The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Wednesday the list of 29 young reporters who will be participating in the Young Reporters Program for Singapore Youth Olympics.

The Young Reporters were selected by the Continental Associations of National Olympic Committees through a rigorous selection process. Representing each of the five continents, they are between the ages of 18 and 24 and are journalism students or have recently started their journalism career.

This initiative, developed as part of the Culture and Education Program (CEP), will provide the budding reporters with a cross-platform journalist-training program and on-the-job experience during the Youth Olympic Games slated for August 14 through to 26.

The program will encourage the Young Reporters to blog about Youth Olympic Games topics from their own regions in the run-up and during the first Youth Olympic Games.

The training and assignments during Games time will be driven by highly qualified and renowned professionals in the fields of broadcast and print journalism, social media and photography. Worldwide TOP Partner Acer will also be providing the Young Reporters with a limited-edition laptop to support them in their assignments.

"The Young Reporters program will allow future journalists to gain an Olympic experience with the chance to understand first-hand how media operates in an Olympic environment. The training sessions, provided by top professionals, will provide great mentoring to these young people, who are eager to participate in this first edition of the Youth Olympic Games," said IOC Executive Director Gilbert Felli.

"It will be an exciting time for these young reporters," added Kevan Gosper, Chairman of the IOC Press Commission. "Singapore gives them a unique opportunity to widen their reporting skills and to enhance the coverage of the Youth Olympic Games in their own and other countries. The Young Reporters Training Program will cover the traditional streams of newspaper, broadcast and photo journalism, as well as the challenges of using New Media to widen their audiences."

The Culture and Education Program aims to educate, engage and influence young people in sport and the Olympic values, inspiring them to play an active role in their communities. The program also gives advice on careers in sport, social responsibilities and other lifestyle choices.