2014, 2018 and so on. So the least we can do is give them today the knowledge they need to have successful and fulfilling careers in sports. After all, it's not only about making them win plenty of medals, but also making them enjoy their lives as athletes and being happy what they are doing.

So long,
Flo

Tag des Sports

2011-09-24T19:30:00.007+02:00

Hey folks,

Today I went to the "Tag des Sports", which translates to "Day of Sports". It is an event taking place in Vienna, celebrating and presenting the myriad of different sports organizations and federations in Austria. Originally, I thought I could not go there, because I had a course at university (my last one ever, yay!). However, we finished a little earlier, so off I went to the Heldenplatz in the heart of Vienna.

As outlined above, all Austrian federations, sports organizations, sports governing bodies and basically any entity dealing with sports gather at the "Tag des Sports". Needless to say, also the Austrian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Innsbruck 2012 both had a stand there. They were also featured on the main stage. Unfortunately, I missed the Innsbruck 2012 performance, however, according to very credible sources, it was stunning :)

A personal highlight was when our athletes from the Singapore 2010 YOG were presented with an award afterwards. Martina (wrestling), Lara (sailing), Viki (canoe), Michael (judo), Kira (pole vault) and Luis (triathlon) received a trophy for their "outstanding services to the Republic of Austria". First of all, it was very nice for me to see the guys again and hear that they are doing great (I also talked to our swimmer, Jakub, who has just aced his final exams, so luckily also their educational careers are on track. My efforts as a Young Ambassador have paid off ;)).

Second, when the MC was reading out their achievements, you could see that they have been quite busy since Singapore: Martina won two medals at the European and the World Junior Wrestling Championships, Viki and Lara crowned themselves European and World Champions respectively, Kira qualified for the European Junior Athletics Championships and so on. Of course, there are many factors contributing to those guys being so awesome in what they are doing. However, I have a strong feeling that the YOG 2010 play(ed) quite a considerable role in their development as well.

I have a very strong feeling that I will hear from all of them again pretty soon :)

So long,
Flo

All pictures © Innsbruck 2012

The Athlete Role Model Program

2011-09-22T10:00:00.010+02:00

Hey folks,

Don't let the headline confuse you - today's entry is another edition of the Cultured and Education Program series. However, since the Athlete Role Model (ARM) program is such a key element in the CEP, I'll dedicate an exclusive entry to the ARM. Technically, it belongs to the Youth Olympic Competence Project, which I will write about in one of the entries to come.

The philosophy behind the ARM is rather simple: Who could be a better teacher to young athletes (the YOG participants are between 14 and 18 years old) than athletes that are several steps ahead of them and know perfectly well how they feel like. They have the best credentials in the world to do this job: All of the athletes serving as role models are former Olympians, many of them having won a medal. The program itself is coordinated by Vincent Defrasne, Olympic Champion in Biathlon and a fabulous guy.

The ARM were already a big hit at the inaugural YOG in Singapore in 2010. Usually, they would be surrounded by dozens of athletes, eyes and mouths wide open, listening to their role models. Compared to Singapore, the ARM has been modified in a very important was though. The ARM have never been very shy - they would always walk around in the village, open to ask any questions the athletes might have. However, the only problem was: You never really knew where they could be found. I remember desperately trying to meet Jackson Richardson, one of the all-time greats in my sport. I eventually found out where he could be found at a particular time - just my luck, I had so much work to do at that point that I could not go ;).

So in Innsbruck, the Athlete Role Models will have their own stand where athletes can go and meet them. Like most of the CEP activities, this stand will be located at the Congress Innsbruck. However, being former athletes, they are not stationary: Vincent told me that they will of course also join in at the various CEP activities or go to the venues. Thus, it will become much easier for athletes to contact the role models and look for advice with challenges they might face. Furthermore, we have talked of maybe letting the Young Ambassadors know beforehand where to find the athlete role models, so we can give our delegation a heads up. I really hope we can put that on track.

The list of ARM really features a lot of well-known Olympians from the past. I just can't wait to take my delegation to meet them!

Nordic Combined: Samppa Lajunen (2x Olympian, 5x medalist)
Cross Country: Petra Majdič (3x Olympian, 1x medalist, source of great inspiration)
Alpine Skiing: Marco Büchel (6x (!) Olympian)
Freestyle Skiing: Shannon Bahrke Happe (3x Olympian, 2x medalist)
Snowboarding: Nicola Thost (2x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Ski Jump: Andreas Küttel (3x Olympian)
Biathlon: Vincent Defrasne (3x Olympian, 3x medalist)
Ice Hockey: Jennifer Botterill (4x Olympian, 4x medalist)
Skeleton: Kerstin Szymkowiak (1x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Luge: Alexander Resch (3x Olympian, 2x medalist)
Figure Skating: Stéphane Lambiel (3x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Speed Skating: Jeremy Wotherspoon (4x Olympian, 1x medalist)
Curling: Eve Muirhead (1x Olympian) and Uli Kapp (2x Olympian)

In addition to the discipline representatives, there will also be other great athletes. I met some of them in Singapore and can assure you that they are role models in the truest sense of the word: Frank Fredericks, Charmaine Crooks (her German is impressive by the way!!), Hicham El Guerrouj (my friends from Morocco still have to explain the pronunciation of his last name to me), Barbara Kendall (a great drummer, see the photo!) or Angela Ruggiero, just to name a few. And last but not least, there is a third group of role models being closer to the athletes than anyone else: The Young Ambassadors, especially Nadia, Ana, Ramone, Sarah, Luiza, Peter, Kamila, Maca, Nathalie, Kateryna and Alina (I am sure I have forgotten somebody...sorry guys :)) as Olympians are of course always happy to assist the athletes.

I am sure the ARM will be an amazing experience for the athletes coming to Innsbruck. I will definitely encourage my athletes to go see their role models and ask them all the questions they want to have answered.

So long,
Flo

The Culture and Education Program - World Mile

2011-09-21T09:08:00.018+02:00

Hey folks,

Before I will start to describe the next CEP activity - the Youth Olympic Games World Mile - I just want to call your attention on some articles dealing with social media awareness. In my last blog entry, I wrote that social media is a great tool, however, there are some rules you should observe when using it. I am not talking about the IOC rules on social media - they have a marketing background. Thomas van Schalk of a site called "Sportsnetworker" gives a great overview of the whole "social media and athletes" issue. Even "funnier" is a list by Dave Thomas, showing you what can go awry when emotions get the best of you while tweeting. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the headline of Jure Doler's article on Fieldoo: Think before you speak! I am sure that after reading all those well-written articles, you'll get a better understanding of why the CEP's Media Lab is a very good initiative.

Ok, back to topic. I remember a funny story when we were in Singapore. One guy told me that so far he has not found a particular CEP activity. When I asked him which one, he said: "The World Mile!". Because this is the funny thing about the World Mile: It's such an interesting and fun thing to do that, at first glance, you don't think of it as a cultural or an educational initiative. If you want to think about the YOG in numbers - those are quite impressive: Innsbruck 2012 will unite approximately 1,000 athletes and 500 coaches, coming from 65 different countries! All those numbers add up to a vast plurality of different languages, cultures, customs, traditions and mindsets.

The concept of the Youth Olympic World Mile is rather simple. During games time - so from January 13th through 22nd - Tyrolean students will take turns presenting the different nations competing in the YOG. They will open a booth in the Congress Center Innsbruck, where most of the CEP activities will take place. This is another asset to the World Mile: Like in Singapore, it will be located directly on the participants' way to lunch and dinner. So even if we have not convinced all of them yet to attend the CEP, you have to pass there at least twice a day (if you don't want to starve :).
At those booths, the students will present a variety of topics, ranging from geographic facts over the climate to local customs and traditions. Those students are incredibly creative when it comes to designing their World Mile booths For instance, the guys in Singapore have prepared a life-sized Hermann Maier cut-out where you could take pictures of yourself as the "Herminator".

The Youth Olympic Games World Mile is designed that the countries to be presented will take turns. About ten countries will be on display for a couple of days before the next students will be given opportunity to present their works. Like that, you can really explore in detail all the different countries participating in the YOG. Besides, there will also be stands from various NGOs, like the United Nations (UNAID, UNICEF, UNESCO), but also the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) or the International Olympic Academy (IOA). So in a nutshell, the Youth Olympic Games World Mile will be a mind-broadening experiences where people can learn about different cultures as well as important topics. When I say "people can learn", I am referring to the probably most important point: The World Mile will be open to the general public, so it will become a meeting point for YOG participants as well as Innsbruck's population. I doubt that intercultural exchange can get any better :).

The next update might take a couple of days since I have some stuff to do at university (last class EVER :). Until then, take good care of yourselves and see you soon.

So long,
Flo

"Herminator" pic © Sean Lee

The Culture and Education Program - Media Lab

2011-09-19T11:43:00.013+02:00

Hey folks,

Since it started snowing in Innsbruck today, I thought I'd share the overall excitement (after all, now with the snow covering the streets, it feels like games time is approaching) with a new blog entry. Today, I will start with the promised series on the various Culture and Education activities. The first part will be dedicated to the Media lab.

When I was a kid, my grandmother always used to say that, in order to understand other people, you should "walk in their shoes for a mile". Well, of course she did not say that, being given the fact that we spoke German, however, you get the point. This approach is also reflected in the In nsbruck 2012 CEP. Starting at a very young age, athletes are exposed to a lot of media attention. I don't know if you have ever been asked to give an interview, however, you will soon notice that it takes a lot of practice to speak in front of a camera. After all, you have only a minute (sometimes even less) to bring your message across. Furthermore, even in light of a defeat, you want to give a professional response and analysis - rather than some moody rant about whatnot.

So in order to teach athletes how to talk in front of a camera. the CEP puts them behind one! By taking the role of a journalist, athletes learn how stories are developed and brought to life with a camera. They can hence discover methods of how to be a shiny part in that very story. I like that approach very much, because I believe that understanding the journalist's job also gives you a better idea of your job as an interview partner.

Apart from the improved media skills, the project will also be loads of fun. Being an avid photographer myself, I just love the creative outlet my camera gives me. Who knows - maybe the YOG Olympians will discover a new hobby and also become great photographers! The content they will produce will be shared on the various media channels, adding the participant's very own YOG perspective. Being taught how to express themselves via photography, filming or web editing, they can share their personal stories during games time.

Another very important part of the media lab is Social Media Awareness. Personally, I am a huge fan of nifty networks like Facebook or Flickr, because they provide excellent tools for me to stay in touch with my friends (By now the guys are really scattered to the four winds). However, there is one very important aspect people do not always bear in mind: Whatever you put online, stays online! We all know the situation: You had a bad competition, you come home, you are tired and moody and you write a status update like "Today just sucked. The referee was bad and the team was letting me down." True, it might have some cathartic effect on your inner balance (Well, most likely not...). But do you really want to tell to the world how much you despise the referee for making a bad call or how lousy you think one of your team mates is doing? Believe me: You do not!

So with the Social Media Awareness "campaign", athletes can learn the sensitivity needed to deal with such issues. Because everybody enjoys updates from their friends or athletes they admire. On the other hand though, there is plenty of stuff that you do not want to put online. Because you never know how things that go around will eventually come around!

So much for the Media Lab. If you have any more questions regarding the program, feel free to use the comment function below.

So long,
Flo

Pictures 1 and 2 © Innsbruck 2012

The Culture and Education Program - Overview

2011-09-15T22:10:00.003+02:00

Hey folks,

Let's start first things first by letting me give you a short introduction what the Youth Olympic Games' Culture and Education Program (CEP) is all about. After all, the Young Ambassador Program was designed to promote the CEP to all the athletes participating in the YOG.

During the inaugural YOG in Singapore, the phrase "Giving the champions of tomorrow the skills they need today" was coined. This gives you, in a nutshell, a pretty good idea of what the CEP is all about. Let's just put it this way: Even as a young athlete, you most likely know how to speed down a hill on a pair of skis (Ok, I guess there might be more to skiing than just that. Anyway, you get my point!). However, there might be other things you don't know that well: What kind of food should you eat? How do you combine you sporting career with your schooling? How do you speak in front of a camera without sounding like an utter jerk (if you find that one out, please give me a call!!)? And maybe most importantly: What kind of advice can people that already know what it feels like to make it as an athlete give to you ?

Concerning the speeding down the mountain part, athletes are usually covered pretty well. They got their coaches to teach them the right technique, their physios to keep them fit and some even have the luxury of a psychologist to keep them focused. But what about the questions mentioned above? For all these, the CEP comes into play. The Innsbruck 2012 CEP consists of 6 different activities, covering a total of 5 subjects: Olympism, Well-Being and healthy lifestyle, Skills Development, Expression and Social Responsibility. In those 7 activities, athletes will have opportunity to find answers to all those questions stated above.

All those things are taught via workshops, discussions, interactive lectures and plenty of hands-on activities. No worries, I will put online a detailed description of all the different things to do in Innsbruck at a later date. For the time being, I just want to give you a brief outlook: There are going to be "Chat with Champions" sessions, were athletes can meet Olympians and ask them all the things they want to know. One environmental awareness activity is going to take place on top of the "Nordkette", where the guys can learn more about how to protect the alpine climate. And one of my favourite sessions is definitely going to be the cooking workshop, where athletes can learn how to cook delicious and healthy meals appropriate for their respective sport. Oh yeah, let's not forget the dancing workshop, where the guys can just have a splendid time! Rumor has it that the workshop is going to be led by Mr. Sascha from Russia himself ;)

As you can see, there will be plenty of things going on besides the sporting events. Of course, athletes have limited time at their hand, so they won't be able to attend all the CEP activities there are. However, if they just check out one or two of them, they will already have learnt something that will come in handily in their future career. Besides, I promise that they will have a real blast doing so. But more on that on a later date.

So long,
Flo

R.I.P, Локомотив Яросла́вль

2011-09-12T12:05:00.007+02:00

Hey folks,

Originally, I wanted to write about the Youth Olympic Games' Culture and Education Program (CEP) today. However, there are some events in life so tragic that things that seem important at first just don't matter any more. The terrible plane crash of the Yaroslavl ice hockey team is one of them.

Like people all around the world, I was shocked and devastated by the dreadful images. Today I have learned that one of the 44 people killed in the plane crash was our fellow Young Ambassador Olga Salei's uncle. The scope of this tragic event - an entire sports team killed on their way to their opening match - is just too horrifying to be put into words. When realizing that all those people where not only great athletes, but also loving husbands, fathers, sons and relatives, it becomes even more impossible to understand.

My condolences and deepest sympathies go out to all people that have lost loved ones in this tragic incident. I am not sure if anything we say or do can make a difference to those people in such an hour of grief. I just hope that, by standing together, sport fans from all over the world can honor the memory of Lokomotive Yaroslavl and discover that, not only in light of such tragedies, supposedly important things like a game's outcome just don't matter any longer.

Friday Night Lights

2011-09-10T12:56:00.023+02:00

Hey folks,

No worries, I have not gone bananas (well, maybe I have...but in any case, that could hardly be called a recent development) - I know that it is actually Saturday today. The reason I picked today's headline - as popular culture geeks will certainly know - is the novel/movie/TV series going by the same name. Basically, all three of them are about high school football somewhere in Texas, where it's all about those shiny lights on a Friday night.

