2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in the city-state
of Singapore
from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad
. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics
, a major sports and cultural festival celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games
. A total of 3,531 athletes between 14 and 18 years of age from 204 National Olympic Committee
s (NOCs) competed in 201 events in 26 sports. The decision for Singapore to host the Games was announced on 2008 after mail voting by 105 International Olympic Committee
(IOC) members.
The first gold medal of the Games was awarded to 18-year-old Japanese triathlete
Yuka Sato on 15 August 2010. Host nation Singapore's first medal was a bronze in taekwondo
for 17-year-old Daryl Tan. The highest medals that Singapore achieved were silvers by swimmer Rainer Ng on 18 August, and by Isabelle Li in the table tennis singles event
on 23 August. For mixed-NOC events, the first gold medal was awarded to team Europe 1, consisting of Yana Egoryan of Russia
, and Marco Fichera Marco, Camilla Mancini, Leonardo Affede, Alberta Santuccio Alberta and Eduardo Luperi of Italy
, which won the team competition in fencing
.
, Singapore made its first formal bid to host a multi-disciplinary sporting event of such a magnitude in its country. Positive factors in its bid included its high connectivity with the world, its youthfulness as an independent country, and its positive reputation for excellence and multiracial harmony. The city-state rolled out a high-publicity campaign which included being amongst the first to launch its official website, bid logo (despite IOC rules against bid logos) and a bid tagline "Blazing the Trail" on 2007. It also got the local population to support its bid, including an effort by students to collect signatures in support of the Games.
Eleven cities expressed interest in hosting the Games, nine of which ultimately applied. Five cities amongst the nine were selected for the shortlist: Athens
(Greece), Bangkok
(Thailand), Moscow
(Russia), Singapore
, and Turin
(Italy). The list was further shortened to two finalists, Singapore and Moscow. On 2008 in a televised announcement from Lausanne
, Switzerland
, IOC President Jacques Rogge
announced that Singapore had won the right to host the Games.
There were concerns over whether two new venues that had been planned – a Youth Olympic Village and an equestrian complex – would be ready in time for the Games. A construction expert believed the plan for an Olympic Village at the National University of Singapore
(NUS) was feasible, and that the equestrian venue could be delivered on time. In spite of the expert's findings, the Youth Olympic Village at the NUS's University Town did run into difficulties owing to increasing construction costs. It was subsequently decided that existing student halls of residence at Nanyang Technological University
in Jurong West
would be used for the Olympic Village.
(SYOGOC) was tasked with organising the inaugural Games. It was aided by a panel of advisors composed of Cabinet ministers
and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Teo Ser Luck
. In addition, an Inter-Ministry Committee was established with Niam Chiang Meng, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
as its chairman. Singapore also received some international support for the Games preparations. The People's Republic of China, host of the 2008 Summer Olympics
, expressed its desire to assist Singapore in its preparations. Sebastian Coe, Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Summer Olympics
, announced that members of his organising team, including coaches and administrators, planned to attend the event. The Bid Committee secured 4,310 guaranteed rooms in 36 hotels. The official hotel partner for the Games was the Fairmont Singapore.
105 million) with strong government support. The budget was later increased to , thrice the original amount, which the organisers attributed to major revisions in the scope and scale of the Games. Costs were increased for logistics and transport, security, and upgrades of various sports venues and technology. Financially, local companies received about 70%, or , worth of contracts from the Games. Concerns over cost overruns were dismissed by SYOGOC Chairman Ng Ser Miang
. The cost overruns was to become an issue that was raised by opposition parties during Singapore's 2011 General Elections.
Riding Centre), and six temporary venues that will be removed following the Games. Twelve venues were also set aside for training purposes. Certain venues such as the Singapore Indoor Stadium
and The Float@Marina Bay were temporarily converted to host sports events, while Kallang Field
was upgraded to be able to host the archery
competition. The Float@Marina Bay, a floating stage, was the main stadium for the Games. Capable of seating 25,000 spectators, it hosted the opening ceremony on 14 August, was a venue for the cycling
event, and also hosted the closing ceremony held on 26 August 2010.
All competition and non-competition venues were within 30 minutes of the Youth Olympic Village, the Main Media Centre (MMC) and the Olympic Family Hotels (OFH). An Event Transport Operations Centre (ETOC) managed all transport matters relating to the YOG, providing real-time travel information. A shuttle service linked all YOG venues for all accredited persons, who were also entitled to complimentary travel on public buses and the Mass Rapid Transit
system. Youth Olympic Lanes were designated along key routes for faster access to all YOG venues.
The Youth Olympic Village (YOV) of the Games housed over 5,000 athletes and team officials for 18 days from 10 to 2010. Located in Nanyang Technological University
(NTU), the YOV served as accommodation and a preparation point for the Games, and also hosted specially designed cultural and educational activities for athletes. On , it was announced that Parliamentary Secretary and SYOGOC advisor Teo Ser Luck
, former national sprinter Canagasabai Kunalan and former national swimmer Joscelin Yeo
had been appointed as the Village Mayor and Deputy Village Mayors respectively.
The mascots of the Games were Lyo and Merly
, a fire-themed lion and a water-themed female merlion
respectively.
The official theme song of the Games was "Everyone
". It was performed by five singers representing five continents of the world, namely, Jody Williams (Africa), Sean Kingston
(Americas), Tabitha Nauser
(Asia), Steve Appleton
(Europe) and Jessica Mauboy
(Oceania). The executive producer of the song was local music producer Ken Lim
.
The flame was lit at Olympia in Greece on 2010 and travelled to five cities representing the continents Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania
and the Americas
. The relay travelled through the following cities, dubbed the "Celebration Cities":
After spending 13 days on its world tour, the torch relay continued for another six days in Singapore. A portable cauldron at the Marina Bay Promenade was lit by Minister Mentor
Lee Kuan Yew
on at the end of the torch relay in Singapore.
. Approximately 27,000 spectators attended the event, which took place against a backdrop of the city's skyline. Event tickets cost between S$30 and S$200. The show, the largest ever held by the city, involved over 750 hours of rehearsals. Over 7,000 performers, mostly under the age of 18, took part in the ceremony. At the centre of the stage was the 32 metres (35 yd) tall Olympic cauldron designed by Randy Chan as a lighthouse. It was flanked by six giant LED
displays, which stood behind a reflecting pool containing 200 t (7,054,792.4 oz) of water. Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Hsien Loong
was present at the event.
