INNSBRUCK, Jan 17 - Young Ambassador Charlie PADDOCK (USA) provides his thoughts on the first few days of the Innsbruck 2012 Youth Winter Olympic Games.

As well as spreading the spirit of the Youth Olympic Games, Young Ambassadors encourage athletes to interact with each other and engage in the activities available as part of the Culture and Education Programme.

25-year-old PADDOCK, a research analyst at USA Triathlon, is one of 33 representatives from different countries that provide support and motivation to the athletes. 

Do you interact with athletes from other countries?

 “One of the cool things about the Culture and Education Programme is the fact that we got to come together as Young Ambassadors last September. In doing so, we got to know the other Ambassadors well enough that I would consider them good friends now. Because of that, I’ve been able to actively engage with any of their athletes at any time.”

Has the Culture and Education Programme been a success?

“I think athletes are really enjoying it. But it’s really going to be designed for those athletes, like the Ladies Ski Jumpers, that have only one day of competition but they're required to remain here for the duration of the Youth Games. We’re going to see the success over the nine days, when athletes will finish competing they'll be looking for other things to do. That’s when the Culture and Education Programme is really going to become a prominent piece of the programme.”

What has been your most interesting experience so far?

“The coolest part is that World Mile area. When I walked there the first time just seeing the US hockey team fully engaged with the Ukraine booth and they’re actually learning and engaging with the people from each other country. And then I look over at the Australia booth and we’ve got some of our bobsleigh kids in there with Australia. Not only is that cool, but you’ve got people from Turkey learning about Australian culture through our bobsleigh athletes.”

Are any programmes designed for athletes that speak different languages?

“For example, the drumming session, you don’t have to know any language to understand how to go through the drumming session. But also, you do interact with those other athletes in the room without even speaking because of the rhythms. You really pass along those rhythms from one person to the next as each person leads the group through the drumming session.”

IOC Young Reporter Nicholas Olivier