Today, my team will start yet another team handball season. First game of the season is always exciting, since everybody is motivated and ready to go. I just hope that all the hard training we put in (although I was sidelined due to injury for a crucial period of time) will pay off today. So wherever you are guys, please keep your fingers crossed for us.

So long,
Flo

Young Ambassador 2.0

2011-09-07T09:40:00.016+02:00

Hey folks,

It was with some guilty surprise that I discovered that the last entry in this blog dates from exactly one year ago. On September 8th, 2010, I blogged - in the aftermath of the mind-blowing, life-changing, memory-waking first ever Youth Olympic Games in Singapore - for the last time. Until today that is!

As you might now, the sequel is ante portas - the first ever Youth Olympic Winter Games are going to take place from January 13th to 22nd in Innsbruck, Austria. Not only is it a source of great pride to have such an exciting event in my home country. I also got the chance to once more be part of the amazing Youth Olympic Team Austria as a Young Ambassador for the Games. I feel both humbled and honored to be given this role once again. Humbled, because I was once again selected to be part of an outstanding group of incredibly talented individuals, speaking of both the Youth Olympic Team Austria and my fellow ambassadors. Honored, because I have now the opportunity to carry on the legacy the first generation of Young Ambassadors created in Singapore. However, I am not saying this because I want to teach the "new" ambassadors what our job is all about. Believe me when I say that they knew more than well what our role is all about from the start.

In the last couple of days, we were invited to Innsbruck for the Young Ambassador seminar. In this series of workshops, discussions and plenty of hands -on activities, we were briefed on our mission in the time before, during and after the Games. For us, this was a great opportunity to see all the activities Innsbruck 2012 has in store for the athletes in it's Culture and Education Program (CEP).

However, apart from the "informative" part, the seminar was also a great way to meet all our fellow ambassadors. We did some very much appreciated venue tours to the usual hotspots (i.e. bars and clubs) and engaged in team building activities that lasted until the early hours of the morning :). Before leaving for Innsbruck, I did not really know what to expect. Of course I knew from experience what a great event the seminar was going to be. I was a little worried, though: "Having already experienced the seminar, could it maybe be less exciting than the first edition?".

I have to admit that I've been wrong quite a few times in my life - but believe me: I do not recall having been THIS WRONG about anything in a long time. The Young Ambassador seminar was again a mind-blowing experience, where I can hardly find the words to describe (which, knowing that I usually don't have a hard time talking, should tell you how great it actually was). The organization was just brilliant (special shout out to Verena, Anni and their volunteers for doing a tremendous job) and we were taken care of very well. However, there are 32 other good reasons why the last couple of days were so outstanding: The 32 Young Ambassadors, coming to Innsbruck from all over the world to contribute to the Games in 2012. I know that I might lose some credibility due to my quite inflationary use of superlatives, but believe me when I say: The Young Ambassadors, both in Singapore and in Innsbruck, are part of the most incredible people I have ever met.If you think that I am getting overly sappy talking about them: Just watch the guys in action and see for yourself :).

In the future, I hope that I will manage to put some regular updates on this blog. It's gonna be once again be a mixture between facts on the Games - especially the CEP program that I am responsible for as a Young Ambassador - and some personal thoughts. The blog is going to be in English 90% of times with some French or German maybe thrown in their as well once in a while. Feel free to comment on or share any of my stories.I also hope that I can do a layout relaunch pretty soon, since right now, it kinda looks like some Gothic metal fan page ;). Last but not least, just for the record: This blog is in a first-person, diary-type format and I am not trying to take the role of a journalist (special shout out to Kate :)).

Looking forward to the months ahead and hopefully see you in Innsbruck 2012!

So long,

Flo

Winning and Losing?

2010-09-08T22:18:00.005+02:00

Hey folks!

After writing about learning from each other and the amazing team spirit in the Youth Olympic Team Austria, I'd like to write something that has not yet fully landed in peoples' heads. I will pick up the topic of the YOG and media Fergus has started earlier. However, instead of turning it into a more global issue, I would like to take a different approach and describe it "from the inside". Because after all, I think that the inaugural YOG in Singapore did a far too great job as to be covered by the same approaches as the traditional Games.

One of Ferg's key point was that no story of the YOG seemed to be complete if it was not about a shiny piece of metal dangling from somebody's neck. To a certain point, that's fair play - after all, we are talking about sports and even though it should not only be about winning, doing better than somebody else is just the crucial element. However, it was definitely a disappointment to see that the media would just apply the same techniques, e.g. in storytelling, they use with every other major sports event, including the traditional Olympics. And that's a pity! Because, although being not the only player in this, the media for me is a crucial factor in reducing the image of sports to glorious winners and beaten losers.

Our Youth Olympic Team Austria accumulated a total of 6 medals - I think that's an incredible number for 16 athletes. And I can guarantee you: The atmosphere, as also described yesterday, was always filled with excitement when one of our guys or girls won a medal. First of all, we were of course really happy that one of our team mates, one of our friends, did so well in his/her competition. And on the other hand, I'd even say that we felt a little proud, because I tend to think that the encouragement and motivation from within the team also amounted a tiny little bit to the success.

However, it would be absolutely wrong to think that the medals were the only events the atmosphere was like this. I vividly remember how excited everybody was about our gymnast reaching the final and becoming an excellent 12th overall. Of course, who would care about becoming 12th in traditional story telling? But not only for us, the achievement our girl made that day was tremendous and definitely worth sharing with the world.

Or take the example of our shooter. He made a stupid mistake in his qualification round - something he told me happens every four years at best. I only heard it from someone else and expected to find him really devastated when coming home to the village at night. Far from it! He said to me: "Yeah, it was a stupid mistake and it's a pity it happened today. But life goes on and I will continue to work hard for the next competition." I think that those are remarkably wise and clever words coming from such a young athlete. And I totally believe that somebody handling a defeat like that would deserve to be reported about!

Those were just two of the countless examples I'd have. Bottom line is that there are so many stories worth telling, aside from the first three ranks. And I think that there is no better ground to take new approaches in journalism and reporting than the YOG. This is in line with something I've already written about in April:

"You might be a winner, but to be a champion, you need to show friendship, excellence and respect."

I am not saying that all the winners are no champions - absolutely not! They are great athletes and they have worked very hard for their success. But please: Let us also read and watch stories about the other champions out there. After all, they are not always marked by shiny objects dangling from their neck...

Team Spirit Austria

2010-09-07T13:42:00.008+02:00

Hey folks,

Yesterday, I wrote about the many different things that the people in Team Austria (and I am convinced in other teams as well!) have learned from each other, even outside the CEP's guiding frame. Today, I was looking through some questionnaires we gave our athletes and coaches on the flight back home. We had asked them to share their experience and also to be so kind as to give us permission to use their statements.

The questionnaire had six different phrases that people should complete, e.g. "My favorite moment of the Games was...". And one thing is rather interesting and remarkable about this very question. As you might know, we only had so-called individual sports, i.e. people not competing as a team, in our delegation. However, nearly everybody, both coaches and athletes, completed the phrase as follows:

"My favorite moment of the Games was...supporting and being supported by Team Austria!"

When we were in Singapore, everybody of course had a tight schedule: Going to venues, practicing, going back to the YOV, doing CEP activities, competing...Nonetheless, people would always ask me for tickets to go watch other sports. And although we only had 16 athletes, it was quite often that 10 or even more of us would be at a venue, screaming our lungs out (or maybe that was only me? Anyways!) for our guys. This led to some really memorable situations, like when we handed out Austrian flags to Singaporean school kids and suddenly, the whole block was branded in red-white-red. Or when we went to cheer for our table tennis player, who would later say that being cheered on by us was one of his favorite moments of the Games.

In psychology, there is often a differentiation between intrinsic (from within) and extrinsic (from the outside) motivation. Needless to say, all the athletes going to Singapore are very motivated from within - otherwise they would not be that good. However, I think for every young athlete, it's a very good feeling to know that your talent and achievements are also appreciated by other people. And that your team mates, no matter how busy their schedule is, take a one hour bus ride just to watch you compete.

When I think back of our time in Singapore (which I still do a lot), this is one of the first things that comes to my mind. And it will also be one of the first things we will work on for our Youth Olympic Team Austria in Innsbruck 2012!

Learning from each other

2010-09-06T10:04:00.008+02:00

Hey folks,

So approximately one week after our amazing experience in Singapore has ended, I feel ready to write another blog entry. Apart from the usual physical fatigue after such an event (hours were long and sleep was short), I also experienced this kind of mental fatigue. Experts might call it reverse culture shock - the kind of shock you get when you go back to your culture of origin. Anyways, it was just a little bizarre to be back home after the nearly three weeks in Singapore.

In the following updates to this blog, I would like to write about certain things that will live on from the Games. Those might be more global things (speaking of which: Fergus has written a masterpiece on the YOG and media with an excellent capital model!), however, since I can only speak for myself, those might as well be more personal insights. If you allow, I'd like to be selfish and start with one of these stories.

In Singapore, the Austrian delegation comprised of 16 athletes and my job was to promote the Culture and Education Program (CEP) to them. This particularly meant to tell them about the various activities going on, signing them up for stuff taking place outside the village and actively motivating them to get involved. However, over the course of time, it was interesting to see that we initiated our own education program - by teaching and learning from ourselves!

Let me explain: In our team, we had ten girls and six boys competing in 12 different sports. They came from all Austrian regions and all had made different experiences in their lives. Of course, the CEP was a great initiative to teach them things they would maybe not have such an easy access to if it wasn't for the Games. However, I personally believe that they also hugely profited from being together with their peers and learning from them. And although I can't point my finger at it (after all, we are talking about teenagers, who are not too much into openly showing that they have learned something ;)), I could really see that every single one of them has grown during their time in Singapore.

However, it would be foolish to say that only the athletes have learned something. I personally have to admit that I learned a million new things.

From our shooter, I learned how to take defeat like a real champion.
From our gymnast, I learned what it means to sacrifice, e.g. by controlling your diet, for your sport.
From our canoeist and ringer, I learned how to clench your teeth and go for that medal.
From our triathlete, I learned that even after taking a gold medal, the next day starts with another training session
From our sailor, I learned what dedication it takes to make it to the top
And from our rower I learned the importance of mastering foreign languages.

Bottom line is that in only 18 days, we all made so many valuable experiences, from which we can extensively draw in our futures. I already feel the effects: In Singapore, I realized that also in the future, I want to accompany youngsters on their way to sporting excellence. That's way I will work even harder to finish my education and thus be able to, hopefully, help them even more. I also would love to try out rowing, because I think it's a real fascinating sport, not only because of the great abs it gives you. And last but not least, I restarted working out and playing handball. And guess what: It feels good and rewarding. I might would have done these things even without Singapore, however, it would definitely would not have been with the same motivation and satisfaction.

Unfortunately, I can only talk from my personal experience, since I can not look into anybody else's head (yet). However, I am convinced that my athletes will feel similar effects. Maybe not now, in the immediate aftermath. But they will. And they will realize that their experiences from Singapore will tremendously help them in their future. Not only in sports, but with everything they want to achieve in life.

Report from Singapore 6

2010-08-30T19:40:00.003+02:00

Hey folks,

This is going to be the last update from the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. The last days of the Games have been pretty busy, so please understand why I did not update this blog more often.

With Christine taking bronze both in the Judo individual and the medley event, Viki paddling to bronze and Lara winning gold in sailing, our team accumulated a total of 6 medals. As you can imagine, the atmosphere with Team Austria at the Youth Olympic Village was amazing! However, as all good things come to an end, it was time to leave for us shortly afterward. Since the whole situation was kind of overwhelming, I can just point out a few things that made the Games such an incredible experience:

The team spirit within Team Austria, where all the athletes and coaches supported each other and formed friendships to last.
The warmhearted and welcoming people in Singapore, inviting us to their marvelous city and hosting excellent games.
The multicultural atmosphere at the Youth Olympic Village, where 205 nations could live next to each other without any problem.
The activities of the culture and education program, trying to help athletes to grow and advance in their development
The performances of the athletes with every single one giving his best
The Cook Islands all smiles and just having fun, despite being crushed by the French
The Young Ambassadors, whose presence and inspiration I already miss
The chance of being part in something great

However, there is not much time to cherish my nostalgia. The next Games are only 16 months away and I somehow have the feeling that I will find a way or two to occupy myself until then...

So long,
Florian

Report from Singapore 5

2010-08-20T17:39:00.002+02:00

Hey folks,

Another rare update from Singapore. Although I'd love to update this blog more frequently, I just find it so hard to find the time to. A day just passes so quickly when you are watching competitions, organizing CEP activities, attend meetings, go eating, sleep, take a shower and so on. Plus, the fact that I have never been the most reliable guy in the blog-o-sphere does not make this task any easier. Anyways, what have we been up to recently? Well, a lot I'd say:

-) We have a Gold medal! After finishing 3rd in the singles, Luis Knabl claimed victory in the Mixed team relay event. Entering as the last contender, he managed to beat Olympic Champion Aaron Barclay from New Zealand in the final run, which is said to be his weakest discipline. It might be hard to understand, but I really do have the impression that Luis' gold medal boosted the already great team spirit even more. Because although it is his (and his colleagues') personal achievement, everybody is deeply enjoying it, because a group member is successful.

-) Speaking of great team spirit: As you can probably imagine, the athletes are really busy here in Singapore: They have long journeys to the venues, practice hard, need to rest, attend CEP activities and of course compete. So it is really touching to see that 16 (i.e. half of our delegation!) made their way to the Bishan Sports Hall to see our youngest team member, Elisa, compete in the women's all-around final. And Elisa thanked us by increasing her personal best by another .5 points!

-) Our athletes are actively engaging in the CEP. Since it's my duty to promote it, I am really happy to see them taking the initiative.

-) A last entry, which has nothing to do with our delegation, but illustrates quite well what the Olympics are about: Today, I went to the International Convention Center to see France playing the Cook Islands. As I already wrote on Facebook, this is not David vs. Goliath, but rather the Napoleonic Army against a tree. Without any surprise, the French easily swept the Cook Islands 58 to 4. However, what is remarkable that instead of shouting at each other or losing their spirits (what losing teams frequently do), the underdogs had fun. Great fun! They were doing some tricks they've learned, interacted with the audience and never gave up trying. And after the Game was over, they had a blast in the mixed interview zone. Of course nobody likes to lose. However, if you can take a bad defeat and still enjoy the game to the max, then you have understood what it is all about.

All the best from Singapore and please check out our Facebook group!
Best
Flo

Report from Singapore 4

2010-08-17T17:38:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

It is now the third day of the Games and our team has already written history: Luis Knabl won bronze in the Triathlon competition and thus became the first ever Austrian to win a Youth Olympic medal. However, what is even more enjoyable than Luis' medal is that it revealed the great team spirit our delegation has going on. For instance, a group of ten went to his big race, although we had to get up at 6 in the morning for it and people are always busy with practice and so on. It is really very satisfying to see how all those athletes coming from different sporting backgrounds have been transformed into a unit in what was only a matter of days (if not hours).

