In an effort to spread the word about the inaugural Youth Olympic Games this August in Singapore, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched a comprehensive social media campaign.

The online presence of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) can be felt across numerous platforms, including Facebook, where the YOG's official page has become the place to go to receive up-to-date information on the Games and interact with other fans of the Games for 14 to 18 year-olds.

Visitors to the site can also take part in exciting contests aimed at boosting awareness of the Youth Olympic Games and giving back to the public. One currently under way invites people to create slogans for the Youth Olympic Games, with a winning entry selected each week. Winners receive one-of-a-kind Olympic T-shirts featuring their slogans. The public can also get a taste of the action by playing a Facebook Youth Olympic Games video game, or share their real-life experiences of the Games by posting photos on the page. Owners of some of the best photos will win Youth Olympic Games memorabilia.

The Youth Olympic Games can also be found on Flickr, where the public has been invited to capture the spirit of the Games through photos. The winner of the contest will be flown to Singapore and be accredited as an official IOC photographer for the first Youth Olympic Games.

Another site where people can keep tabs on the Youth Olympic Games is Twitter, where timely updates of all the action and other fun and interesting information can be found. And, during the Youth Olympic Games, from 14 to 26 August, video highlights of the competition will be featured on a dedicated YouTube site, so the world can relive the magic.

The IOC hopes such endeavours will connect a growing number of the people to the Youth Olympic Games, whose mission it is to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport and adopt and live by the Olympic values.

For more information on the Youth Olympic Games, visit: www.olympic.org/youtholympicgames

Source: IOC