The Youth Olympic Games was a brave initiative. It is the first time the IOC has launched a new 'product' since the conception of the Winter Olympic Games and its birth came with exciting talk of a new approach that would inspire the youth of today to take up sport and live by the Olympic values. Such a bold move was great to see within an industry where change doesn't happen often and new initiatives are often talked about but never realised.

However, between its inception and the Opening Ceremonies of the first edition in Singapore something happened that made this new initiative lose some of its momentum. The innovation needed to make the Youth Olympic Games a truly new inspiring event needed to be done outside of the traditional structures and processes of the Olympic Movement. It's hard to create something drastically new within such a set system.

The Youth Olympic Games have demonstrated some great results - 3on3 basketball and other new initiatives were showcased by the federations and there have been some great new education and culture programmes that have been introduced. But, if the Youth Olympics truly want to inspire youth in a new way than the innovation surrounding the Games needs to be done outside of the traditional structures responsible for the Olympic Games. It's difficult to teach an old dog new tricks.