2008 Commonwealth Youth Games

Commonwealth Games
Name = 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games

Host city = "Pune, Maharashtra, India"| Optional caption =
Nations participating = 71
Athletes participating = 1,300
Events = 9 disciplines
Opening ceremony = 12 October 2008
Closing ceremony = 18 October 2008
Stadium = Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Stadium
Website = [http://www.cygpune2008.com Official website]

The 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Pune, India, a city in the state of Maharashtra. They will be the third Commonwealth Youth Games, which are held every four years; [cite web|url=http://www.commonwealthgames.ca/games/index_e.aspx?DetailID=1453|title=2008 Commonwealth Youth Games - Overview|accessdate=2008-07-28] they will be the first Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Asia. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/about-games/commonwealth-youth-games.php|title=About The Games|accessdate=2008-07-28]

The III Commonwealth Youth Games will be conducted from the 12th to 18th October 2008. Over 1,300 athletes and 350 officials from 71 countries will participate in these games. [cite web|url=http://www.commonwealthgames.ca/games/index_e.aspx?DetailID=1453|title=2008 Commonwealth Youth Games - Overview|accessdate=2008-07-28]

The III Commonwealth Youth Games is unique for its green theme, which permeates all aspects of the Games. A special drive is being conducted by the game organisers to create a "save the tigers" campaign to promote awareness of the critical state of the Indian tiger. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/youth-baton-relay/youth-baton-relay.php|title=Green Relay|accessdate=2008-07-28]

ports

There are nine sports on the programme for the 2008 CYG.

Each sport has a unique pictogram to represent it. The pictograms are designed to be, like the 2008 CYG logo, a balance between the cultural heritage of India and the modern India. The pictograms have been derived from the tribal art form of Warli. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/image-look/image-look.php|title=Image and Look|accessdate=2008-07-28]

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Marketing

Logo

The logo of the games reflect the heritage of Pune and Maharashtra. The seal features the city's name 'Pune' in both English script and Devanagari/Sanskrit script. The seal itself is derived from the Maratha seal of Shivaji Maharaj. It is a fusion of the traditional Pune culture and modernity. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/image-look/image-look.php|title=Image and Look|accessdate=2008-07-28]

Mascot

The name of the official mascot of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games is "Jigrr". The mascot is a tiger, the national animal of India. Jigrr is the younger brother of 'Shera', the mascot of 2010 Commonwealth Games.Jigrr the name, is an amalgam of the word "Jigar", which implies courage in Hindi language and also the sound of tiger roar 'grrr...'

Youth Baton Relay

For the Youth Games 2008, a new concept called the "Youth Baton Relay" (based on the Queen's Baton Relay) has been created by the organizers. For the event, a baton will be carried through nine Indian states, carrying water from around the country. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/youth-baton-relay/youth-baton-relay.php|title=Youth Baton Relay|accessdate=2008-07-28]

The Youth Baton Relay will begin at New Delhi University North Campus and proceed to India Gate on 1st August, 2008, at a large cultural festival. The Baton will then travel through nine states, and cover over 8000 km. Six thousand athletes have been selected to carry the Baton; an additional 7500 volunteers will help the Baton through 199 cities, towns and villages. Additionally, approximately 80 crew, 25 vehicles and guests, media and VIP’s will escort the baton on its trip. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/youth-baton-relay/youth-baton-relay.php|title=Youth Baton Relay|accessdate=2008-07-28]

In keeping with the "green games" theme for both the 2008 Youth Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the relay will be in support of the ‘save the tiger’ campaign. The collected water is to symbolize the conservation of natural resources, and will be used at the opening ceremony to create a "fountain of Youth". A "garden of youth" will also be created by the 71 participating nations at Balewadi Stadium. [cite web|url=http://www.cygpune2008.com/youth-baton-relay/youth-baton-relay.php|title=Youth Baton Relay|accessdate=2008-07-28]

Participating nations

There are currently 71 nations planning to host teams at the 2008 Youth Games. Some of the major teams include Australia fielding 102 athletes ^{[http://www.thesportscampus.com/2008-pune-youth-games/team-australia]} , England with 80 ^{[http://www.thesportscampus.com/2008-pune-youth-games/team-england]} , Canada fielding 59 ^{[http://www.thesportscampus.com/2008-pune-youth-games/team-canada]} & Scotland with 44 ^{[http://www.thesportscampus.com/2008-pune-youth-games/team-scotland]} . Some of the other major teams include South Africa, the hosts India, Malaysia and Singapore.

In alphabetical order, the comprehensive list of nations is as follows:

See also

* 2010 Commonwealth Games
* Commonwealth Youth Games

References

External links

* [http://www.cygpune2008.com/ Official Commonwealth Youth Games Website]
* [http://in.sports.yahoo.com/060312/43/62xv8.html/ Venue Shift - Delhi to Pune]
* [http://www.thesportscampus.com/2008-pune-youth-games/introduction-to-the-youth-games/ Sports & Youth go Hand-in-Hand]