Lausanne, Switzerland, September 15, 2024: IOC President Thomas Bach has paid tribute to the people and sports authorities of Nanjing, China on the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
In a video message to mark the occasion, President Bach described the Nanjing 2014 YOG as a “spectacular celebration of sport, youth and culture”, and said the legacy lived on in the hearts of the athletes and in the Olympic community.
“At the time, this was only the second Olympic event to be hosted in China after the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 – and all of China’s deep passion for sport was on full display as Nanjing wrote a unique chapter in the country’s long history of sporting success,” he said.
“By hosting the YOG in Nanjing, China brought the legacy of the Olympic Games Beijing 2008 to a new generation.
“Building on this momentum, China went on to write the next chapter in its great sporting history with a truly exceptional Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 when Beijing became the first city in the world to host both the summer and winter editions of Olympic Games. Nanjing is, therefore, an integral part of China’s great contribution to the Olympic Movement.”
President Bach also described Nanjing 2014 as a “fantastic springboard” for athletes to launch a successful career at the Olympic Games, and that it was the perfect platform on which to test new sports.
Nanjing hosted the second edition of the YOG from August 16-28, 2014, with 3,579 athletes from 203 National Olympic Committees competing across 222 events.
At Paris 2024, 299 athletes from 116 NOCs in 38 disciplines had competed at Nanjing 2014.
The celebrations marked the culmination of a series of events to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Nanjing 2014, including a YOG-themed photo exhibition, seminars featuring athletes, volunteers and staff involved in the Games, and a special “Nanjing in Paris” event held during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.