The Olympic Games are a spectacle of youth, showcasing young athletes at the height of their powers. But the roster of events--from the foot races carried over from ancient Greece to newer additions like basketball and badminton--leaves out some of the activities today's young people enjoy most. YO! (Youth Outlook), the youth newspaper of Pacific News Service, asked some of its staff to write about the sport they would most like to see added to the Olympic roster. Here's their version of an Olympics for the 21st century:

The disc hovered like a Harrier jet as I tapped it from side to side with my paddle, taunting my opponent. I saw my opening and took my shot but it was blocked. Smack! Bam! Smack! I had no time to breathe. Smack! The glowing disc flew millimeters past the defending paddle and went in. Finally, I had tasted revenge against an opponent who had beat me almost a year earlier. "Ha!" I said, facing my friend's girlfriend across the air hockey table. "You will never defeat me again!"

In this game it is not how big you are that counts. A good combination of speed, reflexes, stamina, concentration and strategy is what it takes to win at air hockey. That's why I think the time has come to add air hockey to the Olympics. The adrenaline really gets you pumped when you hit that table, and if you don't believe me, just head down to your local game room and try it. You won't be able to play just one game.

Sure, the best of the best will be showcasing their talents in Atlanta, but not us air hockey champs. We'll have to wait a little longer in order to be one with the gods.

I think bowling should be added to the Olympics for sure. As a young lad, I used to play regular with my Pops and his friends. They played for money, but I loved the game. Bowling is a game of rhythm and concentration. It's big here in the States, but it could be learned in any country.

Look at this way -- bowling would be an event for the whole family. Bowling isn't sexist; it's for the pleasure of the whole neighborhood. I also think bowling would be good because it doesn't take a lifetime to learn. I learned in five sessions, and now I am an intermediate player.

Bowling might add its own kind of drama to the Games. You could slip on the wooden floor and wind up with a gutter ball. Will your pants split as you go into a crouch? People nationwide--even your mother in TV land--will see you in your Hanes briefs, and sportscaster Ahmad Rashad might ask you how it feels to have a breeze going down the stretch. It's all good. Bowling will add to the unpredictability of the Olympics.

A Philosophy competition would make a perfect wrestling match. The great thinkers, politicians and philosophers from every point of view and every country would debate the issues that concern mankind, and let the millions of people who watch the Games judge who makes the most sense.

As with the Miss America pageant, viewers could call, e-mail or fax in their views. The gold medal would be binding. The nations and powers of the globe would have to adhere to the will of the people and follow the winning philosophy.

In a double elimination tournament, the seedings could include: Farrakhan vs. Newt; Clinton vs. Gaddafi: Netanyahu vs. Arafat; hip hop vs. country. I predict the ultimate winner in the Philosophy competition would be the Youth Team, represented by the voice of the dominant youth culture worldwide: KRS ONE

When I think of the Olympics I think of Cambodia, my country, and hope that one day it can compete. I know that my people in Cambodia are as talented as athletes everywhere else in the world. I dream of being the first Cambodian to be in the Olympics.

One sport I know Cambodians like myself could compete in is breakdancing. Breakdancing is exercise and entertainment and it's interesting to watch. People all over the world breakdance. They do it in England, Germany, Africa, Japan, Australia, Cambodia, and of course, in the United States.

Because it's so interesting to watch, I bet breakdancing would be the number one Olympic entertainer. It would definitely be more exciting than synchronized swimming. I dream of having breakdancing in the Olympics and being on my country's breakdancing team.

Why should the Olympic Committee put skateboarding in the next Olympic games? Because skateboarding is a physical and demanding sport.

Good skateboarders are agile and in good physical form, like any other athlete. But they are also very artistic like gymnasts and synchronized swimmers.

Like ice-skating, skateboarders use music when they skate. Like all sports, skateboarding has technical words to define artistic and athletic moves. Moreover, like basketball and baseball, skateboarding is popular, especially among young people. In France, where I live, there is a serious skateboarding culture.

Skateboarding has a spirit which corresponds with the original amateur spirit of the Olympics. Skateboarders skate for fun, not just for glory or medals. A skateboarder would try his hardest just to give a good show to his friends.

I think hip hop should be included in the Olympic games. There are many aspects of the culture that would be great competition and great entertainment for the world audience. Mixing, scratching, breaking and freestyle rhyming are just a few of the possible categories. Hip hop would be a beautiful addition to the Olympics because it is of the people! It's in the streets -- the ghettos and the suburbs. There are no leagues or rich private country clubs involved.

The only problem I foresee would be the judging. The judges would have to come from the hip hop community because those Olympic judges wouldn't know how to recognize good hip hop.