Following pre-show warm-up and a countdown led by children and young drummers, the show began proper at 20:10 hrs (UTC+8)—a reference to the year of the event—with a fireworks show, followed by a cultural segment titled "" that featured Chinese, Malay
and Indian performers. The segment ended with performances by homegrown artistes of Eurasian and Peranakan
heritage, symbolising the mixture of tradition and modernity in Singapore. Audience members were greeted with pre-recorded messages from several Olympic ambassadors: Olympians Usain Bolt
, Michael Phelps
and Yelena Isinbayeva
, members of the band 30 Seconds to Mars
, and actors Jackie Chan
and Jet Li
. The flag of Singapore
entered the stage with the Deyi Military Band
, who had won the Display Band of the Year Award and Best Drum Major of the Year Award in the Singapore Youth Festival
Central Judging Display Band Competition 2010, performing "Five Stars Arising", and the national anthem
while the flag was raised.
During the "Origins" segment on the city's history
, performers entered the stage in freight containers
to depict the arrival of the earliest immigrants. The ceremony continued with a dance performance featuring popular songs from the 1940s to the present era. A segment entitled "Monster" told the story of a young boxer who had to fight a giant monster. He summons his Silat warriors to fight against the monster, but they failed, as well as when he summons his Kalari warriors and Wushu warriors. But soon he overcome his inner fears and deafeat the giant monster. Singer Seah Wei Wen then performed his self-written song "Across The Finish Line" in the centre of the reflecting pool. It was followed by "Playing with Fire", which featured the dragon as a symbol of courage, strength and wisdom. Reflecting the theme of global co-operation, members of the World Youth Orchestra of the Singapore Games performed an orchestral piece featuring various instruments from around the world. The orchestra was led by Darrell Ang, the young associate conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
. The following segment, titled "Bud", depicted rain as a symbol of hope and rejuvenation. Ending the show segment of the ceremony were singers Marcus Lee of Ex-Dee and Lian Kim Selby, performing the song "A New Story", which was commissioned for the event. Their performance was accompanied by a fashion show organized by students from LASALLE College of the Arts.
Each flag of the National Olympic Committees represented was brought on stage by an athlete representative. Following Olympic tradition, the flag of Greece
entered first, and the flag of Singapore
entered last. The flag ceremony was followed by the singing of the Games theme song and remarks by Ng Ser Miang
, Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
, and Jacques Rogge
, President of the International Olympic Committee
. The Singapore Games were then officially declared opened by S.R. Nathan, the President of Singapore
. The Olympic flag was brought on stage by eight Olympians—Tan Howe Liang
, Yelena Isinbayeva
, Yang Yang
, Tan Eng Liang, Frankie Fredericks
, Patricia Chan, Tao Li
and Sergey Bubka—and handed to eight Singaporean youth athletes before it was raised during the singing of the Olympic Hymn. The Olympic Oath
was taken on behalf of all athletes by Caroline Pei Jia Chew, on behalf of all judges by Syed Abdul Kadir, and on behalf of all coaches by David Lim Fong Jock. Finally, a boat in the shape of a phoenix carried the Youth Olympic Flame
across Marina Bay and was passed between six Singaporean youth athletes in a relay. Sailor Darren Choy was the final torchbearer and lit the cauldron.
The 32 metres (105 ft) tall cauldron was designed by Dr. Tsai Her-Mann, a fellow and resident inventor of the Singapore Science Centre
. Designed to look like a lighthouse, its distinctive feature was a swirling 8 m (26.2 ft) column of fire dubbed the "vortex flame" or "fire tornado" inside a tube with an opening at the top end. Hot air that could reach 300 °C (572 °F) created around the flame rose, drawing cool air upwards from openings in the base of the tower. Just below the glass-panelled portion of the tower, the cool air was driven through angled guide vanes, thus creating the spiralling movement travelling upwards at 20 m/s. The cauldron, which had been patented in Singapore and the United States, consumed about 2 MW of fuel, less than half the amount used by conventional Olympic cauldrons. Dr. Tsai said he hoped his design could be used for other Olympic events in future. The cauldron was secretly tested at 4:00 am during the two months leading up to the opening ceremony.
(artistic, rhythmic and trampoline).
Each sport in the Games was represented by a pictogram (different from the ones above) inspired by the official "Spirit of Youth" emblem consisting of a red flame, a blue star and a green crescent, which was depicted participating in each of the 26 sports of the Youth Olympic Games. The sport pictograms had a distinctive, contemporary graphic style that was intended to make them a highly recognisable feature of the Games. (They may be viewed here.)
The first gold medal of the Games was awarded to 18-year-old Japanese triathlete
Yuka Sato, who won the girls' event
on 15 August. Host nation Singapore's first medal was a bronze in taekwondo
for Daryl Tan on 16 August; the best medals achieved by the hosts were silvers by swimmer Rainer Ng in the youth men's 50 metres backstroke on 18 August, and by Isabelle Li in the girls' table tennis singles event
on 23 August.
A unique feature of the YOG was the creation of the mixed-NOCs
team event. To foster friendship among participants, teams were formed by athletes from different countries to compete on an intercontinental basis. Mixed-NOC sports included equestrian-jumping, fencing, judo, modern pentathlon, and triathlon. The first gold medal for a mixed-NOC event was awarded to team Europe 1, consisting of Yana Egoryan of Russia
, and Marco Fichera Marco, Camilla Mancini, Leonardo Affede, Alberta Santuccio Alberta and Eduardo Luperi of Italy
, which won the team competition in fencing
.
Medals won by teams which comprise of athletes from more than one National Olympic Committee
are included in the table as medals awarded to a mixed-NOCs team
. There were eight events which composed entirely of mixed-NOCs teams, and as such all 25 medals in these events, including two bronzes in judo, were swept by mixed-NOCs teams. The remaining medals were won in events which combined mixed-NOCs teams and teams representing one NOC. The mixed-NOCs listing is not given a ranking.
Alongside the mixed-NOCs teams, the top ten ranked NOCs are listed below. Singapore (highlighted), as host nation, is also included in the table.
dancing to a medley of "Fame
" and "Fight for This Love
". Following the arrival of IOC President Jacques Rogge
and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong
, 12-year-old Nathania Ong led the choir and the audience in singing the national anthem of Singapore. In the next segment "Blazing the Trail", 5 young singers performed an upbeat song while students dressed to resemble the "Spirit of Youth", the Singapore 2010 emblem, performed a mass display item. Following the item, the athletes and the flags representing all competing nations made their way onto the floating platform. A short clip showing the highlights of the games was then shown on the LED screens on the stage, accompanied by singer Heleyana-Ann Lachica Fernandez and a trio of musicians performing "A New Story".