Apart from Luis' historic achievements, also the other athletes did quite well: Martina got fifth in women's wrestling, despite her injury. Kira and Ivona qualified for the A-finals today and are now going for a medal. Lara became fifth in her first race and won the second one and is now second overall. Last but not least, Elisa landed a big sensation by qualifying for the women's all-around gymnastics, a deed that has never been achieved in Austrian gymnastics history.

Also off the track, lots of great stuff is going on: Our athletes are heavily engaged in the CEP program, we attended a party thrown by Innsbruck 2012 in downtown Singapore the other day (Tyroler Knödel!!) and we got a marvellous picture presented to us by the pupils who designed the Austria booth in the World Culture Village. So all in all: Good times!

At this point, I would like to thank all our Facebook fans, who are really amazing in the way they support our athletes. So thank you and keep it up! Please also check out the page for pictures of our time here in Singapore.

So long,
Flo

Report from Singapore 3

2010-08-15T06:28:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

Yesterday, the first ever Youth Olympic Games were declared open by what was probably the best event I have ever experienced. Although I my undergraduate degree included several lectures on event management, it's only in my wildest dreams that I would have thought of an event like this.

The Opening Ceremony took place on a floating stage in Marina Bay, right in the heart of Singapore. Already at the gathering point, the atmosphere was fabulous. All the different countries were singing their local tunes (of course, we were chanting "Immer wieder, immer wieder, immer wieder Österreich"), exchanged pins and took photos with each other.

After all the 204 delegations had arrived, it was time to march towards the stadium. We all caught a very good glimpse at the Singapore skyline, before it was showtime. We entered the stadium where 27,000 people enthusiastically welcomed us to Singapore. I was definitely not the only one to have goose bumps!

And then we took our seats and experienced one of the best Opening Ceremonies in the history of the Olympic Games. There was music, dancers, exotic costumes, acrobats, pyrotechnic, laser, visual effects...to cut a long story short: EVERYTHING! Sometimes it was really hard to focus, because there was so much going on: On stage, in the ranks, on the water, everywhere. Speaking of the stage: Besides the "normal" stage, they also had a stage on the water and a 30 meter high backdrop.

At about 10PM, the climax was approaching. First, Ng Ser Miang, chairman of SYOGOC, welcomed everybody to the beautiful city of Singapore and wished them a great experience. Then, IOC president Jacques Rogge highlighted his vision of the Games: To not only make winners, but champions, who abide to the Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect.
And then the moment everybody has been waiting for arrived: S.R. Nathan, president of the Republic of Singapore, declared 1. Youth Olympic Games open.

Unfortunately, I can't give you any pictures of the ceremony, however, I kindly invite you to watch this gallery on Flickr. I believe it gives you a very good impression of what a great experience we had!!

Let the Games begin!

Report from Singapore 2

2010-08-14T04:03:00.009+02:00

Hey folks!

Next update from sunny Singapore! We've been here now for four days and so far, it's been going great. The atmosphere is really inspiring and although I've been to quite a few events, hardly any of these were organized as perfectly as this one.

So what have we been up to in those four days? Maybe you know the feeling when you move to a different place: The first few days, you feel kind of lost, because you don't know the most simple things: Where is the supermarket? Where can I do my laundry? Where is the bus stop? The same is true with us (although unfortunately we are only moving here for two weeks). Basically, we just got accustomed with the surrounding, tried to find our way to the dining hall and the diverse training facilities and just get into the Games mindset. Oh, and of course we also started to neatly decorating our two floors, as you can see in the picture.

Yesterday, the village was officially opened with, in the truest sense of the word, a big bang. When we were in Singapore in March for the Young Ambassador seminar, we had a drum workshop. (Btw: The same drumming session is a part of the CEP and will be open for athletes!) . And yesterday, we got the YA and CEP champs back together to act as the opening act for the Village's opening ceremony.

After spending the day getting back into the groove (1-2-3-BANANA!), we hit the stage at half past eight. And I tell you what: Going out on this stage, where several hundred people were watching the show, really gave us chills, despite outside temperatures of 30° C. Our performance was really nice and people seemed to enjoy it very much.Some when in the show, I got really carried away and I banged my drum so hard that my hand started to bleed. It was just a small bruise, however, now I can genuinely say that I am spending blood and sweat on the Games (I think I'll skip the tears on this one).

Today, the first ever Youth Olympic Games will be officially opened and we are all really excited what the Opening Ceremony is going to be like. I went by the stage the other day while running some errands in the city and it's just massive. I have a very good feeling that this is going to be a very special night. So make sure to follow it LIVE via the web stream you can access HERE (Channel 1).

As always, you can also check out our official Facebook fanpage, where we always love to receive your comments.

So long,
Florian

Picture 2, 3 © Callum Ng, Pictrure 4 © Erin Kennedy

Report from Singapore 1

2010-08-12T08:18:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

Welcome to the first update to this blog from sunny Singapore! The Austrian delegation, comprising of 16 athletes, their coaches, a physio therapist and the Young Ambassador arrived at Changi Airport on time at 4pm yesterday. Everything was really well organized, so from the airport, we went straight to the Youth Olympic Village (YOV). By the way: The have an own lane for YOG buses during games time - how cool is that? (Well, I guess it's only cool when you are the one on the bus)

At the YOV, we had our accreditation (the plastic tags everybody wears around his/her neck, indicating where you should and should not go) validated and also received the first highlight of the Games: Our very own Digital Concierge, loaded onto a Samsung Smartphone. With those nifty gadgets, we can update you in real time from the Games via Facebook and other platforms. I think that's really a cool thing, since there are so many funny, extraordinary and special stories you want to share with people throughout the day, however, it just takes too long until you reach the next computer.

We also had two meals at the huge (i.e. comfortably fitting 1,600 people) dining hall. Depending on who you ask, the food is "very good" (I tend to support this fraction) or "absolutely awful". However, I really enjoyed having a nice chicken curry for breakfast :). Oh, and sitting on the same table with people from Aruba, the Vanuatu and the Bahamas (I'm very impressed if you can find those on a map within 5 seconds) for lunch just gives you a very good impression what the atmosphere here is like: Colorful, friendly, international.

Speaking of nations: We spent this morning with appropriately decorating our two floors. Please refer to our Facebook group "Youth Olympic Team Austria" for the pictures. NB: Since there are so many information channels, I will solely upload any picture or video material on Facebook, so please check there, thanks.

That's all for the moment from Team Austria in Singapore. We are always happy to hear your feedback and would like to thank you for supporting us!

Best

Between the switch of the light...

2010-08-09T23:27:00.003+02:00

Hey folks!

...and the start of the dream - that's the chorus of one of my favorite songs. Right now, sitting in my bed, going over some last itinerary details before leaving for Singapore tomorrow evening, I feel exactly like this.

Some when in the last week, for the first time I got a little nervous because of the Youth Olympic Games. Up to this point, I thought that I have seen a bit and been around quite a bit, so feeling nervous for a sports event was definitely nothing to consider. However, now with constant reports and bulletins coming from Singapore, for the first time I grasp the magnitude of this project. I mean, if you take even the most basic facts, they got something like this:

I will be representing my country at the first new Olympic event since 1924, working with 16 of the most promising Austrian athletes. Period. So yeah, I hope you can somehow understand why I get some goosebumps thinking about it.

So here we are. Seven months have passed since I was named "Young Ambassador", five months since I have been to Singapore to be prepared to the challenge ahead. I've been waiting long enough for this moment, I've been working hard to live up to my role as a Young Ambassador and now it is time for the Games to start. The light's been switched of - so let the dream begin.

Latest news

2010-07-18T10:37:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

It's been way too long since I updated this blog for the last time. It's just that there has been lots of stuff going on, especially with the YOG that prevented me from writing. So here are, at a glance, the most important things that have happened recently.

1) The inaugural YOG in Singapore are less than 30 DAYS away!

2) Daniel Gruber, a very talented 18-year old guy from Tyrol has been named Young Reporter for the YOG. Great job, Daniel!

3) 3-times Olympic champion Usain Bolt has signed up as a Youth Olympic Games ambassador. Unfortunately, he and fellow ambassador Michael Phelps won't make it to Singapore due to their competition schedule.

4) The Austrian delegation for Singapore has been nominated! The following 16 promising youngsters will give their best at the Games:

Alexandra Mathis (Badminton)
Kira Grünberg (Track and field)
Ivona Dadic (Track and field)
Michael Greiter (Judo)
Christine Huck (Judo)
Jakub Malý (Swimming)
Alois Knabl (Triathlon)
Lara Vadlau (Sailing)
Stefan Rumpler (Shooting)
Cornelia Enser (Shooting)
Elisa Hämmerle (Gymnastics)
Paul Sieber (Rowing)
Jana Hausberger (Rowing)
Stefan Leitgeb (Table Tennis)
Martina Kuenz (Ringen)
Viktoria Wolffhardt (Canoe)

We will have a kick-off event with our athletes at the end of July, including presentations about the CEP, multimedia etc... as well as fun team-building activities outdoors. I'll post a review following the event at this blog.

That's all for the moment. In the remaining three weeks until Singapore, I will try to keep you updated with stories about and around the YOG.

Have a good day and hopefully see you all in Singapore!

Team sports

2010-06-30T13:33:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

Today marks the last entry about the Olympic Day celebration one week ago. I wrote about my chat with Paul and Christopher about the importance of school. Then, I also took up Mr. Schauer's opening words about how taking part in the Olympics and taking part in the Olympiad are actually two different things. So what's left today, is a little retrospective about Peter Seisenbacher's short presentation at the celebrations.

Peter Seisenbacher is an Austrian icon when it comes to (summer sports). He was the first (and I believe up to today the only) heavy weight judoka to defend his title at two consecutive Olympic Games. And while my country is used to such heroes when it comes to winter sports, it's rather uncommon that we have such dominant athletes in the summer. When asked about his success, Mr. Seisenbacher picked this up and said:

"I think what made me successful during my career was that I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a dedicated team, where everybody knew his place and was fighting for a common goal. That's neither the easiest nor the most comfortable way, however, that's in my opinion the way to be successful."

Being given this quote, I think it's funny that one classification still differentiates between "individual sports" and "team sports". While this was true maybe some decades ago (I doubt that Jesse Owens was supported by a nutritionist or mental coach), I think that it is hopelessly outdated nowadays. Like Mr. Seisenbacher said: To be successful, you need a dedicated and competent team. So I guess the only difference between so-called individual and team sports is that with a team sport, there is at least one other guy competing. However, behind the scenes, all athletes have to rely on their coaches, physiotherapists, sport psychologists etc... to be successful. I wonder how long it will take for them to be recognized with a shiny medal as well... ;)

Taking part

2010-06-27T11:10:00.006+02:00

Hey folks!

It's 11:10AM here in Austria, the weather is nice and I should actually be studying for two exams (contemporary history, statistics II) - in short, the perfect time and condition for another follow up of the Olympic Day celebrations on Wednesday.

As I wrote in my review, I was one of the guest speakers at this event, presenting the key facts of the YOG. Not an easy assignment, being given the fact that I had only 5 minutes to do so. (You know, when it comes to talking/presenting/writing, I keep with Mark Twain who allegedly once wrote: "I don't have time to write you a short note, so I'll write a long letter instead.") The other speakers were Peter Wittmann (president of the Austrian federations organization), Peter Seisenbacher (Olympic champion; I intend to write about him later), Hans Holdaus (director of the IMSB) and Paul Schauer (president of the Austrian Swimming Federation, vice-president of tie AOC). I'd like to write about the latter today.

In his role as the AOC's vice-president, it was Mr. Schauer's job and privilege to welcome the guests to the Olympic Day celebration. Below, there is an excerpt from his speech, quoted by memory. In advance, I guess I need to explain that the unofficial motto of the Olympic Games is "Dabei sein ist alles" - "It's all about taking part". The source of this slogan is disputed, nevertheless, it's widely used in German speaking countries.

"You know, when it comes to the Olympic Games, it's all about taking part. However, this quote is very often misinterpreted. People believe that it is all about taking part in the Games. However, it is rather about taking part in the Olympiad - the four years leading to the Games. It is about working hard on yourself and your skills in those four years in order to be a world class athlete."

I have to admit that I never thought about it in that much detail, however, when hearing Mr. Schauer's point of view, it was kind of a light bulb moment. Because if you think about it closely, he is absolutely right! Of course taking part in the Olympics is amazing - the greatest thing you can achieve as an athlete. However, what is even more important, is being in the middle of things during the Olympiad. It is in those four years that you can determine whether you are good enough for the Games or not. And instead of having one competition or maybe two weeks of competitions, you have to be on top of your game constantly, 24/7 for four years!

And I guess looking at it from this perspective, the whole philosophy of this saying become much more appealing.
"It's all about taking part in the Olympics" can be understood as a cheap excuse à la "At least I took part".
"It's all about taking part in the Olympiad" however is like saying: "Yes, I am taking part and I am on my way to Innsbruck/London/Sochi/Nanjing/Rio..." So what might appear as a semantic difference at first glance, is actually a huge difference in real life.

What it takes to be successful...

2010-06-25T11:24:00.006+02:00

Hey folks!

As I promised the other day, I will pick up some themes from Olympic Day and write about it in this blog.

At the Olympic Day, one of the activities we had in store for the youngsters was a training session with Paul Sieber, a rower representing Austria in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. During the session, I got the chance to chat a little bit with Paul, as well as with his coach, Christoph. I noticed that Paul was reading "Der Process" by Franz Kafka, one of the main works in Austrian literature and (unfortunately) key element to the higher education curriculum.

So when I asked Paul which school he attended, he told me that he went to an "ordinary" high school in Vienna. Ordinary meaning that the school does not have a varsity program, providing aid for athletic performance. Christoph then said something quite interesting:

"Personally, I prefer an athlete that can handle both an athletic career as well as earning his academic degree. Because you definitely need the discipline and stamina it takes to obtain a high school degree to also have success with your sport."

For once, I have nothing more to add. Well, maybe one thing: It's a pleasure to meet people who embody this spirit in the first place!

Olympic Day

2010-06-24T10:43:00.011+02:00

Hey folks!

As most of you probably know, there was a big birthday celebration going on all over the world yesterday. On June 23rd, 1894, Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee in Paris, France. Two years later, the Ancient Olympic games were revived in Athens and started to shape the world of sports as we know it.

Being the Young Ambassador of Austria, I had the chance and privilege to take part in the official celebrations in my home country. And what better place could there possibly be to celebrate Olympic Day than in an Olympic Training Center. Since there are four of them in Austria, we also had four celebrations going on. I took part in the celebrations at the Institute for Sports Medicine and Science (IMSB) in Maria Enzersdorf, Lower Austria. The center has been closely working with Austrian (Olympic) athletes for nearly 30 years and is one of the leading institutions in Europe.

In this blog entry, I will write a little review about the Olympic Day celebration. However, in the next couple of days, I will also pick up some of the themes that were discussed or just arose in the course of the festivities.

