The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are an international Olympic sporting event of the highest level for athletes aged 15 to 18, combining sports performance, culture and education. The YOG aim to encourage young people to adopt and represent the positive values of sport – respect, friendship and excellence – and to become sports ambassadors throughout the world. This year, for the second time, the YOG hosted an FIA stand and today, FIA President Jean Todt was in attendance, along with members of the International Olympic Committee. Jean Todt and the IOC family had the opportunity to discover the various interactive displays at the FIA event space featuring the #3500LIVES Global Road Safety Campaign.
Produced by the FIA in partnership with number one outdoor advertising company JCDecaux, this campaign promotes simple and universal tips to make roads safer for all, the FIA’s Golden Rules for Road Safety. With road crashes being the number one cause of death for young people between the ages of 5-29 worldwide, these rules are especially relevant to the YOG. Visitors had the chance to experience 8 of the FIA’s Golden Rules through interactive activities such as goggles simulating the effects of alcohol, a BATAK game to test their reflexes, a simulation of a head-on collision…
In the spirit of competition and bringing together both the Mobility and Sport pillars of the FIA, the second part of the Exhibition features an Electric Karting Experience enabling visitors to engage with what they have learnt from the Road Safety Exhibition. The track, which is approximately 200 meter-long, runs around the iconic Olympic flame located Place de l’Europe.
FIA President, Jean Todt, said: “The Youth Olympic Games are the perfect occasion to reach out to young people, who are among the most vulnerable road users, and raise awareness on road safety. It is the second time that the FIA is present at an Olympic event and I would like to thank the International Olympic Committee and its President Thomas Bach for their support. For me it is essential to continue working with them on the road safety issue. It is also very exciting to enable visitors to discover Electric Karting which is a fun way to introduce them to motor sport in a safe and sustainable environment.”
The Road Safety Exhibition will be open to all visitors throughout the Games from 10 to 22 January. The E-Karting Experience will be open during weekends only.
Info & Photo FIA