The Protocol segment followed the performances. A tribute was made to the 20,000 volunteers who participated in the Games, with Singapore swimmer Rainer Ng making a short speech thanking the volunteers and eight other athletes presenting bouquets to eight representative volunteers. This was then followed by speeches from Ng Ser Miang
, Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
, and Jacques Rogge
, IOC President, with Mr. Rogge officially declaring the Games closed in accordance with tradition. The Olympic flag was then lowered with the singing of the Olympic Anthem. In the handover ceremony, the Olympic flag was handed over from Teo Ser Luck
, acting as the Mayor of Singapore, through Jacques Rogge, to Ji Jianye, Mayor of Nanjing
, China
, the host city of the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
. The national anthem of China was then played with the raising of China's flag, and a short video presentation showcasing Nanjing followed. The Youth Olympic Flame was then finally extinguished to the sounds of a flugelhorn. A Celebration Concert marked the end of the show with songs and performances from local artistes.
was not represented as it was suspended from January 2010 due to alleged government interference. However, three Kuwaiti athletes competed in the Games under the Olympic flag. A list of all the participating NOCs appears below. The number of competitors in each delegation is indicated in parentheses.
To promote cultural education among the participating youths, the YOG programme incorporated live youth performances, art installations and festivals revolving around the Olympics spirit and cultural diversity. A wide range of activities took place, such as hands-on workshops, talks by Olympians, outdoor activities, community projects and exhibition booths, all based on five themes:
Singapore's Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre is located at the SYOGOC headquarters along Kay Siang Road. It was officially opened by the SNOC President Teo Chee Hean
and former pole vaulting champion Sergei Bubka on 30 October 2008. The two-storey, 600 square metres (717.6 sq yd) facility was open to the public for free allow visitors to discover and experience the spirit of the Olympics and trace Singapore's Games journey from winning the bid to host the first YOG in 2010. It featured several sections aimed at educating the public about different sports, as well as the history of Olympic records and the events lined up for the YOG. The public could also try their hand at table tennis, fencing and basketball at interactive sections. It subsequently closed for renovations from 18 August till the end of 2010.
, Facebook
, Twitter
, Wordpress
and the official Youth.sg 2010 discussion forum. The intent was to reach out to youth worldwide so as to strengthen bonds through communication before the event began, and to generate awareness and create excitement. The opening ceremony topped Twitter
's Trending Topics. Contracts were signed with 166 broadcasters to provide worldwide television broadcasts for the Games. These include China Central Television
, which telecast the opening ceremony live and has been screening nine hours of coverage each day on its CCTV-5
sports channel, and the Universal Sports
television network in the United States. Most print media coverage was by Asian newspapers and news agencies such as the China Youth Daily
, Guangzhou Daily
, Nanjing Daily and People's Daily
and the Xinhua News Agency
from China; the Asahi Shimbun
and Yomiuri Shimbun
from Japan; and the China Times
and United Daily News
and the Central News Agency
from Taiwan; though Australian newspapers ran brief news items, results and pictures, and the British press followed events due to interest generated by the forthcoming 2012 Summer Olympics
in London.
was the only person in the IOC critical of the Youth Olympic Games at the IOC's 2007 session in Guatemala. He felt that the IOC should organise an international conference first, instead of taking the risk of founding a large, new event. He also expressed scepticism over whether the Games would encourage more people to take up sports, and estimated that they would attract not more than 2% of the young generation: "All the people involved are minors. They are still doing sports." Pound subsequently waived his trip to attend the Games in Singapore, saying, "It would be hypocritical to spend even more of the IOC's money to come to something in which I do not believe."
claimed in a 16 August 2010 article that ticket sales to events had been "sluggish" despite an expensive government campaign featuring billboards around Singapore to encourage neighbourhoods to celebrate the event, and that there had been reports that children had been "forced" to attend pre-Games events. The latter was denied by organisers, SYOGOC Chairman Ng Ser Miang saying: "[J]ust look at the faces of the children that are there, the sparkle in their eyes and the smiles on their faces. Those are not things you can force."
Members of the public commented that although some events were sold out, there appeared to be many unoccupied seats at venues, and claimed that this was because the Ministry of Education
(MOE) made a block purchase of 87,000 passes to be given to schools. However, students usually did not stay for the full duration of sessions, which can be up to seven hours long. The MOE denied that students were to blame, stating that more than 95% of students allocated tickets had attended events, and that some schools had asked to purchase additional tickets due to overwhelming demand. The SYOGOC announced that once sessions had begun, unoccupied seats would be resold to people who turned up in person at venues. To enable venue managers to gauge the number of seats available for resale, teachers escorting students to events were instructed to inform venue managers if they intended to leave before sessions ended and the number of seats occupied by students. On 20 August, the organisers reported that tickets were sold out for all 26 sports except girls' football.
Controversy also arose from the YOG attendance policy in Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School
, a local primary school. The school stated that a S$5 refundable deposit was required from students who attend the YOG events on a non-school day. The principal, Clifford Chua, said that it was to "ensure that our children learn the value of responsibility and not take this rare opportunity for granted, by wasting the ticket and depriving others of the chance". Also, the deposit was returned even if the child did not attend the event. However, the move garnered mixed reactions from parents, who either supported the idea or felt it was not the right way to do things. Some other schools such as Nanyang Girls High School and Bukit View Primary School gave free tickets to their students while Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
encouraged co-pay of $1 to $2 by the students to teach them to treasure their tickets.
officials withdrew Mohammed Soleimani from the men's under-48-kilogram category taekwondo final against Israel
's Gili Haimovitz, citing an ankle injury. According to the officials, Soleimani had first hurt his ankle at the World Junior Championships in Mexico earlier in the year, and the injury had flared up again during his semifinal contest against the US's Gregory English. Soleimani was sent to hospital for an X-ray, and his ankle was put into a cast. Haimovitz was awarded the gold medal by default at a victory ceremony at the Suntec International Convention Centre from which Soleimani, the silver medallist, was absent. Interviewed later on, Soleimani said he was "very sad" to have missed the bout as he was "sure [he] was going to get the gold medal". Israel's chef-de-mission Daniel Oren claimed that the pullout had been politically motivated. He said: "It's not the first time this has happened at the Olympics. But this is a first for a medal match. To be honest, once our boy got into the final, we knew that this is going to happen. I spoke to our boy after the final and he, of course, was disappointed that he did not have a chance to win his gold through an actual fight. I feel more sorry for the Iranian boy. He must have trained hard to get to this stage and was not given a chance to fight. We are dealing with sports here, youth sports, in fact. It's a pity that politics got involved." However, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: "As far as the IOC is concerned, there is no sinister intent here. What we know factually is that the athlete injured his ankle and was sent to the hospital for an X-ray. Tests revealed he did not suffer anything broken, and he is all right now. So unless more factual information is available, it [the controversy] is mere speculation." This was reiterated by IOC President Jacques Rogge on 17 August: "He [Soleimani] was driven to the hospital, was examined by a Singaporean doctor, totally independent, not belonging to the organisation and he diagnosed an ankle sprain. For us, that's the end of the story." Previously, Iran has stated that since it does not recognize Israel as a state, its policy is to withdraw from competing against the country.
beat Haiti
5–0 to take the gold medal in the finals of the boys' football tournament
on 25 August 2010. Bolivian Deputy Sports Minister Miguel Angel Rimba ordered an investigation into the claim.
