Jul.20.2010

The IOC says 204 of 205 National Olympic Committees are on the list to send teams to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games next month in Singapore.

A spokesman for the IOC confirms that just one of the world’s NOCs – Kuwait - will not be represented at the Youth Olympic Games.

Kuwait is suspended from the IOC while the country solves the issue of government interference in the affairs of the Kuwait NOC. In this instance, Kuwaiti law puts term limits and other controls on the NOC, a violation of the Olympic Charter.

But while the flag of Kuwait will not be seen in Singapore, athletes from the country will be allowed to attend the Games. The IOC says these young people will compete under the IOC flag with the Olympic Anthem played during medal ceremonies instead of the Kuwait anthem. It’s a protocol followed in Olympic Games when an NOC is disqualified from attending, so as not to penalize the country’s athletes.

Confirmation of 204 NOCs also means that Brunei Darussalam says it will be attending. The southeast Asia nation has had a spotty record of sending athletes to the Games since 1988. Two weeks ago the president of the Brunei Darussalam NOC expressed concern that the IOC might issue sanctions if the country failed to send a team to Singapore.

The IOC suspended Brunei Darussalam the day of opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics when it did not register any athletes for the Games. The suspension was lifted later when the NOC said that injury prevented the athlete from attending.

The YOG run from August 14 to 26 and will feature 3,500 athletes in the 26 sports on the program of the London Olympics.

Flame lighting for the Games takes place July 23 in a ceremony at Ancient Olympia, Greece similar to one for the Olympic Games. The flame will travel to five locations on its way to Singapore: Berlin, Dakar, Mexico City, Auckland and Seoul.