The Best of Us Challenge
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) collaborated with YouTube to create The Best of Us Challenge — a new global, digital initiative geared at inspiring youth to share their Olympic Spirit. In personalized video messages, about 20 international Olympians present a unique challenge to their audience. Viewers may select any one of these challenges and then try to “best” that challenge and capture it on video for uploading to YouTube. Visitors to the site are also encouraged to upload a video featuring their own challenge to others around the world.
Silly Human Tricks
Participants don’t have to be natural-born athletes to take part, but continuous cartwheeling skills or experience in one-handed umbrella twirling could be an advantage. For example, Swedish track and field Olympian, Carolina Kluft, showcases her distance handstand walk, and American swimming great Michael Phelps sinks 12, five-foot golf putts in 60 seconds.
And what’s a contest without prizes? A range of prizes will be awarded to anyone who simply uploads a video or proposes their own challenge, and special prizes will go to those who beat or come close to beating an Olympian’s challenge. Prizes include:
• A trip for two to watch the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games
• A trip for two to watch the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
• T-shirts signed by Olympians
• Official Olympic video games
• The Best of Us Challenge posters
The Digital Era
The Best of Us challenge was created in part because of a resolution from the recent Olympic Congress that the Olympic Movement should actively engage the next generation of Olympic fans through digital media. The challenge will appear on thebestofuschallenge.olympic.org, olympic.org and on the IOC YouTube channel.
Another IOC Competition
In addition to The Best of Us Challenge, the IOC also created a medal design competition in preparation for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games next summer. The public is invited to vote and determine the 10 best medal designs and an IOC jury will then select the best design from the top 10. The winning designer will get a trip to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games and receive a gold medal replica of their design. The design deadline is December 4, 2009.