To celebrate Olympic Day, two classes (approx. 50 students) from a nearby high school focusing on sports were invited to the IMSB. They were welcomed by Paul Schauer, president of the Austrian Swimming Federation and vice president to the Austrian Olympic Committee. He gave a very inspiring speech about Olympism and what it means to live your life by the Olympic values and to give your best every single day. For me, it was very cool how the Olympic Values and the Olympic Spirits easily transcend generations. Because although I am some 40 years younger than Mr. Schauer, I share the same message with people out there.

Following Mr. Schauer, Peter Seisenbacher, two-times Olympic champion in Judo spoke about what it means to be a champion and, even more important, how to become one. And then it was my turn to give a presentation about the YOG. I was a little nervous, since I had to present after two exceptional personalities in Austrian sports, however, it all went very well and I think I could transport the YOG message. To wrap up the presentations, Prof. Holdaus, the IMSB's director, talked about the range of services his institute offers.

And then, it was time for action! At altogether six different check points, the kids could experience what professional training means.

They went to the weight room and got a lecture on how weight training is done (and not done)
They met with the Austrian fencing team preparing for London 2012 and Rio 2016 and learned some cool fencing moves.
They tested their speed and reaction time at a fun performance diagnostics site
They practiced on the beach volleyball court with two Austrian Olympians
They tried out field hockey, coached by members of the Austrian team that won the European Championship
They were introduced to rowing by no less than Paul Sieber, who will represent Austria in Singapore!!

All in all, it was an action packed day and the kids really enjoyed it. Besides giving a presentation to reach out to the kids, I also got the chance to talk to two of the athletes going to Singapore and get to know them a little. It goes without saying that they are very excited and looking forward to the Games. So after Olympic Day, there is only one thing left: Counting down the days until Singapore!

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 13a

2010-06-17T09:55:00.005+02:00

Hey folks!

So, as I announced yesterday, I have another memory with Shannon Andrew to share with you. Just a little side note before getting started: I know that I haven't written something about every Young Ambassador out there. This is of course in absolutely no way because I prefer some over others. It's just that with some guys, there was this one incident sticking out so I felt like writing about it.

I would like to use the second memory with Shannon to discuss a topic in its larger sense: On, I think it was, our last day in Singapore, we had a big feedback round with Pak Sing, the CCEO (Chief Culture and Education Officer). He asked us to give him some impressions and recommendations for the final CEP to be done in August. We were sitting around a long table in the impressive SYOGOC headquarter in Singapore and one after the other gave feedback.

As you might guess from my blog, most people were really pleased with the proposed CEP activities. However, there was one point criticized by several of us: Some of the CEP learning activities (i.e. career planning, nutrition, balancing your life...) deemed too immature to us. So we suggested to rethink them and make them more appropriate to a target group consisting of 14-18 year olds. The overall tenor was: Those activities will be too boring for the youngsters.

When it was Shannon's turn, be started out, like everyone else, by thanking the organizers for the awesome week we were allowed to spent in Singapore. However, next he stated something that made me think:

"I think the athletes and us, we should be happy and glad that we have the chance to be here in Singapore. For many people from my country, this is the first time ever they board a plane and visit such a big city. I think we should be much more grateful that we can make an experience like that."

In addition, the next day, Shannon took a subway to Chinatown...for the first time in his life! As you can see, this story puts many things into a whole different perspective. For me, it's nothing special to go to a big city (Well, Vienna) and I take the subway day in day out. Also, flying to another country, despite being the exception rather than the rule, is not much of a deal nowadays. So I'm very happy that stories like Shannon's put things in the right perspective. Of course having a CEP program with so many exciting activities is great. However, I think at the end of the day, we should already consider ourselves fortunate and very lucky to be given the chance to go to Singapore and meet with so many diverse people in the first place.

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 13

2010-06-16T16:05:00.006+02:00

Hey folks!

If I counted correctly, the Young Ambassador video portrait of Shannon Andrew is already the last one to be featured on the Olympic homepage. This suits me quite well since I not only have one, but two very special memories about Shannon to share with you. By the way, fun fact about Shannon: Being nicknamed "Nani" for his close resemblance with the Portuguese footballer, he is challenging Mansour for the Ambassador with the most given names ;)

As you can maybe see in his video, Shannon is wearing a beautiful necklace around his neck. During our week in Singapore, you could always see him wearing it. I noticed, because I am myself a big fan of necklaces, wearing a Celtic symbol of life my mom gave to me every day (Actually, not today since the lace broke a week ago. So anybody who has a spare leather lace will be showered with pins, stickers and thank yous!).

For most people, wearing a necklace is just a simple adornment to their outfit. They just wear them because they make them look and/or feel good. However, Shannon is definitely not one of those people. On our last day, we were sitting in the lobby of our hotel, ready to explore the city. Shannon was there as well and some when in the conversation, we were talking about family, brothers and sisters. From that topic, the following excellent story evolved:

"I have one younger sister. She is the Queen of my heart, I love her so much. Every time I travel abroad, she gives me her necklace, to protect me. It is a very valuable necklace. Where I come from, in Papua New-guinea, we believe that such a necklace protects you from evil things and demons. So people pay a lot of money for them. Like, where I come from, I could easily get an acre of land in return for my necklace. In other regions, people would trade it for a pig. You have to know that for them, pigs are the most precious things in the world. They are even more important than their wives! However, most likely, I wouldn't get anything for it. If I wore this necklace back home in the streets, just for fun, people might kill me, because it is so valuable."

I think it's remarkable how things can differ. Here in Austria, people are crazy about big houses, fancy cars or posh clothes. And if you saw somebody on the street wearing a necklace, you might think that it is pretty and suits the person well. However, where Shannon comes from, in PNG, people's biggest treasure might be a pig or a protecting accessory. And although it might appear bizarre at first glance, I don't think that it is at all. After all, I wouldn't trade in my mother's necklace either...not even for some land or a pig!

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 12

2010-06-14T21:42:00.008+02:00

Hey folks!

Since Paraguay just scored against Italy, one of my favorites, I thought it was time to work off some stuff I'm terribly late on. In this particular case, it really is a pity, since my memory with Sofia Irala is one of my most cherished ones from the six days in Singapore. And once again, it has nothing to do with breaking out of prison together, but rather with a very small, yet beautiful incident.

Although Singapore is a rather small state (it's ranked somewhere between Toronto and Hamburg), you can definitely spend a lot of time on the road. When being introduced to the various CEP activities Singapore has in store for the athletes in August, we drove all over town on our comfortable bus. And apart from the first trip, when the inimitable Jed got a new hairstyle, those trips weren't filled with too much action.

Coincidence (or maybe destiny? [Insert Danny Elfman-like musical theme here]) had it that on most trips, I was sitting next to or somewhere near Sofia. One thing you should know about me is that I always, always, ALWAYS have my mp3-player with me. It's just that nothing can beat the feeling moving in a bus or car and listening to some inspiring tunes. Except for one thing: Having somebody to listen to it with you!

So during our time in Singapore, Sofia and I would sit on the bus and just play music to each other and talk about God and his brother. On top of this site, you find a selection of five songs that I still remember listening to with her.

-) When listening to Tabaco y Chanel, she told me that I so have to learn to dance Salsa
-) When listening to Bella, I tried to translate the lyrics to her, always hoping Fabrizia wouldn't hear my embarrassing efforts.
-) When listening to Words on Logs, I showed her what my home town sounds like
-) When listening to Always, we remembered what being young sounded like
-) When listening to Mala Vida, I told her the story about saying: "Tu me estas dando mala vida" to a girl I fancied.

The whole time in Singapore, we continued having the most awesome conversations. Not about anything worldshaking. Just about stuff: About hobbies, about friends, about injured strikers and about dreams. In short: About what life is all about!

Career choices

2010-06-10T12:12:00.006+02:00

Hey folks!

Today, I'd like to pick up another thought from Erin's blog entry about falling in love with her job every day anew. Yesterday I wrote about my inner flame (Btw: Feel free to post what's burning inside you! And don't you are to write 'that nasty chili from last night'), which is handball. However, Erin also described another important aspect:

"It is in this moment, as I place the medals around these athletes, that I fall in love all over again with my career."

Quite recently, I updated my CV, just in case some irresistible job offer would float in. When looking at the 2 pages document I'd produced, I had to smile. Since it is in a chronological order, the practical experience section reads:

International Olympic Committee, Lausanne, Switzerland
International sports governing body, right holder to the (Youth) Olympic Games
Named Young Ambassador for Austria

Union St. Poelten Team Handball, St. Poelten, Austria
Austrian team handball club, currently playing in the 2nd league
Project manager

I just think that it is a funny contrast, having the IOC, which is without a doubt the biggest, most influential and powerful sports governing out there, on the one side. And then, on the other side: Union St. Poelten team handball, playing in an Austrian amateur league. People frequently pick this fact up and say stuff like: "You must be so happy to do stuff with the IOC and to get away from the boring day-t0-day stuff you usually do."

Well, I have to say: They are wrong! Not about the being happy part - I haven't found a way yet to describe how happy I am to be involved with YOG. However, the last word coming to my mind when describing my duties with the handball club would be boring ("well-paid" would be runner up). For once, it is because the stuff is never boring. One day, I'm involved with planning a season closing and opening event in June and September respectively. The next, I am negotiating a new supplier deal with a sports company. And on the third day, I might be helping with putting together a budget for the next season.

However, apart from being quite diverse and thus interesting, I wouldn't necessarily agree on the fact that the IOC is so much cooler and better than my club. Of course you can't compare the two, that goes without saying. However, just because the IOC is bigger and global doesn't necessarily make it much more interesting. In fact, I discovered that when it comes to work, they are no wizards or the like. They haven't invented a secret program to do budget calculations. They haven't reinvented the wheel when they are promoting the different types of events there are. And from what I have heard, it's also a myth that days in Lausanne are 30 hours long, which is why they get more stuff done than us.

Don't get me wrong: The people at the IOC are amazing in their specific domains and so on top of their game that they don't need me to confirm this fact. However, at the end of the day, they do the same thing everybody around the globe involved with sports does: Work hard to promote the merits of sport. So no matter if I am giving presentations about the YOG or coaching my little league team: Both things involve what I love and thus chose as a career path. So the difference is only quantitatively, not qualitatively...as psychologists tend to say. And when talking about psychology, all I can say that the satisfaction I get from either one activity is just great!

Keeping the fire burning

2010-06-09T21:06:00.011+02:00

Hey folks!

Yesterday, I wrote an entry about the diverse professional and educational backgrounds the Young Ambassadors have. What I didn't elaborate on too much was the immense pressure this puts on every single one of us. Just take this blog as an example: Sometimes, I have this great idea, a topic dealing with Olympism I'd love to write about (In case you haven't noted: 99% of all stories in this blog actually deal with the Olympic spirit). And then this: My dear colleague Erin Kennedy, marathon hero, inspiration for millions, whose masters degree makes me jealous everytime anew, just sits down and posts another amazing article on her blog! Just like that! Sometimes, life is just not fair (At this point, you can imagine the big irony sign accompanying these lines slowly fading out)

So in her blog entry, Erin was talking about falling in love every time anew with her amazing job working for an American sports governing body. At the end, she sets the stage for us to pick up her inspiring thoughts:

"As I have done before in my posts, I'd like to pose a challenge to everyone. Look at your own life - your job, your sport, your family, your life - why do you do it? What makes it all worth it? What makes you fall in love all over again, day after day?"

Even before reading her latest entry, I wanted to write a very similar experience. Last weekend, I accompanied one of our youth teams (Under 13 years) to the National Championships in Carinthia. It was the first time in years that I went to such a tournament. When I was still active, I competed at many of those competitions as a player and once I also went there as a referee, however, this was the first time I went there as a coach.

When coming back from the United States last September, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get involved with handball again. I didn't have anything to do with the sport in two years and didn't have the feeling something was missing. Anyhow, I still got in touch with my old team and started helping them out with some stuff, e.g. as an assistant coach.

In Carinthia, our team played really well and you could see how excited they were to play against the best teams in the country. Unfortunately, two of our players got injured - nothing serious, but still, they couldn't play at their highest level. Still, they were fighting and hanging in as if they were playing for their lives. And while I was standing at the sideline, shouting words of encouragement and support or taking care of injured players, I felt it. I felt that from one moment to the next, the fire I believed to be extinguished was burning, as hot and all-consuming as ever. This might sound cheesy, but I don't really care. If you are involved in sports, you know what I mean and if you are not, you wouldn't understand anyway ;)

And this made me realize something: I might not be involved with handball constantly. I might not be working with my current club for all my life. I might not be playing the game anymore. I might won't have the time for handball once I got a full-time job. However, what I know for sure is that every time I go somewhere near a court, my pulse will accelerate and passion will get the best of me. Because all that matters is that special fire inside and that you just keep it burning...

Joining the Diplomatic Corps

2010-06-08T22:53:00.003+02:00

Hey folks!

Yet another time, I have to apologize for cruelly neglecting this blog for...way too long. I actually kicked the habit of looking for excuses a while ago, but still: The reason I don't update this blog as frequently as I'd like to is that right now, I am really busy with my studies and work.

You might think: "What do you mean studies and work? Isn't being an Ambassador a full time job?" (Well, if you actually read only a line of this blog before, you most certainly would not think that. However, let's just keep the phrase as a nice leading-in) Anyhow: No, it is not! It's actually quite funny if you think about how diverse the Young Ambassadors' backgrounds are. So before getting back to a fascinating text about labor law, here is a non-comprehensive list of what the YAs are up to when they are not promoting the YOG:

Studying, majoring in architecture, sports diplomacy, international relations, engineering, sport sciences, business, design, medicine and communication
Working for sports governing bodies, such as National Olympic Committees and sport federations
Running a sports marketing firm and an event management company
Going for their pilot license
Working as a design consultant
Teaching foreign languages at high school
Working with kids and teenagers as sports instructors and educators

That is only an ad-hoc list of all the amazing things the Young Ambassadors are doing. And guess what: It only comprises the stuff they do for a living, so all the voluntary work, side projects and just-for-fun activities are not even included in here!

Still, I promise (once again) that in the future I'll try to take some more time to update this blog. However, I hope that now you understand why sometimes things take a little while. So if anybody wants to leave some nice words of encouragement (Ranging from "Hang in there, champ!" to "Stop complaining and get up you lazy bas****!"), feel free to ;)

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 11

2010-05-28T23:23:00.001+02:00

Hey folks!

Wow, we have a world premiere here - today marks the first time I write two blog entries on one day, hooray! I just didn't have the heart to deprive you from my memory with the charming Alina Nyukthina, Young Ambassador from Russia. (Btw: Did you see her funny move at the end of the video? I start getting the impression that we should start a Young Ambassador cheer leading team!)

