Moscow is all but ready to host the first Youth Olympics two years ahead of time, says the city mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

The Russian capital is vying with Singapore for the right to stage the inaugural Summer Games for athletes aged 14-18 in 2010, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) picking the winner next month.

"We have all the facilities already in place so we could host it right now as we speak," Luzhkov told Reuters in an interview. "We have everything that it takes to put on a successful event and much more."

Moscow hosted the boycott-affected 1980 Olympic Games but lost a bid to stage the 2012 edition, awarded to London.

"We have enough experience in hosting major international competitions. The same thing can be said about youth events," Luzhkov said, pointing to the 1998 World Youth Games held in Moscow.

"Ten years ago, under the IOC patronage, we staged the first World Youth Games. It was a big success. (IOC president) Jacques Rogge then turned the idea of having a separate Olympic-style youth festival into reality."

Rogge, however, gave most of the credit to the sports-loving Moscow mayor, whom he called "a good friend."

"Initially, it was my idea and I've helped create the first European youth sports festival in 1991 but Luzhkov developed it further by staging the Youth Games in 1998," Rogge told Reuters.

RACIAL TOLERANCE

The 71-year-old mayor, who has recently added golf and Alpine skiing to his list of sports hobbies which already included soccer and tennis, said hosting such a multi-national festival as the Youth Games would greatly benefit Muscovites.

"It would teach many of our citizens, especially young people, to be more tolerant towards people with different racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds," he said.

Some IOC members feel staging the Youth Games will require greater care and preparation than fully fledged Olympics.

"They're absolutely right because you have a much bigger responsibility dealing with kids than adults," said Luzhkov.

"Security has to be top-notch, not because we have criminal gangs out there but because kids could simply get lost in a big city. At the same time, you can't put fences around them.

"These young athletes don't come just to compete but also meet friends, socialize. They must feel absolutely secure."

By Gennady Fyodorov, Reuters