Star swimmer Chad de Clos named Youth Olympics ambassador

With less than one year to go to the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics (YOG), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that Olympic swimming champion Chad Le Clos will be an official YOG ambassador.

The South African swimmer, who was a five-time medallist at the inaugural YOG in Singapore in 2010 and won gold in the 200m butterfly event at the London Olympics, will share his advice and experience with the next generation of athletes, while inspiring young people around the world to get involved in sport and embrace the Olympic values.

Speaking about his nomination, Chad said Friday: "The Youth Olympics were a huge stepping stone for me and helped me enormously in preparing for the pressures of my first Olympics in London. But more than the sport, the memories and friends that I made will last forever, and I'm excited to be part of the YOG experience once again."

The 21-year-old follows in the footsteps of his idol, Michael Phelps, who served as a YOG ambassador in Singapore in 2010.

"Michael was an idol of mine growing up, and he was an inspiration to me going into the Singapore 2010 YOG," added Chad, who was recently crowned double World Champion in Barcelona. "To be that source of inspiration for a whole new generation of athletes preparing for Nanjing 2014 is truly an honour."

The second edition of the Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held from Aug 16 to 28, 2014 in Nanjing, China. The programme will feature 28 sports, including golf and rugby sevens, as well as unique disciplines such as 3-on-3 basketball and 5-a-side hockey, plus mixed gender and mixed NOC events.