COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -– The United States Olympic Committee
(USOC) today announced the application procedures for selection to the Athens Olympic
Youth Camp (OYC), which will be held in Greece August 11-26, 2004.
Download criteria and the formal application
(4-page PDF).
The OYC, organized and funded by the Athens Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games
(ATHOC), is a cross-cultural exchange that will bring together young people from around
the world. They will participate with their peers in learning about other nations and
their customs and to share the experience of the Olympic Games.
The program is divided into three sections over 16 days. The youth will participate in
activities in Athens, outside of Athens and on a one-day cruise to the island of
Saronikos. They will attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as Olympic Games
competitions, observe athletes training, visit archaeological areas and tour Ancient
Olympia.
The USOC will choose one male and one female between the ages of 16-18 (as of August
13-30, 2004) to represent the United States. Youth applicants will be required to submit
information about their sport and academic achievements, their leadership activities and
an essay on “Olympic Spirit”.
The first Olympic Youth Camp was at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, when
King Gustav V invited 1,500 Boy Scouts from five countries to pitch their tents next to
the Olympic Stadium to provide help for the V Olympiad. The camps have been a regular
feature of the Olympic Games since 1952 in Helenski, Finland, with Melbourne and Los
Angeles being the exceptions.
The deadline for submitting applications is 5:00 pm (MT) January 9, 2004. The two youth
selected to represent the United States at the ATHOC OYC will be notified on February 13,
2004.
