Till Örebro universitet

The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) resembles the Olympic Games in many ways but it has its own identity and characteristics. In this article, we analyse patterns of influence between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and local organisers prior to the YOG 2016. The findings show that these patterns vary over time and between different areas of governance and management. The IOC in general follows event organisers rather losely through detailed manuals, routines of communications, and reports. According to local organisers, this model of governance fits big events such as the Olympics better than smaller events such as YOG. Through time and processes characterised by 'negotiated trust' however, local organisers gained more autonomy. This case shows that hosts can gain power through the control and trust mechanism and realise local projects.