I haven’t written in a few days, just been enjoying the experience. Earlier today, (or I suppose yesterday), I went over the Westin Bayshore, which is now VANOC headquarters, and home to all the IOC people that make an Olympics happen. I met the people involved with the social media generation of the Games, which was pretty cool. There were Olympic posters all over the place, a simple campaign that shows the power of the Olympic brand. The art for these posters was so simple, all you have to do is throw the Olympic rings on the top and all of a sudden it’s profound. Oh the power of a brand.

I was there to be interviewed by a young reporter about my Youth Olympic Games Ambassador role. It was a great experience because I was able to really articulate why and how I wanted to make a difference in Singapore later this summer. I believe in the respect that the Games hope to develop between young people. It’s really important to me.

People talk about the commercialization of the Games. Sure, it’s big business. But there’s a reason for that. It is because the movement is simple and pure and you can use that to sell something. At the end of the day, this transaction doesn’t diminish the true impact of the Olympic movement. Part of that is the leadership and respect that the Olympic dream fosters among young people. I hope that is never forgotten in the argument.