Montenegro
coach Sava Kovačević, whose team was knocked out by Bolivia in the semifinals, said that Montenegro would ask football governing body FIFA
to look into the matter. However, FIFA announced they would not be doing so as complaints concerning the eligibility of players should have been submitted in writing to FIFA's headquarters in Singapore at the Youth Olympic Games no later than five days before the first match, that is, by 8 August. FIFA also said that its staff had met all footballers individually at the Olympic Village and had checked their passports against their dates of birth provided by their respective National Olympic Committees.
of Uzbekistan and 63 kg freestyle wrestler Johnny Pilay of Ecuador, were disqualified on 15 October after testing positive for the banned diuretic furosemide
.
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
from 14 to 26 August 2010, in the XXIX Olympiad
Olympiad
An Olympiad is a period of four years, associated with the Olympic Games of Classical Greece. In the Hellenistic period, beginning with Ephorus, Olympiads were used as calendar epoch....
. They were the inaugural Summer Youth Olympics
Youth Olympic Games
The Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event first held in Singapore from August 14 to August 26, 2010. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format. The age limitation of the athletes is between 14 to 18...
, a major sports and cultural festival celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
. A total of 3,531 athletes between 14 and 18 years of age from 204 National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
s (NOCs) competed in 201 events in 26 sports. The decision for Singapore to host the Games was announced on 2008 after mail voting by 105 International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) members.
The first gold medal of the Games was awarded to 18-year-old Japanese triathlete
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
Yuka Sato on 15 August 2010. Host nation Singapore's first medal was a bronze in taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
for 17-year-old Daryl Tan. The highest medals that Singapore achieved were silvers by swimmer Rainer Ng on 18 August, and by Isabelle Li in the table tennis singles event
Table tennis at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The table tennis competition at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics took place in Singapore Indoor Stadium between 21–26 August, with training hall set in National University of Singapore ....
on 23 August. For mixed-NOC events, the first gold medal was awarded to team Europe 1, consisting of Yana Egoryan of Russia
Russia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Russia participated in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. The Russian team consisted of 96 athletes competing in 20 sports: aquatics , archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, fencing, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, table tennis,...
, and Marco Fichera Marco, Camilla Mancini, Leonardo Affede, Alberta Santuccio Alberta and Eduardo Luperi of Italy
Italy at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Italy competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 August to 26 August 2010.-Medalists:- Archery:BoysGirlsMixed Team- Athletics:-Boys:Track and Road Events...
, which won the team competition in fencing
Fencing at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Fencing competitions at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore consisted of three Cadet Male individual events, three Cadet Female individual events and one team event including both genders and all 3 weapons: épée, foil and saber. 78 fencers from 36 nations were competing...
.
Bid
Host of the 117th IOC Session117th IOC Session
The 117th International Olympic Committee Session was held for the first time in Singapore from 2 July to 9 July 2005. The meeting was particularly significant as two important decisions were made through voting during the session - namely the selection of the hosting city for the 2012 Summer...
, Singapore made its first formal bid to host a multi-disciplinary sporting event of such a magnitude in its country. Positive factors in its bid included its high connectivity with the world, its youthfulness as an independent country, and its positive reputation for excellence and multiracial harmony. The city-state rolled out a high-publicity campaign which included being amongst the first to launch its official website, bid logo (despite IOC rules against bid logos) and a bid tagline "Blazing the Trail" on 2007. It also got the local population to support its bid, including an effort by students to collect signatures in support of the Games.
| City | NOC name | Postal votes |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... |
53 | |
| Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... |
44 |
Eleven cities expressed interest in hosting the Games, nine of which ultimately applied. Five cities amongst the nine were selected for the shortlist: Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
(Greece), Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
(Thailand), Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
(Russia), Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
(Italy). The list was further shortened to two finalists, Singapore and Moscow. On 2008 in a televised announcement from Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, IOC President Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
announced that Singapore had won the right to host the Games.
There were concerns over whether two new venues that had been planned – a Youth Olympic Village and an equestrian complex – would be ready in time for the Games. A construction expert believed the plan for an Olympic Village at the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
(NUS) was feasible, and that the equestrian venue could be delivered on time. In spite of the expert's findings, the Youth Olympic Village at the NUS's University Town did run into difficulties owing to increasing construction costs. It was subsequently decided that existing student halls of residence at Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
in Jurong West
Jurong West
Jurong West is a neighbourhood in Singapore, bounded by the Pan Island Expressway, the eastern edge of Jurong Camp, Boon Lay Way, Corporation Road, Fourth Chin Bee Road, International Road, Corporation Road, Ayer Rajah Expressway, Yuan Ching Road, Boon Lay Way, and along a Canal leading into Jurong...
would be used for the Olympic Village.
Organisation
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising CommitteeSingapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee is the organisation in charge of organising the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games. A selection process to determine the members of the games' organising committee commenced soon after the bid result announcement...
(SYOGOC) was tasked with organising the inaugural Games. It was aided by a panel of advisors composed of Cabinet ministers
Cabinet of Singapore
The Cabinet of Singapore forms the Government of Singapore together with the President of Singapore. It is led by the Prime Minister of Singapore who is the head of government...
and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Teo Ser Luck
Teo Ser Luck
Teo Ser Luck is currently Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry , as well as the Mayor of North East Community Development Council...
. In addition, an Inter-Ministry Committee was established with Niam Chiang Meng, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports is a ministry of the Government of Singapore tasked with, from the government's point of view, building a "cohesive and resilient" society in Singapore.The MCYS often pursues vigorous social engineering campaigns of varying effectiveness and...
as its chairman. Singapore also received some international support for the Games preparations. The People's Republic of China, host of the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, expressed its desire to assist Singapore in its preparations. Sebastian Coe, Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, announced that members of his organising team, including coaches and administrators, planned to attend the event. The Bid Committee secured 4,310 guaranteed rooms in 36 hotels. The official hotel partner for the Games was the Fairmont Singapore.
Costs
The IOC initially projected in 2007 the Youth Olympic Games would cost US$30 million to stage. Singapore won its bid in 2008 with a budget of US$75.5 million (S$Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
105 million) with strong government support. The budget was later increased to , thrice the original amount, which the organisers attributed to major revisions in the scope and scale of the Games. Costs were increased for logistics and transport, security, and upgrades of various sports venues and technology. Financially, local companies received about 70%, or , worth of contracts from the Games. Concerns over cost overruns were dismissed by SYOGOC Chairman Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang is a sportsman, diplomat and businessman from Singapore.The former sailor has won a silver medal in the South-east Asian Peninsular Games, and is currently the patron of the Singapore Sailing Federation. He is a vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council and a member of...
. The cost overruns was to become an issue that was raised by opposition parties during Singapore's 2011 General Elections.
