By Tom Degun

Bid 4May 15 - Glasgow's young people are leading the final push for the city's bid to secure the 2018 Youth Olympic Games with 50 days to go until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) vote to decide the host city on July 4 in Lausanne, Scottish officials claim. 


Glasgow is up against Buenos Aires in Argentina and Medellín in Colombia in bidding for the event and the Scottish city are aiming to engage around one million young people across the UK by decision day.

Hundreds of thousands have already been contacted through social media, schools, youth and community organisations and charities, officials claim.

Leading this engagement are the bid's 2018 Young Champions who are 18-year-old Jasmine Main (top right) and 17-year-old Mahad Ahmed (top left), who this week are launching new blogs on the official website and social media platforms.

"All the way along this bid young people have led the way whether it was achieving a world-first by launching the bid with only young people presenting the event, or when Mahad and I took Glasgow's Candidature File to the IOC headquarters in Switzerland in October last year," said Main, a drama student and National Theatre of Scotland Champion.

"It has been such an exciting year for all of us and I can't wait to share all our experiences with young people like me to show how we can stage the most fantastic YOG in 2018 in our home city which is friendly, safe and loads of fun."

Mahad, currently ranked as the number one triple jumper in his age group in Scotland, is equally excited.

"Every single young person should back this bid because it will open up so many great opportunities for all of us," said the Glasgow School of Sport athlete.

"It doesn't matter whether you want to be an athlete, an actress like Jasmine, or anything else because this Bid is all about showing everyone that we can be champions in our own lives whatever we want to be, and if Glasgow wins we can connect with kids all over the world to share experiences, learn and have fun."

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