On our first evening in Singapore, we had this big get together with the CEP champs and all sorts of people. You might know that feeling when you come to a strange place to mingle with people, you feel kinda shy. Well, that was not very much the case with us! Still, the local organizers started out breaking the ice by inviting people on stage, asking them to present themselves. Alina was chosen as a Young Ambassador to introduce herself to the crowd. So Alina told us her name, her age and where she comes from. And of course what she was doing. That she was a teacher for foreign languages, going for her masters degree, being the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper and of course being an ambassador. Apparently, I was not the only one impressed by her account, because the MC's only comment was:

"Gosh, and I thought we only have 24 hours a day!"

When talking about the Young Ambassador role, people often ask me what you have to do to be named an Ambassador. Usually, I tell them some stuff every HR person would love to hear: That you have to excel academically, have a background in sports and education, are a team player, speak English fluently and so on. While this is all true, I guess this is not the real deal. So what I usually tell people is the quote from above: "Young Ambassadors are people, who's day has more than 24 hours!"

Of course I don't mean this literally (Despite some circulating rumors, we have not yet succeeded in breaking the space-time continuum). What I mean is that to be a Young Ambassador/CEP champion/champion in general, you have to take as much out of the time you have as possible. True, every one of us only has 24 hours a day. However, the difference lies in what we do in those 24 hours as well as how and if we make them count. And Alina definitely does make hers count...

John Wooden's Seven Point Creed

2010-05-28T22:42:00.003+02:00

Hey folks!

Today, I did something fun. My handball team was invited to test a brand new laser tag arena in my hometown. Basically, laser tag is like paint ball, just with lasers instead of bullets. It's great fun and while playing, you really feel like being part of a Star Wars movie.

However, this blog is not about how much fun I had pretending to be Han Solo. At the wall of the new center, there is a quote by John Wooden, a very famous college basketball coach.

"It doesn't matter who starts the game, but who finishes it"

I admit that this is probably not the most stunning quote I had on this blog so far. Still, I was curious to find out who this John Wooden was and why somebody bothered to write his quote in big letters on the wall. While browsing through his biography (I admit that it was on Wikipedia...it's just so convenient ;)), I found some remarkable stuff. Apparently, John's father had given him a seven point creed upon graduation (and even if he did not, it's still an awesome creed!).

Be true to yourself.
Make each day your masterpiece.
Help others.
Drink deeply from good books.
Make friendship a fine art.
Build a shelter against a rainy day.
Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

I'll leave the last point up to everyone's personal religious views, however, I think if we all lived our lives by this creed, topped with some friendship, excellence and respect, we'd all be off pretty well.

Histoires du Corps Diplomatique 10

2010-05-26T22:51:00.009+02:00

Bonjour à tous !

Comme vous avez probablement déjà réalisé, cette entrée de mon blog va parler d’un sujet francophone. Ben, vous avez bien sur raison. Aujourd’hui, j’aimerais bien raconter une histoire de mon cher ami Hamza, jeune ambassadeur du Maroc telegenique, et moi, qui s’est déroulé à Singapour.

Hamza et moi, nous avons partagé une chambre au début de la semaine au centre du congre. Nous sommes tout le deux arrivés au même jour, je crois que c’était un Samedi. Et comme le décalage de temps est presque pareil entre Singapour et Maroc/Autriche, nous étions vachement fatigues. Au début, c’était pas un grand problème, car nous nous sommes bavardés des trucs véritablement importants (le foot). Nous avons aussi écouté de la musique (« Aicha, Aicha, écoutez-moi » ).

Pourtant, après une heure, c’est devenu un peu ennuyeux. Alors, Hamza et moi, nous avons décidé de faire une petite promenade dans les jardins. Alors, nous nous sommes levés, ont mis nos chaussures et sont allés dehors. Le temps faisait très beau et chaud, même la nuit, et c’était donc très agréable de bouger un peu. Après quelque temps, nous voulons essayer de nouveau de dormir un peu et nous avons donc décidé de rentrer dans la chambre. Alors, nous sommes rentrés à notre bâtiment, nous avons monté les escaliers et j’étais en train d’ouvrir la porte quand j’ai réalisé – la clé ne marche pas ! J’ai essayé une deuxième fois – rien ! M**** !!! Il faisait trois heures le matin, nous étions crevés et la porte restait fermer.

Donc, nous sommes descendu (le centre est sur une colline, alors, il nous fallait descendre et monter pas mal de fois) pour informer la gardienne de nuit de notre misère. Malheureusement, elle ne savait pas non plus quoi faire, mais étant gentille comme tout le monde à Singapour, elle nous a accompagnés à notre chambre pour se renseigner de la situation.

A notre porte, j’ai dit à Madame : « Voici, j’utilise ma clé, mais la porte ne bouge….CLACK » (Le CLACK signifie le son d’une porte s’ouvrant). Sans changer quelquechose, notre porte avait tout à coup décidé de s’ouvrir et nous laisser entrer. Vous pouvez bien imaginer que la vigilante n’était pas aussi heureuse que Hamza et moi.

Alors, c’est l’aventure que Hamza et moi ont passé pendant notre première nuit à Singapour. Bien entendu, des histoires comme celle-ci soude les ambassadeurs ensemble à jamais ;).

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 9

2010-05-21T12:04:00.006+02:00

Ciao ragazzi e ragazze!

Oggi, vorrei racontare la mia memoria della carinissima Fabrizia D'Ottavio, ambasciatrice d'Italia. Perché parlo l'Italiano ancora proprio male, I will continue writing in English. Fabrizia is one of the three Olympic medalists on the team, having won a silver medal in rhythmic gymnastiscs in the 2004 Games in Athens. The thing I remember with Fabrizia is a funny little language issue we had during the seminar.

On our first night at the convention center, we went for a little evening walk to have a cup of coffee. On our way, Fabrizia introduced herself and told me she was the Young Ambassador of Italy. Being given the fact that my sister has been living in Italy for over two years now and that I am in general a huge fan of Italy, I tried talking Italian to her. First, I asked her where in Italy she came from ("Di dove sei"?). She replied, in English, that she was from Chieti, a small town in the Abruzzi. Being a little insecure because she had answered in English, I continued, telling her about my personal bounding with Italy ("Mia sorella habita a Roma, ci sta lavorando.") Again, Fabrizia replied, in English, that she knew Rome quite well and that it was a beautiful city.

Of course, my spirit was broken by then and for the rest of the week, we'd speak English to each other, having a lot of fun with the rest of the gang. Time went by and the week was over way to soon. On Thursday evening, I was waiting with Mediha and Sofia for our airport shuttle, since we all departed at the same time. Fabrizia took a later flight and came down to tell us goodbye. So we were standing in the lobby, saying goodbye to each other and everybody was quite sad to leave.

At this point you must know that one of my bad habits is that I swear quite a lot. Not to upset anybody, I usually try to swear in a language nobody in the room speaks or understands. Somehow the fact that Fabrizia was standing right next to me must have slipped my mind, because I was exclaiming a grumpy:

"Che palle!!!"

which is a rather direct way of saying "This sucks" in Italian. Fabrizia was looking at me and started laughing and, to my great surprise, sent a wave of Italian words my way. Alas, the first time I succeeded talking Italian to her was approximately five minutes before I left for the airport. Better late than never I guess.

So the conclusion I drew for myself was that next time I want to talk to somebody in his/her native language, I'll just throw in some curse words to break the ice. I just hope they will take it was humorously and relaxed as Fabrizia did.

PS: I can't even begin to imagine the pain Fabrizia's funny move at the end of her video would cause me...

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 8

2010-05-17T22:56:00.006+02:00

Hey folks!

The following memory has, in short, already been written about Mrs. Sherry Tsai from Hong Kong. However, on the occasion of her being presented on the Olympic homepage, I will repeat it, since I think it's kinda funny.

When we arrived in Singapore, there were 30 Young Ambassadors and 60 local CEP champs gathering for an amazing week. So at the beginning, it was time to get to know each other. As you can imagine, this is quite a procedure when you have to introduce yourself to 89 people you have never met before. In this big introduction chaos, I somehow managed to not meet Sherry, which is why we only had our first proper conversation three days into the seminar.

You also must know that during the seminar, the usual third question (after "What's your name?" and "Where do you come from?") was: "Are you an athlete as well?". The same was true with Sherry and me. Just see how our dialogue went from there:

Florian: "So, are you an athlete as well?"
Sherry: "I used to be, I just retired from swimming."
Florian: "Cool. So were you a competitive swimmer?"
Sherry: "Yeah, kind of."
Florian: "Cool. Did you compete...like on a national level."
Sherry: "Well, yeah." PAUSE "Three Olympics..."

Maybe being written down it's not as funny as it was in real life, however, I still have to smile when thinking back of it. Call me weird, but learning that the, on the outside inconspicuous, person you are talking to is actually a former world-class athlete gives an interesting shift to some conversations. Anyways, coming back to Sherry: After ending her career this year, she is now going for her master degree in sport sciences, Beside, she is also working as a TV presenter, hosting a sports TV show and is a part-time swimming coach. Not to mention her being the Young Ambassador of Hong Kong. So if you are an athlete and you question yourself how you can start a successful second career once you retire from active sport, ask Sherry - she definitely knows how it is done!

Pursue your dreams, but....

2010-05-16T19:54:00.006+02:00

Hey folks!

I'd like to apologize in advance that today's blog entry won't be on the light side. However, I think life consists of happy as well as of unhappy parts, one of them I'd like to write about today.

On Friday night, an Austrian striker, playing for Swansea in the UK, named Besian Idrizaj died of a heart attack. He was 22 years old. Of course this came as a big shock, however, soon his obituary reminded me of his case. In his career, Besian has collapsed twice on the field at matches; both times doctors blamed his weak heart. In the media, the former chief of medicine of his club in Linz, Milan Toljan, was quoted that Besian suffered from cor pulmonale - a disease causing too much pressure damaging the heart.

When Besian was 17 years old, he transferred from a mediocre Austrian club to Liverpool FC, back then the incumbent Champions League winner. I remember it being a big deal and all over Austrian media - a young, talented boy being signed by mighty FC Liverpool. Back then, he commented on his transfer:

"You can't ignore an invitation by the Champions League winner. I would have swum the channel to go there."

Unfortunately, things didn't work out for him in Liverpool he left the club, first on a loan to Luton Town, later back home to Austria.

Upon arriving in Austria, his career was harshly interrupted after he collapsed in a match. He was out for pretty much all of the season and only gave his comeback one year after the incident. However, shortly afterward, he collapsed again during training with his new club in Upper Austria. This time, they discovered his serious heart disease. His doctors told him that with a condition like this, he must under no circumstances play professional football.

However, Besian didn't give up and signed with Swansea in the second highest British league. Last Friday, he died in his sleep while being on vacation in Austria. The Austrian Football Federations technical director, Willi Ruttensteiner, remembered:

"Besian just loved playing football; his biggest dream was joining a Premier League team in the UK."

The reason I am writing this is that people often ask what "being a mentor for athletes" as part of the Young Ambassador job description is all about. I'd say that on the one hand, it's our task to tell the youngsters out there to stick to their dreams and work hard to achieve them. However, incidents like this one remind me of the other side: That once you reach a point where you risk severe damage to your integrity or your health, you should accept your limits. Sport is arguably the most fulfilling experience there is in life; however, it is definitely not worth risking your life for. Sadly to say, Besian underestimated this risk and had to pay the highest price. He tried living his dream and payed with his life for it.

Inspiration

2010-05-13T10:34:00.002+02:00

Hey folks!

Today, I am really lazy with this blog. However, this is not due to the fact that I'm too lazy to write (well, maybe a little bit), but because no matter what I'll write, it will not be nearly as good and inspirational as what Erin has written in her blog.

In a nutshell: Last week, Erin has participated in and completed her first marathon. This fact alone brings her a lot of respect. However, now we can see the aftermath of her achievement: Some 4600 miles away, George Julian in Cardiff, UK follows Erin on Twitter and reads her blog. The two have never met, however, Erin's story was so inspirational that George decided to sign up for her first half-marathon in Cardiff this October.

Please do yourself a favor and go to Erin's blog for the full story (just klick on "Erin's blog" or find the link in the blog roll on the right or type "kennedyerin.blogspot.com" into your address bar). I promise, you won't regret it!

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 7

2010-05-12T19:30:00.008+02:00

Hey folks!

Today's story is a little bit different from the other ones, because my first memory with Fergus actually happened before Singapore. After this story, you will understand a little better why Ferg, nickname "William Wallace" (© Devon & Callum), is so telegenic: It's just his vast video experience he can draw from.

In addition to our public Young Ambassador group, we also have a private one to exchange ideas, discuss different issues and just share the latest chat and news. When we were appointed Young Ambassadors, the IOC team sent out a PDF with the link to a Facebook group in it, kindly asking us to join the gang. I was recommended by my NOC rather early, which is I guess why I was among the first to be contacted by the IOC and thus joined the group.

At first, only few ambassadors had joined and everybody was a little shy (Which you wouldn't guess in a million years once you saw us walking down Orchard Street as a group). Things changed drastically when Serge from Rwanda joined and started posting on the group's wall. Among other things, he wanted to encourage people to join by stating:

"The last ambassador to join this group owes us 30 push-ups!"

He was of course only joking and after some funny comments on his post, we went back to usual. Time went by and after some weeks, nearly every ambassador had joined - except for Fergus that is. To his credit, I have to say at this point that it was not his fault, but rather due to the fact that he was only informed by his NOC a week or so before the seminar in Singapore started. Anyways, being a true British gentleman, Ferg introduced himself upon joining the group. Back then, I remember Serge's comment and said to Fergus:

"Welcome aboard Fergus! As my dear colleague Serge will agree, you owe us 30 push-ups!"

Again, I was only teasing him, but little did I know that Ferg was a real trooper. When I turned the PC back home that night, a video was waiting for me. It showed Fergus, down on the floor, doing 30 push-ups! (Unfortunately, he has removed the video since, however, you can see here what Fergus doing push-ups looks like)

From that moment on, I knew that Fergus definitely had YOG DNA. Because in life, people often challenge you in jest, because they know that you won't yield to their challenge anyway. So the best thing you can do is accept the challenge and show them what you have got. Because if you are willing to take challenges that don't matter, you are well prepared for the moment they do!

Interview w/ Cassidy Quinn Brettler

2010-05-10T09:35:00.007+02:00

Hey folks!

About a week ago, I had the pleasure to be interviewed by Cassidy Quinn Brettler, a promising young journalist from Seattle, WA. We talked a lot about the Youth Olympic Games, sports and life in general. I think we really had a great conversation and it was definitely a lot of fun talking to her. However, just see for yourself!

Part 1

Part 2

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 6

2010-05-08T13:15:00.007+02:00

Hey folks!

Another tale from the Diplomatic Corps, this time about my Singapore room mate Callum from Canada. Just like in his video interview, Callum is as energetic and dynamic in real life, maybe a direct result from being a competitive swimmer for a long time. However, having studied philosophy, Callum is never lost for some incredible wisdom and there is one piece that stuck to my mind which I would like to share with you.

As I mentioned above, Callum and I shared a room during the CEP seminar in Singapore. We arrived on Wednesday, the same day the big Welcome Dinner was to take place at our hotel. We moved in at 6pm and dinner would start at 8pm. Still, Callum and I decided to head over to the food court for a quick snack. You see, the great thing about posh dinners is that you have plenty of delicious food waiting for you. The bad thing is that it is literally waiting for you, since there is plenty of speeches to be made before you can tuck in.