Venues
Eighteen competition venues were used at the Games. Events took place at 11 pre-existing venues, one new venue (the Singapore Turf ClubSingapore Turf Club
The Singapore Turf Club was founded in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club to operate the Serangoon Road Race Course at Farrer Park.It is today the only horse-racing club in Singapore and is part of the Malayan Racing Association, which also regulates the three Turf Clubs in Malaysia, the Selangor...
Riding Centre), and six temporary venues that will be removed following the Games. Twelve venues were also set aside for training purposes. Certain venues such as the Singapore Indoor Stadium
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Singapore Indoor Stadium is an indoor sports arena, located in Kallang, Singapore.It was completed in 1989 and was officially opened by the, then, prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, on 31 December 1989. The building was built at a cost of S$ 90 million...
and The Float@Marina Bay were temporarily converted to host sports events, while Kallang Field
Kallang Field
Kallang Field is located in the Kallang Sport Complex, near the location of the Singapore Indoor Stadium and the old National Stadium, as well as the new Singapore Sports Hub.-History:...
was upgraded to be able to host the archery
Archery at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Archery at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics was held over a three day period from August 19 to August 21. The events took place at the Kallang Field in Singapore.-Qualification:...
competition. The Float@Marina Bay, a floating stage, was the main stadium for the Games. Capable of seating 25,000 spectators, it hosted the opening ceremony on 14 August, was a venue for the cycling
Cycling at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Cycling at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics was contested in Singapore from 17 through 22 August 2010. There was one event held, a combined mixed-gender team event with sub-events in the disciplines of Bicycle Motocross , road cycling and mountain biking...
event, and also hosted the closing ceremony held on 26 August 2010.
All competition and non-competition venues were within 30 minutes of the Youth Olympic Village, the Main Media Centre (MMC) and the Olympic Family Hotels (OFH). An Event Transport Operations Centre (ETOC) managed all transport matters relating to the YOG, providing real-time travel information. A shuttle service linked all YOG venues for all accredited persons, who were also entitled to complimentary travel on public buses and the Mass Rapid Transit
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...
system. Youth Olympic Lanes were designated along key routes for faster access to all YOG venues.
The Youth Olympic Village (YOV) of the Games housed over 5,000 athletes and team officials for 18 days from 10 to 2010. Located in Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
(NTU), the YOV served as accommodation and a preparation point for the Games, and also hosted specially designed cultural and educational activities for athletes. On , it was announced that Parliamentary Secretary and SYOGOC advisor Teo Ser Luck
Teo Ser Luck
Teo Ser Luck is currently Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry , as well as the Mayor of North East Community Development Council...
, former national sprinter Canagasabai Kunalan and former national swimmer Joscelin Yeo
Joscelin Yeo
Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling is a Nominated Member of Parliament and a former competitive swimmer from Singapore. Yeo won 40 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games, as well as represented the Republic in the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Summer Olympics...
had been appointed as the Village Mayor and Deputy Village Mayors respectively.
Marketing
The SYOGOC launched an international emblem design competition on 2008 through 2008 through its official website, requiring that the emblem incorporate the three themes of the Singapore identity, the Olympic ideals, and a youthful spirit. The emblem competition for the Games attracted 1,500 participants, and the winning design entitled "Spirit of Youth" was unveiled on 2010. A contest to choose the official medal design for the first Youth Olympics was launched by the IOC in 2009. From November to December almost a hundred entries from 34 countries were received. Online voting ended on 2010.The mascots of the Games were Lyo and Merly
Lyo and Merly
Lyo and Merly were the official mascots of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore. The duo is made up of a red male lion and a blue female Merlion, and was officially introduced by Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan on 21 November 2009 at Suntec...
, a fire-themed lion and a water-themed female merlion
Merlion
The Merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore. Its name combines "mer" meaning the sea and "lion". The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese...
respectively.
The official theme song of the Games was "Everyone
Everyone (Olympics song)
"Everyone" is the official theme song of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010. The song was sung by five artistes, namely Sean Kingston, Tabitha Nauser, Jody Williams, Steve Appleton, and Jessica Mauboy, each representing one of the five continents of the world...
". It was performed by five singers representing five continents of the world, namely, Jody Williams (Africa), Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
(Americas), Tabitha Nauser
Tabitha Nauser
Tabitha Nauser is a Singaporean Pop/R&B singer and artiste who was the second runner-up in the 2009 season of Singapore Idol . In 2010, she was selected to represent the continent of Asia to sing the Official Theme Song of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Everyone...
(Asia), Steve Appleton
Steve Appleton (musician)
Steve Appleton is a British singer, songwriter and record producer.At the age of fifteen, he began playing piano in a Soho restaurant performing his own material and covers from the likes of Elton John and Billy Joel...
(Europe) and Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy , is an Indigenous Australian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs to pursue a recording career...
(Oceania). The executive producer of the song was local music producer Ken Lim
Ken Lim
Ken Lim is an album producer, composer, publisher, artist manager and concert promoter from Singapore who came under the spotlight in 2004 as a chief judge of the Singapore Idol series...
.
Torch relay
Plans for the Youth Olympic torch relay, dubbed the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame (JYOF), were unveiled on 2010. The torch used was 60 cm (23.6 in) high, 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3.1 in) wide, and weighed 0.74 kg (1.6 lb).The flame was lit at Olympia in Greece on 2010 and travelled to five cities representing the continents Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
and the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. The relay travelled through the following cities, dubbed the "Celebration Cities":
- BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
- Mexico CityMexico CityMexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
- SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
After spending 13 days on its world tour, the torch relay continued for another six days in Singapore. A portable cauldron at the Marina Bay Promenade was lit by Minister Mentor
Minister Mentor
Minister Mentor is a Singapore cabinet position created in 2004 as part of a leadership transition.The newly appointed Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong , announced Lee Kuan Yew's new title together with the naming of his Cabinet on August 12, 2004...
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
on at the end of the torch relay in Singapore.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Games was held on at The Float@Marina Bay, a floating stage near downtown SingaporeDowntown Core
The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...
. Approximately 27,000 spectators attended the event, which took place against a backdrop of the city's skyline. Event tickets cost between S$30 and S$200. The show, the largest ever held by the city, involved over 750 hours of rehearsals. Over 7,000 performers, mostly under the age of 18, took part in the ceremony. At the centre of the stage was the 32 metres (35 yd) tall Olympic cauldron designed by Randy Chan as a lighthouse. It was flanked by six giant LED
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
displays, which stood behind a reflecting pool containing 200 t (7,054,792.4 oz) of water. Prime Minister of Singapore
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
was present at the event.
