Abstract
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) desired to increase interest in Olympic sports within a generation of adolescents who are becoming increasingly overweight and inactive. With the approval of the IOC General Assembly in 2007, President Jacques Rogge led development of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) first hosted in Singapore in the summer of 2010. However, the awareness and interest of the youth in the YOG as a global sporting event remains unclear. The purpose of this research study was to collect data from undergraduate physical education students in the United States (n = 215) regarding their awareness and perceptions of the YOG. A survey instrument was developed to assess personal and perceived public awareness, event logo identification, social and traditional media use, and intention to attend or watch the YOG. These findings are described and evaluated in order to provide further insight into the development of both attendance and television following of this new international sport festival.