On our way down, I asked Callum about his job as a sports marketeer, since it is a career I'm aspiring myself. I was mainly curious about how being self-employed is working out for him, because I always thought that you have to be really brave to found your own company. After all, if things don't work out, you have to go out of business and might have to pay debts until the day you die. However, Callum was very relaxed and said the following, which impressed me quite a bit:

"You know, it's actually no big deal. Basically, all you do is your due diligence and if the result is ok, you are good to go."

Once again, this does not only apply to the world of business. I think that no matter if you are a business man, an athlete, a student or whatever: It basically comes down to doing your due diligence: Is there a market for my business? Did I prepare well for this competition? Did I study for this exam? If the answer is "yes", then you should stop worrying and focus all your attention on your task. Callum did his due diligence and is now as successful as a business man as he was as a swimmer.

Apart from that he has also got some fine dancing moves (like he showed in his video), however, I am not too sure if due diligence is also responsible for those ;).

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 5

2010-05-05T21:36:00.003+02:00

Hey folks!

Things are taking up speed on the Olympic homepage and now we are introduced to a new Ambassador every day - hooray! We stopped with Brazil yesterday, so today it's time for Chivinn from Cambodia. Being a former wrestler, Chivinn is a really strong guy, but don't let his finishing move fool you: He is a very calm and absolutely peaceful person. To illustrate this, I want to share the following story with you.

In Singapore, we decided to make a little video for Suzanne, who is responsible for us at the IOC and always keeps us uptodate with the latest trends. Unfortunately, she didn't come to Singapore, so we made a little video to thank her for the amazing job she is doing. The task was simple: We were sitting on the bus, Callum was walking down the aisle with a camera and everybody should say some acknowledging words in his/her native tongue or in English respectively.

Chivinn was sitting one row behind me and when it was his time, he said: "Hey Suzanne. I love you!!!". Unfortunately, the video is not public, but believe me: It is one of the cutest moments we had in Singapore. I honestly doubt that there has ever been a better case of "Love at first Youtube video" in the history of the world. In this spirit: Let there be love!

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 4

2010-05-04T22:48:00.009+02:00

Hey folks!

Following the strict, but always fair order of the alphabet, my dear colleague and friend Patricia from Brazil is up next to be presented on the Olympic website. Patricia, whom I can perfectly honest describe with the only word I know in Portuguese ("fofinha"), is not only an Olympic windsurfer and competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also has an amazingly fun and outgoing personality, so that it's really tough to pick a special trait to write about here.

However, on second thought there is one thing I probably remember best. It was on the last day and we were all really exhausted from the amazing 5 days we had in Singapore. Nevertheless, we decided to go out on a trip and explore the beautiful city a bit more. We wanted to check out an amusement park we had crossed by bus the other day and spend a nice and relaxed day there. Unfortunately, things weren't exactly going our way. It was drizzling that day, which made spending time outdoors not too much fan. In addition, the main attraction of the park (some roller coaster) was down for maintenance, so we eventually decided against going inside the park.

While we were standing outside, deciding what to do, the rain increased a bit. Since it was the theme park of a major Hollywood studio, they had epic movie soundtracks blasting from various speakers all over the open square. So the next thing I know, Patricia and I where standing in the rain, spreading our arms like the Christo redemptor in Patricia's hometown Rio, with epic music playing in the background. Again, this must sound like a really stupid story, but believe me: In this very moment, the world was standing still for the split of a second and we just felt how amazing being an ambassador and thus meeting all those great people and being part of the inaugural YOG actually is.

So I guess the thing I will always remember Patricia by is that she is one of those persons you can stand in the rain with on a wide open square and just comfortably enjoy the music. And let me tell you: Although there are not too many of those out there, the world is highly dependent on those people!

NB: Picture 2 © Jed Senthil K Jivaraju

Histoires du Corps Diplomatique 3

2010-05-01T11:18:00.002+02:00

Bonjour à tous!

Comme vous pouvez facilement remarquer, cette entrée est en Français. La raison est simple : Aujourd’hui, ma chère collègue Julie de la Belgique est présentée sur le site officiel du mouvement Olympique. C’est donc pour moi l’occasion de continuer ma série des mémoires et partager mes souvenirs avec Julie avec vous.

A Singapour, Julie et moi étaient dans la même groupe, on a donc passé pas mal de temps ensemble. Néanmoins, je n’ai pas un souvenir exceptionnel de vous raconter. Bien sur, ca ne veut pas du tout dire que Julie est une personne ennuyeuse dont on peut raconter rien – loin s’en faut !! C’est plutôt que avec Julie, je n’associe pas une histoire drôle où inoubliable, mais tout simplement parlant le Français ! Vous savez que le mouvement Olympique est bilingue avec l’Anglais et le Français, pourtant, il n’y a que 5 Francophones dans nos rangs des Ambassadeurs.

Ce n’est pas le cas que je n’aime pas parler l’Anglais, mais de temps en temps, ca fait vraiment du bien d’avoir l’opportunité de parler le Français avec quelqu’un. Et avec un interlocuteur comme Julie, c’est même plus marrant. Alors, amis francophones à Singapour : S’il vous plait, n’hésitez pas à parler le Français avec Julie et moi – nous serons ravis !

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 2

2010-04-26T10:21:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

Today I'll continue my little series on memories I had with the Young Ambassadors, based on our presentations on the cube. I started out with Elise last week and talked about the secret of becoming a champion. Today I wanted to write about a memory with the next one in line, which happens to be...me! Well, that's tricky. Call me self-absorbed, but I'm still going to write a little about myself since I happen to have some memories involving me as well. Besides, yesterday was my birthday, which for me is always a time of reflection (and of course partying), so that might fit rather well.

When I went to Singapore, I thought I had seen quite a bit in life. I've lived and worked in six countries so far, was a master student and had more than 10 years experience as an athlete (retrospectively comparing this to the other ambassadors, I should have known way better, but bear with me!). Don't get me wrong: I knew that Singapore would be another great experience, however, I far underestimated its impact on me. I don't really know how to describe it, so I'll quote by memory from a novel I really like (The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke - that's right, THAT Ethan Hawke!):

"I can't describe it. It's just that I feel that I must have done something right in life, since it has led me to this very moment."

On the last day in Singapore, I was chosen to say a few words of thank you to some people. I was really nervous before, being given the fact that I had to give a speech for some hundred people in two languages I'm not a native in. Shortly before it was time, I talked to Gan Su-Lin, who gave an excellent presentation on cultural differences (check out Erin's latest blog on that!!). We were talking and she gave me some encouragement. Before I left to deliver my speech, I thanked her and said: "You know, I'm just a little insecure, because I'm still in development." She just smiled at me and replied: "We all are!"

I know I'm using this phrase quite a bit, but yeah: This is what it's all about! We are all in a constant state of flux (if you know from which song this quote comes, I owe you an ice kachang :)). However, since we are all in the same boat, there will always be somebody to assist us in our development. And just as I had the great help of Gan Su-Lin, I'll try to help the young athletes in Singapore with their development as well. So if you are an athlete going to Singapore, just look for the nice Austrian with the funny poses ;)

Tales from the Diplomatic Corps 1

2010-04-20T21:31:00.008+02:00

Hey folks!

Seems like my birthday came several days early, since not only the Cube went live, but also starting today, the 30 outstanding Young Ambassadors will be presented individually. I'd like to take those individual presentations to write about some of the countless memories I had with the Young Ambassadors in Singapore. Some of them contain valuable life lessons, others are just too funny to be left out and there will be also stuff that might not be too interesting for the general public, but that is definitely important to me.

The first one to be presented is Elise Rechichi, the ambassador of Australia and one of the three Olympic medalists on the team. I first met Elise at the Island Adventure during lunch, shortly after my near-death experience with a durian. We talked a bit about sport and also that she knew two sailors from Austria (that I only knew from the news) and that she had been competing in Austria as well.

I don't really recall if it was during this initial conversation or maybe later, but there was this one sentence I will always remember from her. First, you might need to know that Olympic champions - actually champions in general - always had a tremendous fascination to me. I just wanted to know what you need to do in life to become that successful -and hence apply it to be as successful as them. Since Elise is one of the few Olympic gold medalists I came at close enough range to ask, I of course took my chance. What she said was as simple as it was astonishing:

"Probably the most important thing is that you have to know how to win."

That might sound confusing at first, but let me explain: If you thought that it's hard work, dedication, will power and so on and so forth that makes for a champion, you are of course right as well. However, what Elise pointed out back then was that if you want to be a winner, you have to know how to win, that is to know that you are capable of winning.

Social psychology has it that we usually compare ourselves to others. One the one hand, this is very important, because you thus get some guidelines. However, on the other hand, it can also lead to the point that you lose a feeling for your own capabilities. An example: You are a weight lifter and every other competitor so far has failed at 100kg. If you want to be a true champion, you have to know that it doesn't matter what the others did or did not. The only thing that matters is that you know that you can do it and hence go out there to win.

I also struggled with that problem for quite some time. Although I always got good grades in school and college as well, I was completely nervous before all the exams. It was a long, long learning process that took me to the point where I could just say: I studied for this, I know that I am well prepared, I will know the answer and thus succeed with this test. And that's what it comes down to: No matter if you are an athlete, a student, an artist or anything else: All you need to do is to know that you can win. Elise's ambition for example is to enroll medicine in Australia. She has shown that she knows how to win in sports - and I am thus fully convinced that she will also succeed with her career ambition.

So that was my favorite moment with Elise. Since she is not only a champion in her sport, but also when it comes to partying, there are plenty of other great moments. However, I believe that there are more appropriate places to share those than this blog ;).

The Cube

2010-04-20T09:35:00.005+02:00

Hey folks!

This time, I'll only drop you a quick note, because in 20 minutes I am off to give a handball practice at a local elementary school. For all of you out there: There is nothing more satisfying than being a coach of the sport you love. It's probably the most rewarding experience out there!

What I wanted to share with you is that having started yesterday, you can actually see who is participating at the Youth Olympic Games in August! The profiles of the 30 Young Ambassadors as well as those of the Young Reporters and of course the athletes will be up on the Cube, which is the virtual YOG platform on the Olympic homepage. So starting now, you can look up all the people that are contributing to the YOG 2010: The Young Ambassadors promoting them, the Young Reporters spreading out the latest news from Singapour and most importantly, the athletes!

Apart from just browsing through the guys and learning more about their unique backgrounds, you can also filter them. For example, if you are a swimmer and you want to get in touch with other swimmers from around the world, you just filter out all the swimming athletes and there you go. On their profiles, you will also find links to the most popular social media sites, so you can stay in touch via Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and the like.
You can also select people by country. So if you are from the United States and you always wanted to know how people in Austria are doing, just see who from Austria is going to be there in Singapore and get in touch with them.

I think the Cube is a very funny and also informative tool. When I was told that it had gone online, I looked up my fellow ambassadors and learned new things about them. So, go to the Olympic website and check out the Cube - there are from now on plenty of amazing people on it!

Barefoot

2010-04-17T10:23:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

Coincidence is a funny little thing since it's uncontrollable, yet usually leads to really cool stuff. Yesterday, I wrote about "I can" - the power of belief and that you can reach everything you want to. I also mentioned the examples of Michael Phelps and Thomas Geierspichler as an example for the countless great role models that are out there. Funny enough, I very closely experienced an example of what you can actually do when you just believe in yourself. I'm afraid it can't live up to Michael or Thomas in terms of excellence and impact, however, I promise you that it's a story you probably haven't heard yet. And although it just sounds stupid and hilarious, I think that there are some true thoughts attached to it.

After finishing my blog yesterday night, I went out - a thing that became rather rare in recent times. Since I got today off, I stayed out a little longer and had a fabulous time. The only problem was that my shoes are a little to big and I started getting blisters from them (Yes ladies, men also have such problems. At least I do ;)). It was 3AM, I was in good spirits and I actually didn't want to go home yet...so I just took them off and continued dancing. That went on for another hour or so before it really was time to kick it and go home.

Ever since I retired as an active athlete, I kinda feel uneasy if I don't get enough exercise. Yesterday night must have been a particular strong night, because even after hours of dancing and jumping around, I still felt the need to move my feet a bit. Of course, I couldn't put my shoes back on, because then my feet would hurt even more. So I started to walk down the deserted street, without my shoes, and just waited for things to change. Of course they didn't, so I started to think: "How far can I go without my shoes on, before my feet hurt too badly and I have to give up?" It was just a silly little bet with myself, however, I was really curious how much will power I could bring up at 4AM.

I don't want to pose as a tragic hero (After all it was my stupid idea), but believe me when I say: The walk was unpleasant! It was cold, I was tired and the concrete and the gravel weren't too comfortable a ground to walk on. Yet I kept going. And going. And going. To cut a long walk short: I ended up going the entire distance, a total of 5km, from the club to my home. Barefoot at 4 AM. Of course I could have taken a cab and just take the easy way. But I had asked myself the question: "How long until you give up". And that was enough motivation to keep me going, since giving up just sounds like an insult to me.

Of course this story is somewhere between utterly and completely stupid and in case you haven't guessed yet: The reason I was walking was that I definitely was not allowed to drive a car anymore (nuff said).
However, I'd like to make the point that it still shows something. It shows that if you refuse to give up and just keep on going, you will finally succeed and reach your goal (in my case my bed and some rest for my feet). And if you continue the dedication you show in small things in life (i.e. bets with yourself) in every other domain, you will eventually succeed with bigger tasks than walking home barefoot at 4AM.

I can

2010-04-16T18:03:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

First of all, please accept my apologies that I cruelly neglected this blog for a while. It's just that classes started again and I had some other stuff to attend to. However, I promise that I will keep more discipline with updating this blog in the future. As it is still 119 long days to go, I am pretty sure that I'll find the time for another article.

Today, my fellow ambassador and dear friend Fergus shared an incredible video for the Singapore 2010 YOG with us. I embedded it at the end of this article so you have instant access to it and see how awesome it is. Apart from being a very fine piece of artwork (being a student of advertising, I really appreciate such stuff ;)), it really succeeds in telling what the YOG are about in a mere 60 seconds.

Through my different activities, I have the chance and privilege to meet with a lot of people. A thing I like to ask people I just met is what their dreams and visions in life are. It's a very simple question, yet there are so many different answers to it - ranging from "I want to be an Olympic Champion" to "I want to graduate from college". However, after telling me about their dreams, most people start saying stuff like "...but that's never gonna work out" or "Unfortunately, it will always remain a dream". And that really disappoints me. At this time, I always quote Henry Ford, who said:

"Far more people give up rather than they fail"

Social psychology has a theory calling this behavior self-handicapping - the process of giving a reason for failure before you even took up a task or challenge. And that's exactly why I think this is so sad: Because normally the only person preventing you from succeeding is yourself!

