The sport that perhaps comes closest to the Olympic Motto of ‘faster, higher, better’ is athletics. In all different parts of the sport these three words are represented. During the EYOF 2015 athletes will compete in 12 different events for the gold medal.

Originally an American sport, basketball spread rapidly over the whole world. It’s now one of the most popular team sports. It requires agility and speed and you need to have tactics and keep overview during the game. A match lasts for 40 minutes and is played in four parts of 10 minutes. There are different ways of gaining points, depending on the position from which a ball is thrown. The lines on the field show the scoring options. Each score from the field is worth two points. If a player scores from behind the curved line, it counts for three points. Every other time the ball goes through the hoop it’s one point. The basketball tournament will have eight countries participating, in both the boys and girls. Every country can select their twelve best young basketball players for their team(s). There are two groups of four teams. At the end of the preliminary round the teams meet to decide the finals places. Then there are the finals to win the medals.

It’s the only real endurance sport at the EYOF 2015. The road race begins with all cyclists at the same time. The winner is the first one to reach the finishing line. During the individual time-trial the cyclists start at 90 second intervals and in this competition the time counts. Winners are those cyclist who can use their power at the right moment. That means they need to have a good sense for anticipating and have a tactical mind.

Gymnastics revolve around flexibility, timing and balance. Most apparatus events are individually used, only the country team event is group work. Then there’s the all-around competition in which the young gymnasts compete on all the apparatuses and competition on one specific apparatus. For boys the apparatuses used are floor, vault, pommel horse, still rings, parallel bars and high bar. For girls it’s floor, vault, balance beam and uneven bars. Points for the gymnastics events are awarded by a jury. Jury members take into account the difficulty of a certain movement and its execution by the gymnast. More difficult routines mean more possible points for a gymnast, but also more risks. It’s very important a gymnast never loses his or her concentration: one wrong move can mean the loss of points. Especially if it results in a fall, which means one full point is deducted from the score.

Eight countries can qualify for the handball tournament. They compete against each other in groups of four. In the second phase the countries are placed for the final rounds in which the placing is decided. In the finals the best teams compete for the EYOF medals. During a handball match the balls can reach a speed of up to 100 kilometers an hour. The speed of the sport mean a lot of goals are made. It’s not unusual to se

There are three referees at a judo match. One on the mat, two next to it. The referee on the mat leads the match and judges the throws. The other two will only signal if they do not agree with a decision. A majority vote counts if there is a discussion within the referee team. If an Ippon, a full point, is scored straight away, it means the end of a match. The five minutes of a match don’t need to be ended then. But of course this doesn’t always occur. There are different ways in judo to try to score a point. If a throw is executed nicely and constrained it is also worth an Ippon. If the throw isn’t perfect or the opponent doesn’t land fully on his back, the throw is awarded half a point: a waza-ari. It is also possible that a judoka scores because his opponent surrenders or is appointed penalties. If a judoka is stuck in a hold, he can notify with two taps on the mat that he wants to give up.

Events: Free style: 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 (girls) and 1500 (boys) Breaststroke: 100, 200 meters Backstroke: 100, 200 meters Butterfly: 100, 200 meters Relay: 4×100 (free style), 4×100 (medley) Mixed Estafette: 4×100 (free style), 4×100 (medley)

Tennis players need excellent hand-eye coordination and feet work are important. Because you can play the sport both individually and in doubles, you need have a strong personality to play alone and adapt to your doubles partner. At the EYOF the matches will be played with a ‘best of three sets’ system. Besides the Olympic tournaments, the sport’s most important competitions are the four main events, called Grand Slams. These are the Australian Open, the French Roland Garros, Wimbledon in London and the US Open in New York. Of course, the courts of these events is where the young tennis players at the EYOF 2015 in Tbilisi will dream of standing in the future.

Six players stand together on a relatively small playing field during a volleyball match. That makes it necessary to communicate with each other who will catch which ball. Within a team the positions and tasks are divided. The task of the Setter is to play to ball towards one of the attackers, so they can attack and score. The Libero, recognisable by his or her different colored shirt, keeps the ball in the back of the court. He or she only defends. During the game the players give each other constant feedback, to keep everything going smoothly. The attackers and defenders agree together which ball they will play. Also they decide who will block, so the defenders know where they have to stand. A set is played until 25 points, with a two point difference. The match is won when three sets have been won. If it goes into a fifth set 15 points with a two point difference is the maximum.