Following pre-show warm-up and a countdown led by children and young drummers, the show began proper at 20:10 hrs (UTC+8)—a reference to the year of the event—with a fireworks show, followed by a cultural segment titled "" that featured Chinese, Malay
Malays in Singapore
Malays in Singapore are defined by the Singaporean government using the broader and antiquated "Malay race" concept, rather than modern-day Malay ethnic group. Although Malays have inhabited the area that is now Singapore since the 17th century, most of the Malays in Singapore today are immigrants...
and Indian performers. The segment ended with performances by homegrown artistes of Eurasian and Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
heritage, symbolising the mixture of tradition and modernity in Singapore. Audience members were greeted with pre-recorded messages from several Olympic ambassadors: Olympians Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
The Honourable Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a five-time World and three-time Olympic gold medalist. He is the world record and Olympic record holder in the 100 metres, the 200 metres and the 4×100 metres relay...
, Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions...
and Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event...
, members of the band 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, and actors Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
. The flag of Singapore
Flag of Singapore
The national flag of Singapore was first adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It was reconfirmed as the national flag when the Republic gained independence on 9 August 1965...
entered the stage with the Deyi Military Band
Deyi Secondary School
Deyi Secondary School is a government mixed secondary school located in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. Founded in 1980 with 633 students, Deyi Secondary is remarked for its Niche Development in Performing Arts. An Aesthetics Development Programme forms part of the niche development, which resulted the...
, who had won the Display Band of the Year Award and Best Drum Major of the Year Award in the Singapore Youth Festival
Singapore Youth Festival
The Singapore Youth Festival is an annual event in Singapore organised by the Ministry of Education to celebrate the achievements of youths in co-curricular activities...
Central Judging Display Band Competition 2010, performing "Five Stars Arising", and the national anthem
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura is the national anthem of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the island's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, Majulah Singapura...
while the flag was raised.
During the "Origins" segment on the city's history
History of Singapore
The history of Singapore dates to the 11th century. The island rose in importance during the 14th century under the rule of Srivijayan prince Parameswara and became an important port until it was destroyed by Acehnese raiders in 1613. The modern history of Singapore began in 1819 when Englishman...
, performers entered the stage in freight containers
Intermodal container
An intermodal container is a standardized reusable steel box used for the safe, efficient and secure storage and movement of materials and products within a global containerized intermodal freight transport system...
to depict the arrival of the earliest immigrants. The ceremony continued with a dance performance featuring popular songs from the 1940s to the present era. A segment entitled "Monster" told the story of a young boxer who had to fight a giant monster. He summons his Silat warriors to fight against the monster, but they failed, as well as when he summons his Kalari warriors and Wushu warriors. But soon he overcome his inner fears and deafeat the giant monster. Singer Seah Wei Wen then performed his self-written song "Across The Finish Line" in the centre of the reflecting pool. It was followed by "Playing with Fire", which featured the dragon as a symbol of courage, strength and wisdom. Reflecting the theme of global co-operation, members of the World Youth Orchestra of the Singapore Games performed an orchestral piece featuring various instruments from around the world. The orchestra was led by Darrell Ang, the young associate conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra is a 96 members professional symphony orchestra. Its main performing venue is the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore although it has also toured widely in Asia, Europe and the United States...
. The following segment, titled "Bud", depicted rain as a symbol of hope and rejuvenation. Ending the show segment of the ceremony were singers Marcus Lee of Ex-Dee and Lian Kim Selby, performing the song "A New Story", which was commissioned for the event. Their performance was accompanied by a fashion show organized by students from LASALLE College of the Arts.
Each flag of the National Olympic Committees represented was brought on stage by an athlete representative. Following Olympic tradition, the flag of Greece
Greece at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Greece will be participating in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore.The Greek team will consist of 28 athletes competing in 9 sports: Archery, Athletics, Basketball, Boxing, Gymnastics, Judo, Rowing, Sailing and Swimming-Medalists:- Archery:...
entered first, and the flag of Singapore
Singapore at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Singapore is the host of the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. It will participate in all 26 sports, with a total of 129 athletes representing the nation.-Medalists:Medals awarded to participants of mixed-NOC teams are represented in italics...
entered last. The flag ceremony was followed by the singing of the Games theme song and remarks by Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang is a sportsman, diplomat and businessman from Singapore.The former sailor has won a silver medal in the South-east Asian Peninsular Games, and is currently the patron of the Singapore Sailing Federation. He is a vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council and a member of...
, Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee is the organisation in charge of organising the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games. A selection process to determine the members of the games' organising committee commenced soon after the bid result announcement...
, and Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, President of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
. The Singapore Games were then officially declared opened by S.R. Nathan, the President of Singapore
President of Singapore
The President of the Republic of Singapore is Singapore's head of state. In a Westminster parliamentary system, as which Singapore governs itself, the prime minister is the head of the government while the position of president is largely ceremonial. Before 1993, the President of Singapore was...
. The Olympic flag was brought on stage by eight Olympians—Tan Howe Liang
Tan Howe Liang
Tan Howe Liang is a weightlifter from Singapore who earned himself a place in history as the first Singaporean to win an Olympic Games medal. He did this in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where he won the silver medal in the lightweight category...
, Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Isinbayeva
Yelena Gadzhievna Isinbayeva is a Russian pole vaulter. She is twice an Olympic gold medalist , five-times a World Champion, and the current world record holder in the event...
, Yang Yang
Yang Yang (A)
Yang Yang is a former Chinese short track speed skater and current IOC member. She is a two-time Olympic Champion from 2002 Winter Olympics and a five-time Overall World Champion for 1998-2002. She was formerly a member of the Chinese national short track team...
, Tan Eng Liang, Frankie Fredericks
Frankie Fredericks
Frank Fredericks is a former athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games , making him Namibia's first and so far only Olympic medalist...
, Patricia Chan, Tao Li
Tao Li
Tao Li is a China-born Singaporean competitive swimmer specializing in the backstroke and butterfly stroke.A Singapore Sports School student, Tao has represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games and holds several national records...
and Sergey Bubka—and handed to eight Singaporean youth athletes before it was raised during the singing of the Olympic Hymn. The Olympic Oath
Olympic Oath
The Olympic Oath is a solemn promise made by one athlete -- as a representative of each of the participating Olympic competitors; and by one judge -- as a representative of each officiating Olympic referee or other official, at the opening ceremonies of each Olympic Games...
was taken on behalf of all athletes by Caroline Pei Jia Chew, on behalf of all judges by Syed Abdul Kadir, and on behalf of all coaches by David Lim Fong Jock. Finally, a boat in the shape of a phoenix carried the Youth Olympic Flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
across Marina Bay and was passed between six Singaporean youth athletes in a relay. Sailor Darren Choy was the final torchbearer and lit the cauldron.
The 32 metres (105 ft) tall cauldron was designed by Dr. Tsai Her-Mann, a fellow and resident inventor of the Singapore Science Centre
Singapore Science Centre
The Science Centre Singapore , previously known as Singapore Science Centre is a scientific institution in Jurong East, Singapore, specialising in the promotion of scientific and technological education for the general public...