So I think it's another great initiative to actively tell the YOG athletes at a young age: You can! You might can't do other fancy things yet like driving a car, going to a club or getting a tattoo (which are not much of a deal anyways!) - but there are millions of things you can do. For instance: Do you think that Michael Phelps only discovered the day before the Olympics in Athens started that he can swim? Probably not. He rather knew that he can swim like a fish in a pool and that nobody will care how old he is. A couple of days ago, I also wrote about Thomas Geierspichler and told his incredible story. Those two are just one of the thousands of examples of what people can reach, when they believe in themselves.

Of course I know what it feels like to be a teenager and thinking of all the cool things there are in this world, but that you have to be at least 30, hold an MBA and tons of live experience to do those things. But that's so not true! All it takes is a big heart and the ambition to go out there and live your dreams. Because it doesn't matter how old you are, what sex you are, where you come from or what others think of you. All that matters is that you stand tall and let the world know: I can!

The culture in sports

2010-04-09T18:34:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

The last two days, I went to Tyrol where I earned my bachelor degree from 2006 to 2009. I gave a short presentation to the students of the "Sports, Culture and Event Management" program, which I am an alumni of. When I was applying for admission in mid-2006, I thought that this course of studies was just a perfect way for me to combine my interests in sports (I was still an active athlete then) and culture (I was a journalist for a youth culture/music magazine). I hope now it becomes clearer, why I am so happy to be a Young Ambassador. After all, the YOG are a picture perfect match of how to apply my curriculum in the real world.

To give you a better impression of what I studied (a task I am still busy doing when talking to my (grand) parents)), I'll just give you a short overview of the program. Since I earned a BA in Business, I spent the first two semesters with law, business administration, HR management and accounting (God, how I hated those accounting records - if you don't know what that is, neither do I!). Later on, we also started out with sport and cultural sciences as well as sports and culture management. In the third year, it was time to gain some practical experience and get to see the world. So first of all, I did an exchange semester in Paris, before doing a 6 months internship in New York.

As I mentioned in the introduction, for me the YOG are a great way to apply my knowledge into practice. Because one of the most important things I learned during my studies was that sports, culture and events are not three isolated pillars, but rather three components of one big whole. Let's take the YOG as an example: I guess I don't have to bother to explain where sports and event part comes in here - being given the fact that's one hell of a sport event. However, in addition, we have this great Culture and Education program, where the athletes are taught skills an values that will definitely come in handily on their way to becoming champions.

But even if you take the traditional Olympics (do the YOG a favor and justice by not refering to them as 'real Olympics', since the YOG are very real as well!) that unfortunately don't have a CEP yet, you'll discover that there is plenty of culture in there. If you think about the Olympics and take what comes to your mind: The five rings, the torch relay, the opening ceremony etc.. Those are all symbols and rituals that have grown over decades and sometimes even centuries.

Now with the YOG, we face the formidable task of being part of an organization as powerful and established as the Olympic Movement, yet with the challenge of forming something new. So we - the IOC, the SYOGOC, the Young Ambassadors and mainly the youngsters worldwide - have to think about a way to take the underlying message of Olympism and transform them to be used with new instruments and media. This is of course a very exciting task, since we are all part of something really big and unique. And even tough sports and culture tend to be seen as two opposites, they actually share the same roots.

Some thoughts on digital media

2010-04-08T18:45:00.002+02:00

As I am writing these lines, I am slowly, but steadily moving home towards the east. I am on a train, enjoying one of the biggest miracles there is in life: Mobile internet! Being a little bit old school, I don’t even take such things as wireless internet in public places for granted. I tend to think of the Internet as a luxury good not always available (which of course it still is in many parts of the world) – so just sitting on a train, plugging in a small stick and enjoying the mercy of instant messaging, surfing and of course blogging, is nearly too good to be true for me.

“Oh no, another random rambling that has nothing to do with the Olympics”, you might exclaim. Au contraire, mes chers (Too bad I can’t throw around more of these French terms). Because with the great Culture and Education Program (CEP) the young athletes will experience in Singapore, one of the five pillars is digital media. In a wide array of workshops, hands-on experience and discussions, the youngsters will learn more about using digital media, sharing ideas, visions and data, but also avoiding risks and threats.

I believe that this is really a very good initiative since it is at the cutting edge of our modern life. After all, it is nearly certain that the use of digital media will increase even more in the near future. So for the teens of today, fluency in digital media will be a non-negotiable requirement. I mean, it indeed has many benefits. For instance, time and distances became only a minor issue when dealing with the internet. I can sit in my room in St. Poelten, Austria, having a conversation going on with one of my new friends – Elise from Australia, Erin from the US, Shannon from Papua Newguinea, Jed from Singapore – and it will happen in real time, although they are thousands of miles away.

Also for the athletes, the use of the different social media platforms will be crucial, not only for their personal life, but also for their career. In the near future, after growing out of the YOG and into the traditional Olympics, our youngsters will have a considerable amount of fans, appreciating their excellence with friendship and respect. So what better way is there than using digital media to give something back to your fans? A nice picture, some words of thank you or even a tiny video – all those things are easily done (when you know how to do them!) and can have a great impact.

Of course there are thousands of examples of how you can benefit from digital media (It goes without saying that there are also plenty of risks, which I promise I will address in the future!). However, I guess the underlying message is that by using digital media, our youngsters have a possibility to make themselves heard. And with the CEP just about to start, I think it is our duty and privilege to provide them the tools to make their voices heard!

Traveling

2010-04-07T20:37:00.004+02:00

Hey folks!

I am afraid that today's entry won't have much to do with the YOG. However, since I am lying here in my bed in a hotel in Innsbruck (yes, that Innsbruck!), being awfully tired and stuffed with food, I can just jot down some thoughts I had for a couple of years. So for you this is one of the rare chances to take a break from the daily routine of reading this blog ;).

When I was a teen and I was thinking about jobs I'd like to have one day (back then, astronaut and professional athlete didn't rank too high on the list any more), I always knew one thing for sure: It has to involve a lot of traveling. Don't ask me why, but for me, nothing spelled success as much as having to go to foreign places to work. And although a lots of things have changed since (e.g. the job I actually have - btw: What IS my job exactly? - and that I'm not a teen any more and thus certain things have become embarrassing) I still feel the same way: The further away a job is, the more attractive it becomes.

Thinking about it a little closer, I guess it's a rather stupid thing. Because after all, you are going to a different place to work, i.e. you got a job that needs to be done, and not for some leisure activities. So when in the past you've been jealous of people telling you that their work leads them around the globe, don't be! They are absolutely right when saying that all they see is the airport, their hotel and the job site. At this point, I might want to point out that I am no expert on these matters, however, I draw the experience I lack from what other people tell me.

I guess that's also the reason why so many people you meet 'on the road' are annoyed about the fact that they spend too little time in their own beds. If you talk to people whose job consists of going around the globe in a little under a week, they usually don't share your excitement about the whole process of moving yourself from one place to another. For them, it's just part of the business. The annoying part that is. I mean, to a certain degree I get their point. If you get older, I guess you start to cherish the simple things in life (your house, your spouse, your kids - in short all the things I don't possess) even more.

However, I take pride in saying that I am still in the phase where having to go away somewhere to work just adds to the overall excitement. I can't explain why, but somewhere in the whole process - from going to the airport to checking in to trying out ridiculously expensive colognes I'm never going to buy - I start to get this special feeling: This feeling that I am out for a new adventure and that I can show my skills in a new part of the world. Maybe it's also just the humbleness that somebody likes my work so much that he/she is willing to invest in airfare and lodging for me. Be it as it may be: I hope that I can conserve the attitude of liking to be on a business trip as long as possible!

Listen to the beat

2010-04-06T11:42:00.010+02:00

Hey folks!

As you might have noticed, I decorated this blog with a list of songs I really enjoy. However, instead of making a dull "Top 5 of all time" list, I opted for something more creative and chose things like "Songs I can't get out of my head" (ok, maybe not that creative) or the current "Songs I have to close my eyes when listening to" (which is why they are banned from my car stereo). Btw: Feel free to post categories you'd like to have in the comment box - I think we should have a nice collection of "situational soundstracks" until August!
After this introduction, it's not hard to guess what this blog entry will be about: Music. However, the trickier question will be: What does music have to do with sports?

While at the CEP Seminar in Singapore, one of our first activities was a drumming workshop. At 9AM, all the Young Ambassadors and CEP Champs, a mere 100 people, gathered in the Learning Lounge of the NACLI in Singapore. Suddenly, the door opened and 5 guys with drums entered with a stomping rhythm. They made their way to the stage were they ended in a grand finale. After their epic entry, their leader David addressed us and said: "Guys, at the end of this day, you will be the best Samba band in Singapore". Looking at him in disbelief, we weren't all too convinced that in only an hour, we'd become a real band - let alone the best one in town.

For further description of the Community Drumming, I'd like to refer to US ambassador Erin's excellent blog. She also points out a very important aspect of the drumming workshop. I quote:

"A Samba Band takes different sounds made from different instruments and blends them to make one beautiful product. [...] Whether you are an athlete on a field or court, a student in a classroom, a professional in an office, or a member of a family - you play an important role in the final sound. That team, family, company, or class is not complete without you - make your sound heard.

So what she is aiming at is the incredible team building character the community drumming will have for the young athletes participating in the CEP program. With 3,600 youngsters originating from 205 countries, it goes without saying that there will be plenty of cultures, attitudes, visions and moral standards. However, with music as a catalyst, they will be taken on a common ground and thus be heard as one sound. After all: No matter where you come from, there plenty of things that are universal for not only athletes, but teenagers around the world.

I would like to focus on another aspect of the drumming though. Being Young Ambassadors, we face the challenge to convince athletes that the CEP program will teach them valuable lessons on their way to becoming champions. While this task is rather easy with nutrition and career management workshops, it becomes a little trickier with things such as drumming. "What use should banging on a drum have for my career as a swimmer", will probably be the question asked. The answer is as simple as it might be astonishing: The community drumming is not only a great activity because it boosts team work and intercultural learning, but also because it is actually sportive training!

Let me explain: In sport sciences, their are the so-called coordination abilities. They are basically responsible that we coordinate our limbs and sensory system to work together. Or, put even blunter: Without coordination abilities, we would find ourselves lying on the floor, because we wouldn't be able to integrate our different bodily functions to stand upright. According to sport scientist Zimmermann, there are a total of 7 coordination abilities: ability to connect, differentiate, balance, orientate, react, adapt and, voilà, rhythmize. Let's take the example of our swimmer: When swimming, you need to find a certain rhythm for your strokes to be as efficient as possible (I'm sure my dear colleague Callum Ng could dwell on that ;)).

After the seminar, I was curious, so I talked to one of my coaching instructors, a certified sport scientist and coach. And he confirmed what I thought from the beginning: "Rhythmic activities, even if they are happening outside a sports setting such as drumming, are a perfect training for your ability to rhythmize. After some training, your feeling for the drum rhythm will automatically improve your abilities to rhythmize in sports."
I think that this is a crucial point for our work as Young Ambassadors: If we can demonstrate to our athletes that the CEP activities will not only contribute to their holistic development as humans (which is of course very important), but also improve their skills as athletes, they'll be more than eager to join in. And after what we have seen now, even activities that, on the first glance, have nothing to do with sports such as drumming, can actually be as important as a good work-out in the gym. Although I am sure that the latter can never be as much fun as being part of the best Samba band in Singapore!

Million Deeds Challenge

2010-04-05T17:36:00.007+02:00

Hey folks!

After some digression in my recent blog entries, I'd today like to talk about a - in my book - very cool initiative to promote the Games in Singapore and thus the YOG as a whole. It is called Million Deeds Challenge and can be described as a virtual torch run to bring the Olympic Flame from Olympia in Greece all the way to Singapore - a distance of 9,236 km as Google maps just told me. So if you are currently sitting in Olympia, you might as well get started now.

As the name indicates, the Million Deeds Challenge seeks to collect one million deeds of Friendship, Excellence and Respect from people from all over the world. Every single deed brings the Olympic Flame a little closer to its final destination in Singapore. The idea for this program came from a group of students of the Holy Innocents High School - another example that you don't have to have your PhD to have great and visionary ideas!

Participating in the Million Deeds Challenge is dead easy. You just need an acco unt (which will be valid for the whole Why Oh Gee universe!), a good deed (well, maybe that's the tricky part) and you are good to go. And the best thing: You don't need to set a new 100m world record or save your grandmother from a burning house (although I was told those are accepted as well). It's, as always in life, the little things that count: Giving a smile and saying thank you, give somebody your seat on the bus or getting an A on an exam (ok, that's not that easy after all). The only 'catch' there is: You are not allowed to post the same deed twice or more.

At the moment, a total of 53,000 deeds have been posted, so we'll need another 947,000 to get the Flame to Singapore in time. Right now, it's stuck somewhere between Iceland and Great Britain, waiting to continue its journey to the rest of the world. So please people: It's easy, it's fun and it's most definitely a good cause, so just join in and post your deeds on the Million Deeds Challenge's website. I'll set a good example and will from now on post one good deed a day (Being a former boy scout, this should be a piece of cake!). Ok, now I am off to do the dishes...I need some material to get me started after all.

What's the worst that could happen?

2010-04-04T09:39:00.010+02:00

Hey folks!

For me, one of the biggest differences between the Olympic Games and 'ordinary' world championships has always been that the Olympics seemed to stand for something more. It was this mysterious universe of traditions, rituals, myths and the like. It was where heroes were created in the competitions and plenty of times also outside. Being Austrian, I feel obliged to take Hermann Maier as an example. Two days after his terrible crash in the downhill race, instead of being dead, he was back up on his feet and won two gold medals in Super G and Giant Slalom.

Having witnessed countless examples of mind winning over matter, David kicking Goliath's bottom, I've always been a big fan of inspirational stories. Although they might have been on a smaller scale than the Olympics (well, they most definitely were actually), I think they are still worth sharing here on this blog with you. So in the course of the next months, I will pick out some of the stories I like best to present to you. Today, I would like to start with the story of Thomas Geierspichler, a 2-times Olympic champion, who competed in three Paralympics so far.

Thomas gave a speech in my hometown in February. And
what seemed like a boring PR obligation (a sponsor invited us to go there) at first, soon turned out to be a very valuable lesson. His story in a nutshell: Thomas had an accident at the age of 17, leaving him paralyzed from the hip down. First, he couldn't cope with his fate and tuned into alcohol and drugs. However, soon he realized that this will only destroy him and with the help of this faith in God, he overcame his addictions.

One evening, while working out, he was watching a broadcast of the Paralympics, I think it was in Atlanta 1996. He watched the award ceremony, with all the athletes on the podium and the national anthem of the winner playing. And at this moment, he thought:

"One day, I would love to hear the National Anthem being played for me."

So Thomas continued working out and started to compete on a professional level. And finally, after having won two medals in Sydney, he fulfilled his dream and won the 1500m race in Athens. Nowadays, Thomas is still active and continues to win races and break world records all over the world.

