29.08.2008
HOW WILL THE DOHA 2016 YOUTH INITIATIVE WORK?
How will the 100,000 participants be chosen?
How the youth are selected will be determined in consultation with the IOC and the NOCs, and we may apply different criteria in individual nations to take account of local custom and need.
The 100,000 youngsters will be chosen by a global selection process using criteria based on the core values of the Olympic Movement: excellence, friendship and fair play.
The evaluation process will also take account of academic performance, community involvement, healthy and active lifestyles and inclusivity.
The selection process will be open to every National Olympic Committee (NOC) around the world.
The exact number of attendees from each country is yet to be determined, but we envisage a proportional system that will take into account, among other things, the population of each country.
We will, however, set a minimum number of attendees that will apply to all countries, so every region, large or small, will be properly represented.
An equal number of boys and girls will be selected from each region.
Who will look after the participants?
The Youth Initiative will be organised according to international standards for the care and welfare of minors.
As an initial estimate, the 100,000 young people will be accompanied by 12,500 delegation staff – a ratio of one staff member to eight young participants.
The supervisors will be carefully selected and will be experienced in the management of young people. We anticipate working closely with the educational and government authorities in each nation in the selection of supervisors and to ensure full compliance with local regulations.
The delegation staff will accompany the young delegates from their home countries to Qatar; they will accompany the youngsters to the Olympic competitions; they will live alongside the youngsters in the Youth Villages; they will accompany the youngsters on cultural and educational visits while in Qatar; and finally, they will accompany the delegates back to their home countries after their stay is over.
Who will handle the logistics for the Initiative in the lead up to and during the Games?
Doha 2016 will set up a special management group, independent of the Organising Committee, to run the Doha 2016 Youth Initiative.
This organisation will be managed by experts in the fields of logistics, management of large scale events and in the management of youth initiatives.
The organisation will be headquartered in Qatar but will have operations offices in every region. We will look within the Olympic Family for suitably qualified individuals to be a part of the team.
Doha 2016 will work closely with each country’s NOC to ensure that individual programmes in each country meet the needs of the NOCs and ensure maximum benefits both for the NOC and for its country’s citizens.
However, it will be for each NOC to decide if they wish to participate directly in the programme. If an NOC elects not to participate then we will run the programme independently in that country, always of course keeping the NOC fully informed of our plans and progress.
Doha 2016 will also consult with the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and with the five Continental Associations at an early stage in the planning and development of the Doha 2016 Youth Initiative to ensure that all the needs of all the NOCs are fully taken into account.
It is important to note that there will be no financial or operational burden placed upon these organisations.
Who will pay for the Initiative?
Qatar will fully fund every aspect of the Youth Initiative, including the organisation of the programme at local level in each country, the selection process, travel from home to airports, flights and all costs while in Qatar including tickets to sports and cultural events, accommodation, transportation and food. In addition to the costs of the participants Qatar will pay all the costs for the supervisors and will provide a per diem for their services.
How will the Youth Initiative participants travel to Qatar?
Larger NOC territories will be required to identify one (or more) centrally located hub(s) to stage and process the delegations before their international departure. This will require internal transportation, accommodation, catering and other services.
In addition, regional staging sites will be established to ensure consolidated travel to Doha for regions which contain smaller NOC delegations. The costs of these staging posts will all be covered by the Initiative Organisers.
The participants will then fly to Qatar in two or three phases. Each NOC will be assigned to a specific wave for their delegation to attend the Olympic Games.
The arrivals and departures of the various delegations to and from Qatar will be phased in waves over a period of several days.
On arrival in Qatar, a dedicated Doha 2016 ‘Youth Initiative Processing Centre’ will provide processing, delegation registration, accreditation, uniforms, baggage transfer and transport to accommodations.
Each wave of young delegates would attend eight days of competition events as well as have up to five additional days in Qatar for cultural and educational activities.
Where will they stay when they are in Qatar?
As part of the substantial legacy of Doha 2016, new residential facilities for the international workforce will be developed prior to the Games. The plan is for some of these facilities to serve as villages to accommodate the youth delegations during the Games.
These “Youth Villages” will include dining facilities, recreation and sport zones, medical facilities, internet café, phone centre, religious centre, ticketing office, laundry facilities and a transport mall.
A main dining facility will be built in each Youth Village to cater for the residents. In addition, a meal voucher programme will be established to provide meals through the spectator outlets at competition venues.
The youth participants will be housed two per room and delegation staff will be one per room.
How will the youth delegations travel to and from the competition venues?
A dedicated transport system will be developed for the Youth Initiative. In addition, the participants will be issued travel vouchers to use Doha’s public transport system that will link all the competition venues.
How will the youth delegations be identified while they are in Doha?
On arrival in Qatar, each youth participant will be given a gift bag which will contain a basic uniform and other essential items for their stay. The uniform will serve as visual identification and also provide a common element amongst all the participants. They will also be given an accreditation device which will both serve as identification and assist in delegation management.
How will Qatar ensure that the initiative will work properly and safely?
A Pan-Arab pilot programme designed to test the operational assumptions and planning of the project will be held in October 2015. This programme would be regional in scope and consist of a smaller number of delegations each with approximately 500 participants.