Nanjing 2014

Youth Olympics wrap with Closing Ceremony, Lionel Messi cameo (photos)

By Nick ZaccardiAug 28, 2014, 11:12 AM EDT

Yao Ming reflects on Beijing 2008 at Youth Olympics (video)

By Nick ZaccardiAug 27, 2014, 4:44 PM EDT

Yao Ming has been quite visible at the Youth Olympics, and not just because he’s one of the tallest Olympians ever.

The Chinese basketball star toured Nanjing as a Youth Olympic ambassador. He stopped for a sitdown chat with Lewis Johnson to look back on his Olympic experience and update on what he’s been doing since retiring in 2011.

Yao said he’s back in college to finish his studies in economic management, with one year left to get a degree.

“A different story now compared to my sports days,” he said. “A lot of paperwork. My neck is a little bit sore.”

He also said seeing the teenage athletes at the Games reminded him of childhood travel.

“Some people maybe for the first time are outside of their country,” Yao said. “I remember my first time outside of the country at 17 years old, heading to Paris. It’s a big change. It’s a big step and also changed a lot for my view.”

Finally, Johnson handed Yao a memorable image from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony, when Yao led the host nation into the Bird’s Nest with Lin Hao, a 9-year-old survivor of that year’s Sichuan earthquake.

“It’s a lot of emotion,” Yao said, reflecting. “The kid, he saved two of his classmates after the earthquake happened. You can see the scar on his head right there. What kind of heart he had right at this age. … That represents the future of China.”

NBCSN coverage of the Youth Olympics continues Wednesday (7-8 p.m. ET) and concludes Thursday with the Closing Ceremony (6:30-8).

Youth Olympics broadcast schedule

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Thomas Bach hopes mixed-gender events in Nanjing impact Olympics (video)

By Nick ZaccardiAug 27, 2014, 2:44 PM EDT

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International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach sat down with Lewis Johnson in Nanjing to discuss the Youth Olympics, their potential impact on the Olympics and Rio de Janeiro’s preparation for the Games in 2016.

The Nanjing Youth Olympics marked the third edition of an idea coined by Bach’s predecessor, Jacques Rogge. The first Youth Olympics were held in Singapore in 2010, followed by the first Youth Winter Olympics in Austria in 2012.

“[Rogge] thought we have to do something for the younger athletes to make them familiar with the Olympic values, Olympic environment at an earlier stage than at the Olympic Games and to inspire more kids around the world to play sports,” Bach said.

Bach said he hoped that all of the mixed-gender events in Nanjing would serve as a test for men and women competing on the same teams in more sports at the Olympics.

Currently, badminton, equestrian and tennis have mixed-gender events in the Olympics. Figure skating, with pairs and ice dancing, has long been mixed gender. The Winter Games added mixed biathlon and luge relays for 2014.

“This is one of my darling subjects,” Bach said. “They are a great opportunity to develop women’s sports in smaller countries.”

Bach also expressed confidence in preparations for the Rio Olympics in two years.

“We see now things getting off the ground,” Bach said. “I’m sure Brazil will make it, because they know that they have no time to lose. But they see now the progress. They have confidence from having organized a good World Cup, and I’m sure in two years from now, we will enjoy an Olympic festival in Brazil.”

NBCSN coverage of the Youth Olympics continues Wednesday (7-8 p.m. ET) and concludes Thursday with the Closing Ceremony (6:30-8).

Youth Olympics broadcast schedule

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