Young Athletes Compete at Fifth Australian Youth Olympic Festival

Over 1,500 young athletes are gathering in Sydney Wednesday for the first day of competition at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival. Now in its fifth year, the international sporting event for 13 to 19 year olds will focus on athletes competing in 17 sports from the Olympic program.

Launched in 2001, the AYOF is held biannually and is an opportunity for elite athletes to compete in an environment similar to the Olympics. Of the 27 countries represented, Australia and China will have the largest delegations of athletes and officials with 660 and 273 respectively. Chile, Norway and Kazakhstan will be represented for the first time.

"It will be a great experience for us, giving us the opportunity to play in a multisport event and stay in the athlete's village. I am really excited, especially after speaking to the players who went to Beijing. They were such an inspiration and it is my dream to play in the 2012 Olympics," Great Britain hockey forward Chris Gregg told the Australian Olympic Committee.

There are some new additions to the AYOF schedule this year. For the first time since 2001, triathlon returns to the lineup. There are also four team sports, up from two in 2007. Those sports are: basketball, hockey, football and water polo. Others being contested are: archery, athletics, canoe/kayak, cycling, diving, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, rowing, shooting, swimming and beach volleyball.

The festival opens Wednesday night, with the traditional protocols including lighting the Festival flame, the Parade of Nations and stating the Olympic Oath. Australian pop and R&B singer Paulina will headline the night's festivities.

In addition to participating in their sport, athletes will be required to attend six Live Clean, Play Clean drug presentations throughout the week. Tailored to this demographic, the program discusses inadvertent doping and strict liability, risks associated with supplement use and the dangers of alcohol and illicit drugs.

Competitors will also be able to interact with 24 Australian Olympians, chosen by their sport and approved by the Australian Athletes' Commission to serve as ambassadors during the week. They will share their experiences competing in the Olympics as well as offer advice to the next generation of athletes.

Ken Wallace, an ambassador, stated that he will draw from his earlier competitive experiences for advice. “When I was growing up, I used to watch the older, professional athletes around me,” he said. “You would learn things like how they got on the water, what they wore and how they stayed out of the sun before competition. Now I am the older one, so I suppose they will be looking at me."

Competition will continue all week, with event finals being held Saturday and Sunday. All of the AYOF competitive events are free to the public.

Written by Trista McGlamery.