The first ever edition of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is being hosted in Singapore at the southern tip of Southeast Asia. Why Sport Matters is happy to be a part of this event put together for the athletes between 14-18 years old. All the current summer Olympic sports are being played, but many have been adapted to be more attractive to a youth audience. Part of the philosophy of the event is to have intercultural exchange and educational activities in order to be more than just a sport event. We will bring you more over the next weeks from Singapore. Singapore 2010 is the summer edition for the YOG, whereas the first winter YOG will take place in Innsbruck, Austria in early 2012.

In the meantime, check out the BLOGS from our latest visits to Australia and Hong Kong. The land Down Under has one of the best sporting cultures in the world and while having incredible international success in many sports, it also has its own unique sport passion like Aussie Rules football. Hong Kong sport is an interesting mix of influences from its British colonial past alongside that of mainland China. Following the YOG, Why Sport Matters will continue the adventure in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos before heading to India and the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

All of John’s video reports for Major League Soccer during the South Africa 2010 World Cup are now found HERE. And we have loaded a bunch of new videos on our YOUTUBE page.