What is the Alberta Youth Olympic Symposium?

The Alberta Youth Olympic Symposium is an biennial event that invites high school students from across the province to participate in a sport leadership development conference.  The program teaches leadership skills and values through an examination of the Olympic Movement and its values.  Delegates are given a great opportunity to meet peers and establish life-long friendships.

AYOS is organized by a volunteer committee. Meetings begin in the fall prior to the symposium and continue throughout the following months to plan the best youth leadership conference possible for all delegates.

The Alberta Youth Olympic Symposium was first held in 1987. It was organized by Olympic speed skier, Vince Poscente. Vince now speaks about peak performance in the corporate world and in personal pursuits. He is also the author of “The Ant and the Elephant”, and “Invinceable Principles”. The youth sports conference has been held in both Calgary and Edmonton. Hundreds of Alberta high school students have participated! 2010 will be the 18th session of AYOS.

Provincial and Territorial Olympic academies, such as AYOS, are organized across the country. These programs are supported by the Canadian Olympic Committee. There is also the Olympic Academy of Canada, a program of the COC, and the International Olympic Academy held in Olympia, Greece.