Towards the end of his speech, when it was time for some questions and answers, of course somebody asked him, where his incredible perseverance and will power came from. And this is the part that really opened my eyes and made me see a lot of things in a completely different light since. He replied:

"You know, I fully believe that one day, I will be able to walk again. So everything I do is meant to lead me to this beautiful day when I can walk again. And I am not afraid at all. And you know why? Because what is the worst thing that could happen to me? The worst thing that could happen is that many years from now, as I lie dying in my bed, I could realize: 'I was wrong - I can't walk'. And believe me: There are definitely worse things than being wrong."

I just really love this story, not only because he still stays optimistic and fights on despite all the stuff that has happened to him. I also believe that his thoughts are very, very smart. Because, he is right: In many cases, the worst thing that could actually happen to us is that we are wrong. And I agree: There are definitely worse things than that!

Note: All pictures © Thomas Geierspichler. Please click on the pictures for more information. No copyright infringement meant!

It's emotional addiction

2010-04-03T08:23:00.008+02:00

Hey folks!

Wow, not even a week of blogging and I'm already running out of ideas. No, just kidding, I just thought that today, I'll throw in a little something about myself so you actually know the guy sacrificing his sleep to promote the Olympic Values ;) Don't worry, I don't want to give you a blow-by-blow account of what I've done in life from the day I was born until today. Over the next couple of month, I'll rather pick out a couple of episodes I think were important on my way or that at least I find entertaining to remember. For a start, I feel obliged to write about the topic that probably had the biggest impact anything ever had on me in my life: Playing (team) handball.

Handball, or team handball as it is called in the United States, is a sport mainly played in Europe. It consists of six players on the field and one goal keeper. Apart from that, each team has another 7 players and up to 4 officials on the bench. Substitution is like in basketball, i.e. unlimited and substituted players can re-join the game. When describing the sport, I usually draw comparisons to other sports: The underlying principle is, like in soccer/football, to score a goal. However, as the name indicates, we take the ball in our hands like basketball players, only that the ball is small enough to be held comfortably in your hand. And unlike basketball, the physical contact is more intense (Not as bad as rugby, however sometimes things can get really messy). I found this nice video, uploaded by Manchester Handball Club to give you a little illustration.

I was introduced to handball at the age of 7 by my dad, who was a former Austrian national team left wing. He was also my first coach until I was about 13 years old. Since I am left handed, I played my entire career as a right wing, which is the far right position on the field (And thus being left handed gives you a better shooting angle). I remember that I was only mediocre at best at this time and thought about quitting several times. However, instead I talked to my dad (he wasn't my coach any more back then) if he would give me some extra lessons outside of regular practice. So he taught me some moves for my position and worked on my 1-on-1 skills. Over the time, I got much better and was eventually nominated to play on the Lower Austrian state team.

Until I reached the age of 18, my teams won several youth championships with one third place and one runner-up at the Austrian Championships. Funny enough, I got more runner ups than wins in the Lower Austrian Championships, but that's a different story. In addition, in my last season with the adults team, we won the Lower Austrian championship and the League Cup. It was my last season because I was already 19 and it was time to go to college. Since college was 450 km away, I signed up with a team there. And since the only team in the area was first league, I took up the challenge.

Playing first league was an experience I don't want to miss in a thousand years, although the credit side remained rather empty: I hardly ever played on the first team and in the whole season, I scored two goals (A good player has an average of ~7 goals...per match!). Still, in this one season, I really learned what it means to work hard for a goal and constantly push yourself to keep going. Usually, I would have classes all day and at 5pm take a two hours train ride to practice, work my bottom off for 2 hours and go 2 hours back, where my homework was comfortably waiting for me. So after a year of this, I hope you get how happy I was the day I scored my first, and only, two goals in the first league.

After that season, I ended my career. Not because it was too tough, but rather because I had to decide between playing handball and focusing on my studies. I admit, handball was, still is and probably will always be the biggest passion of my life. Yet I knew that if I continued playing it, many other dreams and visions I have in life would be left behind. And although I quit playing, handball is still a vital part of my life. At the moment, I'm working as a project manager for my old club and I started training to be a coach as well. And the funny thing is that nowadays, I get the same feeling of satisfaction I used to get when playing a good match when signing another sponsoring deal or seeing a youngster performing a trick I taught him. So I guess even though I thought the day I'll quit playing will mark the end of my life, it is eventually only a question of perspective. After all, sports is much, much more than just being physically active.

Yes we can!

2010-04-02T08:45:00.019+02:00

Hey folks!

Since picking up somebody else's posts and elaborating or commenting on them is a vital part of blogging, I thought that today I'll add my two cents to the excellent video blog Callum Ng posted a couple of days ago. As Callum used to study philosophy, I won't dare to try matching with him intellectually. All I can offer is my own interpretation of the stuff he says.

Basically, in his blog Callum advances the view that our lives, through our collective experiences, will add up to something great. This means that, I quote by memory, success is nothing else but the outcome of our collective experiences, combined to form something great. In the end, this knowledge that our experiences are all interlaced and can add up to make a difference in this world, should make everybody happy and satisfied.

I think this blog addresses a very important thing: That, by believing in ourselves, we can use our experiences (which I interpret as an umbrella term for our knowledge, skills and in some cases even wisdom) to make something great. Whatever this great something might be depends, since success is a very subjective term, but I don't want to focus too much on that. I can only concur with Callum, because I think you don't have to be Einstein or Obama to make a change in this world.

In the first entry of this blog, I wrote as a metaphor for going to Singapore: "Imagine you live in a nice country, where nobody dares to dream as big as you do." This country was of course my own Austria. I don't know how much you know about us folks (I'm already flabbergasted if you know we don't have too many kangaroos hoping around the mountains), but Austrians tend to be rather static. If something has worked for 50 years, there is no need to change it - even if it has never actually worked, but we rather got used to it. That's also why I deeply enjoyed Callum's blog, because he dares to proclaim: "My life will add up to something great." Where I come from, a similar exclamation would hands down earn you the "Arrogant Bastard of the Year Award".

I know that there are many charlatans out there making a fortune by giving you sweet pep talks (btw: Is there anybody out there sharing my admiration for Joel Osteen??). But to a certain degree, they are right. You can achieve everything you want to, if you just believe in yourself.
And I also think that with an extraordinary group like the Young Ambassadors and CEP Champs are, with so many great experiences, we can add up to something really great. I guess all we need to do this is actually believe in ourselves and dare to be great.

I guess there will be many entries following on the topic of being successful, believing in oneself and making a difference in this world. Until then, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the issue. Do you think that 'ordinary' people like us can really add up to something great and make a difference out there?

Friendship, Excellence and Respect

2010-04-01T08:51:00.012+02:00

Hey folks!

As promised yesterday, I am going to tell you something about the Olympic Values today. Also like I mentioned yesterday, most people thought of things like "no doping", "no racism" or "fair play" to be the Olympic values. (One guy really impressed me by throwing in "Citius, Altius, Fortius" which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger". I should really have paid more attention in my Latin classes!).
However, while fair play and the complete absence of racism and doping are of course underlying principles for every athletes, they are rather an expression of the Olympic Values. Let me explain:

When being introduced to all the amazing CEP activities Singapore has in store for the young athletes, most of them were designed around the Olympic Values. The basic scheme is that athletes will do an activity focused around one or several values to illustrate to them, which influence the Olympic Values can have on his career and his life. So as I said before, they are the base for attitudes like fair play or no doping to emerge. For example, if you know that excellence can not be achieved with performance-enhancing substances, you are hopefully less likely to do doping. And if you realize that a true champion is not only made out of excellence, but also friendship and respect, you'll also understand the importance of fair play and the like.

Talking about champions: When giving presentations in my old high-school, I used this example which I like very much. I told them a story about two athletes (Out of courtesy, I shall not mention their names). One athlete has won everything there is to win in his sport, however, he was also very much respected among other athletes and a very nice guy. The other one was also a very gifted athletes, however, he was a loner and nobody really liked him as he only cared about being successful. Turned out that the two guys were on the same team in a competition and the latter one won. Being a rather extroverted personality, he proclaimed that he is now the greatest athlete in his sport. The other one of course heard this and hence said the following sentence:

"Dude, you might be a winner, but you are NOT a champion."

What at first glance seems like only a semantic difference, is actually a huge difference in real life. It means that you might win a competition and be a successful person, however, this does not mean that you are a champion. Because it takes a champion to show Excellence (winning competitions), Friendship (being friends with your team mates and even opponents) and Respect (respect and be respected by others). Of course this is a big difference, because success and medals will soon fade and put on some dust. However, being a champion is something that stays with you for all your life, no matter what you do.

And you know what? I think that's true. Because for me, you don't have to be a person like Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps to be a champion. Actually, you don't even need to be an athlete to be a champion. Let's face it: For every athlete winning an Olympic Medal, there are 100s, probably 1000s that didn't get as far. However, you might be a musician, an author, an engineer or just an ordinary guy - as long as you shape your life by Excellence, Friendship and Respect, you have all the chances you need to become a true champion.
So when the YOG will unite 3,600 young athletes from all over the globe in Singapore, the goal is clear: To teach them the values they need to become true champions - be it as an athlete or whatever it is they want to be!

NOTE: Pictures 1,3+4 © SYOGOC, picture 2 © IOC. Please click on the pictures for further information. No copyright infringement meant!

Olympism

2010-03-31T08:59:00.002+02:00

Hey Folks!

Since jetlag managed to make my sleep rhythm resemble way too close the one of my grandma (Going to bed at 8, getting up at 6), I decided it might be time for a new blog entry. Yesterday, I told you some stuff about the YOG in general and said that my job was to promote the Olympic Values. Now when I was giving presentations in local schools and asked the kids, what Olympic Values are, the first two answers (apart from IDK) usually were "No doping" and "Fair Play". While those are of course perfectly good values, they in my humble opinion focus too much on the sports aspect of the Olympics. "Wait a second - is there another aspect to the Olympics than sport", you might exclaim now. Well, there is! Let me explain:

In the Olympic Charter (which is like the IOC's constitution), the first paragraph of the chapter "Fundamental Principles of Olympism" reads

"Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles."

The first thing I find interesting is that Olympism is a philosophy of life. As you might know, the ancient Olympic Games were religious events to render homage to the Gods. I know that nowadays, it might be difficult to grasp the philosophy underlying Usain Bolt running 100m in 9.69. However, at this point, I'd like to point out that Mr. Bolt trashing his opponents or Michael Phelps (Who is an ambassador for the YOG btw!) making a clean sweep are far more interesting than something intangible as an Olympic philosophy. However, if you take a look behind the scenes, of athletes coming to the Games and living in the Olympic Village together, you will immediately notice that there is a certain spirit in the air. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure yet to go to traditional Olympic Games, but allow me to take the YA seminar as an example: There, 29 YAs (We really missed you Maysam!) from all around the globe and 60 local CEP champs were united for the first time in their lives. And although their backgrounds were so diverse, ranging from Olympic champions to amateur just-for-fun athletes (like me ;)), you knew that they were united by something. I can't point my finger on it, but uniting factor might as well have been their shared philosophy of Olympism.

The point I probably like most is when it says "combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind." When I tell people that I study psychology in order to one day become a sport psychologist, they immediately think I will be the guy curing them from their drug problems since they can't cope with their stardom. Most people fail to understand that the body is granted, an important, but only one factor of sports. An example: Imagine that, through lucky genes, you only have to look at a weight and gain 3 pounds of muscles. Unfortunately, you are a little shy and the simple thought of performing before an audience gives you stage fright. Do you think that you'll ever win a competition? So in order to really be successful, you need to have the body (i.e. working out), the will (i.e. perseverance) and the mind (i.e. mental strength).

Last but not least, I would like to focus on the "blending sports with culture and education" part, since it is probably the most important one for the YOG. As you can see here, the CEP is not just an idea Mr. Rogge had to prevent the athletes from getting bored in Singapore (A highly unlikely thing). Combining sports with culture and education has from the start always been an important principle of the Olympic Movement. If you read the Fundamental Principles of Olympism and scroll down a bit, you'll find the goal of Olympism:

"The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity."

So, the way I see it, Olympism seeks to give athletes the means to promote a peaceful society, since culture and education are indispensable goods for the development of man. Or, a little less abstract: With the CEP, the YOG try to live up to the Fundamental Principles of Olympism by shaping young athletes not only to become champions on, but also off the field. They want young athletes to reach out to their communities and act as role models and living examples of how much you can achieve if you only believe in yourself, work hard an shape your life by the values of Friendship, Excellence and Respect.

The latter are the three Olympic Values, which I will write about in detail tomorrow!

So long

Let's take a ride to Singapore town

2010-03-30T12:50:00.001+02:00

Hey Folks!

Before going abroad for an awesome year in Paris and New York respectively, I started a blog titled "I will be chasing the starlight". This is of course a reference to the Muse song "Starlight" (listen to it!), which I enjoy very much. In addition, it's also kinda my leitmotif as I have so many dreams and goals I want to achieve that I thought "starlight" might be a proper illustration. Call me arrogant, but with all the things I want to achieve in life, I thought chasing something earthly would be too limited.

As most people reading this blog might have heard is that I went to Singapore last week (If you haven't heard, the 1000 FB tags could have given valuable hints ;)). So maybe I'll start out what I was doing there. In a nutshell: I am a Young Ambassador for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, taking place in Singapore from August 14th to 26th, 2010. The YOG are an initiative by the IOC to host world-class sports competitions for athletes 14-18 while also offering a balanced culture and education program (CEP) to teach them the Olympic Values, namely Friendship, Excellence and Respect. So in short, my job is to help promoting the YOG and the values they stand for.

In order to be well-prepared for my role as ambassador, I was invited to the Young Ambassador Seminar in Singapore last week. And believe me when I say that this was the most exciting, inspiring and eye-opening week I ever had in my life. I won't bother stating examples of why this week was special (which it was) and why it was more fun than stuff I've done before (which it was as well). All I can say is that after this week, I know that I must have done something right in life, as it has lead me to being named a Young Ambassador and being fortunate enough to meet with all those exceptional people in Singapore.

I've been sitting on the next paragraph for 2 hours now and it doesn't go anywhere. I just can't find any words to describe how extraordinary and amazing spending six days in Singapore with the 28 Young Ambassadors (btw: We missed you Maysam!) and the 60 CEP champs was. Just put it this way: Imagine you live in a nice country, where you always have the slight feeling you don't really belong, because most people don't dare dreaming as big as you do. Next, you board a plane and go 10,000 km away. You exit the plane and suddenly, you are surrounded by dozens of people sharing exactly the same energy and spirit you do. And although they come from different countries and backgrounds, you have no problem whatsoever having an awesome time with them. Now multiply that feeling by a million and you get an impression what being a Young Ambassador means to me.

In the next five months, I will be busy promoting the YOG to Austrian youngsters and getting in touch with the Austrian athletes qualified to go to Singapore. And even though I will sometimes get the feeling that I already have a lot on my plate, it won't matter. Because I know that there are people all around the world going this way together. And believe me or not, but I draw such an incredible energy from just this one thought that I don't have a single doubt on my mind that I will succeed with my mission. After all, I am after the best reward there has ever been: Being reunited with the YAs and CEP Champs in August...