IOC reveals Medal Design Competition winner for the first Youth Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced the winner of the Youth Olympic Games Medal Design Competition as Setsuko Fukuzawa, from Montreal, Canada, with her design entitled "Yes, Youth Can". The design will be used to inspire the obverse of the Singapore 2010 medals which will be awarded to the winning athletes from 14 to 26 August 2010.

Setsuko's design is a contemporary representation of the winged Greek goddess of victory, Nike. The "Y" design symbolises this and also the youthfulness of the Youth Olympic Games. The design includes the Olympic emblem, the rings, to empower athletes to participate and celebrate, and the flame detail reflects both the cheering wave of supporters and the spirit of an athlete.

Setsuko Fukuzawa commented on her design: "I wanted the design to be very clean and modern; for me this means simplicity to deliver a clear message. 'Yes, Youth Can' represents every young athlete in a victory stand, celebrating. Simple, but powerful." She continued: “It reflects the participants at the Youth Olympic Games: they will face challenges, believe in themselves and go beyond their limits. I wanted to design something that would make winners of this medal remember and feel the moment they won it. I hope that, from my design, people can feel the energy and excitement."

Singapore 2010 Organising Committee Chairman, Ser Miang Ng said: "Ms Setsuko Fukuzawa's ingenious design will harmonise well with the creative design that will be developed on the reverse of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games medals, as we will be taking inspiration from what is representative of Singapore as a young and vibrant nation, as well as the Singapore 2010 'Spirit of Youth' emblem. Our heartiest congratulations go to Ms Setsuko, and we look forward to welcoming her and the rest of the world to Singapore for a memorable Youth Olympic Games experience in August."

Gilbert Felli, Olympic Games Executive Director, said: "This competition has been a great success. We have received entries from 34 countries whilst engaging with the public through our social media channels. Congratulations to our winner and to all the competition entrants who have contributed to the first Youth Olympic Games. I am looking forward to seeing the medal awarded to the YOG athletes in Singapore this summer!"

From the public voting round, "Yes Youth Can" received 3,881 votes, which took the entry through to the shortlisted 10 Medal Design Competition finalists. The second round of judging was by an IOC jury, which selected Setsuko's design as the overall winner.

The design can be seen on www.medaldesigncompetition.com