South African Olympic Champion Chad le Clos has been named as the official ambassador for the 2014 Youth Olympics by the International Olympic Committee.
Le Clos was one of the stars of the first Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010 where he won 5 total medals, including gold in the 200 fly. He is also easily the most successful alumni of that meet so far, winning gold in the 200 fly at the Olympics and following it up with World Championships in both the 100 and 200 butterfly at the 2013 Barcelona World Championships.
The 2014 Youth Olympics will be held in Nanjing, China, with the swimming to take place at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center, which seats approximately 4,000 spectators.
The news comes on the heels of a Repucom Africa report that swimming is the 4th-most popular sport in South Africa, behind rugby, cricket, and international soccer.