. Designed to look like a lighthouse, its distinctive feature was a swirling 8 m (26.2 ft) column of fire dubbed the "vortex flame" or "fire tornado" inside a tube with an opening at the top end. Hot air that could reach 300 °C (572 °F) created around the flame rose, drawing cool air upwards from openings in the base of the tower. Just below the glass-panelled portion of the tower, the cool air was driven through angled guide vanes, thus creating the spiralling movement travelling upwards at 20 m/s. The cauldron, which had been patented in Singapore and the United States, consumed about 2 MW of fuel, less than half the amount used by conventional Olympic cauldrons. Dr. Tsai said he hoped his design could be used for other Olympic events in future. The cauldron was secretly tested at 4:00 am during the two months leading up to the opening ceremony.
Sports
The Games featured 26 sports with a total of 31 disciplines. These included two disciplines under the IOC classification of aquatics (diving and swimming), and three under gymnasticsGymnastics at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The Gymnastics competition of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore took place at the Bishan Sports Hall. There were events in Artistic, Rhythmic and Trampoline Gymnastics.-Artistic Gymnastics:-Rhythmic Gymnastics:-Trampoline Gymnastics:...
(artistic, rhythmic and trampoline).
- Aquatics
Each sport in the Games was represented by a pictogram (different from the ones above) inspired by the official "Spirit of Youth" emblem consisting of a red flame, a blue star and a green crescent, which was depicted participating in each of the 26 sports of the Youth Olympic Games. The sport pictograms had a distinctive, contemporary graphic style that was intended to make them a highly recognisable feature of the Games. (They may be viewed here.)
The first gold medal of the Games was awarded to 18-year-old Japanese triathlete
Triathlon
A triathlon is a multi-sport event involving the completion of three continuous and sequential endurance events. While many variations of the sport exist, triathlon, in its most popular form, involves swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances...
Yuka Sato, who won the girls' event
Triathlon at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics – Girls'
Girls' triathlon was part of the triathlon at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics programme. The event consisted of swimming, cycling, and running. It was held on 15 August 2010 at East Coast Park. The park is Singapore's most popular public beach and park; it is the venue of the Osim Singapore...
on 15 August. Host nation Singapore's first medal was a bronze in taekwondo
Taekwondo at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Taekwondo at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics took place August 15–19 at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore.-Competition schedule:-Medal table:-Boys' events:-Girls' events:-References:*...
for Daryl Tan on 16 August; the best medals achieved by the hosts were silvers by swimmer Rainer Ng in the youth men's 50 metres backstroke on 18 August, and by Isabelle Li in the girls' table tennis singles event
Table tennis at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
The table tennis competition at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics took place in Singapore Indoor Stadium between 21–26 August, with training hall set in National University of Singapore ....
on 23 August.
A unique feature of the YOG was the creation of the mixed-NOCs
Mixed-NOCs participation at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Teams made up of athletes representing different National Olympic Committees , called mixed-NOCs teams, participated in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. These teams participated in either events composed entirely of mixed-NOCs teams, or in events which saw the participation of mixed-NOCs teams and...
team event. To foster friendship among participants, teams were formed by athletes from different countries to compete on an intercontinental basis. Mixed-NOC sports included equestrian-jumping, fencing, judo, modern pentathlon, and triathlon. The first gold medal for a mixed-NOC event was awarded to team Europe 1, consisting of Yana Egoryan of Russia
Russia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Russia participated in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. The Russian team consisted of 96 athletes competing in 20 sports: aquatics , archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, canoeing, fencing, gymnastics, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, table tennis,...
, and Marco Fichera Marco, Camilla Mancini, Leonardo Affede, Alberta Santuccio Alberta and Eduardo Luperi of Italy
Italy at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Italy competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 August to 26 August 2010.-Medalists:- Archery:BoysGirlsMixed Team- Athletics:-Boys:Track and Road Events...
, which won the team competition in fencing
Fencing at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Fencing competitions at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore consisted of three Cadet Male individual events, three Cadet Female individual events and one team event including both genders and all 3 weapons: épée, foil and saber. 78 fencers from 36 nations were competing...
.
Medal table
The SYOGOC did not keep an official medal tally. The ranking in this table is based on information provided by the IOC and is consistent with IOC convention in its published medal tables. For the full medal table, refer to the main article.Medals won by teams which comprise of athletes from more than one National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
are included in the table as medals awarded to a mixed-NOCs team
Mixed-NOCs participation at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Teams made up of athletes representing different National Olympic Committees , called mixed-NOCs teams, participated in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. These teams participated in either events composed entirely of mixed-NOCs teams, or in events which saw the participation of mixed-NOCs teams and...
. There were eight events which composed entirely of mixed-NOCs teams, and as such all 25 medals in these events, including two bronzes in judo, were swept by mixed-NOCs teams. The remaining medals were won in events which combined mixed-NOCs teams and teams representing one NOC. The mixed-NOCs listing is not given a ranking.
Alongside the mixed-NOCs teams, the top ten ranked NOCs are listed below. Singapore (highlighted), as host nation, is also included in the table.
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony of the Games was held on 26 August at The Float@Marina Bay. The show began proper at 8pm Singapore time with youths, cheerleaders and the YOG mascots Lyo and MerlyLyo and Merly
Lyo and Merly were the official mascots of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore. The duo is made up of a red male lion and a blue female Merlion, and was officially introduced by Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan on 21 November 2009 at Suntec...
dancing to a medley of "Fame
Fame (Irene Cara song)
"Fame" is a pop song, written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford that was released in 1980, and achieved chart success as the theme song to the Fame film and TV series. The song was performed by Irene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original movie...
" and "Fight for This Love
Fight for This Love
"Fight for This Love" is a song by British recording artist Cheryl Cole, taken from her debut studio album, 3 Words. Initially, the song was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on 16 October 2009 by Fascination Records however, in 2010 it was also released in Europe as the...
". Following the arrival of IOC President Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
, 12-year-old Nathania Ong led the choir and the audience in singing the national anthem of Singapore. In the next segment "Blazing the Trail", 5 young singers performed an upbeat song while students dressed to resemble the "Spirit of Youth", the Singapore 2010 emblem, performed a mass display item. Following the item, the athletes and the flags representing all competing nations made their way onto the floating platform. A short clip showing the highlights of the games was then shown on the LED screens on the stage, accompanied by singer Heleyana-Ann Lachica Fernandez and a trio of musicians performing "A New Story".
The Protocol segment followed the performances. A tribute was made to the 20,000 volunteers who participated in the Games, with Singapore swimmer Rainer Ng making a short speech thanking the volunteers and eight other athletes presenting bouquets to eight representative volunteers. This was then followed by speeches from Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang is a sportsman, diplomat and businessman from Singapore.The former sailor has won a silver medal in the South-east Asian Peninsular Games, and is currently the patron of the Singapore Sailing Federation. He is a vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council and a member of...
, Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee is the organisation in charge of organising the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games. A selection process to determine the members of the games' organising committee commenced soon after the bid result announcement...
, and Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
, IOC President, with Mr. Rogge officially declaring the Games closed in accordance with tradition. The Olympic flag was then lowered with the singing of the Olympic Anthem. In the handover ceremony, the Olympic flag was handed over from Teo Ser Luck
Teo Ser Luck
Teo Ser Luck is currently Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry , as well as the Mayor of North East Community Development Council...
, acting as the Mayor of Singapore, through Jacques Rogge, to Ji Jianye, Mayor of Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the host city of the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
2014 Summer Youth Olympics
The 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games is the second of the Summer Youth Olympics, a major international sports and cultural festival to be celebrated in the tradition of the Summer Olympic Games from 16 to 28 August 2014, during the XXX Olympiad...
. The national anthem of China was then played with the raising of China's flag, and a short video presentation showcasing Nanjing followed. The Youth Olympic Flame was then finally extinguished to the sounds of a flugelhorn. A Celebration Concert marked the end of the show with songs and performances from local artistes.
Participation
In accordance with IOC guidelines, only youths aged between 14 and 18 years participated in the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. Unlike the Olympic Games, the youth athletes taking part in the YOG were expected to stay in the host city throughout the Games to take part in an integrated sport and culture and education programme (CEP). The qualifications for participation in the Games differed by sport, and were determined by the NOCs and international sports federations.National Olympic Committees
Two hundred and four out of all 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that existed as of 2010 competed in the Games. The Kuwait Olympic CommitteeKuwait Olympic Committee
Kuwait Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee representing Kuwait. The International Olympic Committee imposed a suspension on the committee with effect from 1 January 2010 due to alleged interference from the government...
was not represented as it was suspended from January 2010 due to alleged government interference. However, three Kuwaiti athletes competed in the Games under the Olympic flag. A list of all the participating NOCs appears below. The number of competitors in each delegation is indicated in parentheses.
Culture and Education Programme
The IOC set a vision for the YOG to be an event comprising a balance of sports, culture and education. The objective of the Culture and Education Programme (CEP) that athletes participated in was to educate, engage and influence the athletes to develop true sportsmanship and to live by the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship, while having fun at the same time.To promote cultural education among the participating youths, the YOG programme incorporated live youth performances, art installations and festivals revolving around the Olympics spirit and cultural diversity. A wide range of activities took place, such as hands-on workshops, talks by Olympians, outdoor activities, community projects and exhibition booths, all based on five themes:
- Olympism – the origins, philosophy, structure and evolution of the modern Olympics.
- Skills development – the different aspects of a professional athletic career, such as personal development, career options and management of transitions in life.
- Well-being and healthy lifestyle – healthy eating, stress management and risks in sport such as doping.
- Social responsibility – being a responsible global citizen by caring for the environment and promoting sustainable development and community relations.
- Expression – interacting with and learning from fellow athletes through digital media and evening festivals at the Youth Olympic Village.
Singapore's Youth Olympic Games Learning Centre is located at the SYOGOC headquarters along Kay Siang Road. It was officially opened by the SNOC President Teo Chee Hean
Teo Chee Hean
Teo Chee Hean is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Home Affairs and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, and a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group...
and former pole vaulting champion Sergei Bubka on 30 October 2008. The two-storey, 600 square metres (717.6 sq yd) facility was open to the public for free allow visitors to discover and experience the spirit of the Olympics and trace Singapore's Games journey from winning the bid to host the first YOG in 2010. It featured several sections aimed at educating the public about different sports, as well as the history of Olympic records and the events lined up for the YOG. The public could also try their hand at table tennis, fencing and basketball at interactive sections. It subsequently closed for renovations from 18 August till the end of 2010.
Media coverage
The Games organisers used online media to market the event, including FriendsterFriendster
Friendster is a social gaming site that is based in Malaysia, KL. The company now operates mainly from the three Asian countries namely in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore....
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, Wordpress
WordPress
WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and publishing platform powered by PHP and MySQL. It is often customized into a content management system . It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system. WordPress is used by over 14.7% of Alexa Internet's "top 1...
and the official Youth.sg 2010 discussion forum. The intent was to reach out to youth worldwide so as to strengthen bonds through communication before the event began, and to generate awareness and create excitement. The opening ceremony topped Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
's Trending Topics. Contracts were signed with 166 broadcasters to provide worldwide television broadcasts for the Games. These include China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
, which telecast the opening ceremony live and has been screening nine hours of coverage each day on its CCTV-5
CCTV-5
CCTV-5 , also known as the Sports Channel, part of the China Central Television family of networks, is the main sports broadcaster in the People's Republic of China. CCTV-5 began broadcasting on 1 January 1995...
sports channel, and the Universal Sports
Universal Sports
Universal Sports is an American television network that airs various sports, primarily those contested in the Olympic Games, including swimming, gymnastics, cycling, track and field, figure skating, skiing, bobsledding and triathlon.-Programming:...
television network in the United States. Most print media coverage was by Asian newspapers and news agencies such as the China Youth Daily
China Youth Daily
The China Youth Daily is the official newspaper of Communist Youth League of China , and is a popular official daily newspaper and the first independently operated central government news media portal in the People's Republic of China.In 1980s it was regarded as the best newspaper in mainland...
, Guangzhou Daily
Guangzhou Daily
Guangzhou Ribao is the official newspaper of the Guangzhou municipal party committee published by the Guangzhou Daily Newspaper Group. The daily newspaper was established on October 1, 1952....
, Nanjing Daily and People's Daily
People's Daily
The People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
and the Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency
The Xinhua News Agency is the official press agency of the government of the People's Republic of China and the biggest center for collecting information and press conferences in the PRC. It is the largest news agency in the PRC, ahead of the China News Service...
from China; the Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
and Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
from Japan; and the China Times
China Times
The China Times is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in Traditional Chinese. It is one of the four biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other three being the Liberty Times, United Daily News, and Apple Daily ....
and United Daily News
United Daily News
The United Daily News is a newspaper published in the Republic of China in both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. It is one of the three biggest newspapers in Taiwan, the other two being the China Times and the Liberty Times.-History:...
and the Central News Agency
Central News Agency (Republic of China)
The Central News Agency is the state news agency of the Republic of China. It was founded in Guangzhou, China on April 1, 1924 and was relocated to Taipei, Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War when the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan....
from Taiwan; though Australian newspapers ran brief news items, results and pictures, and the British press followed events due to interest generated by the forthcoming 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London.
Dispute over concept of Youth Olympics Games
Former IOC Vice-President Dick PoundDick Pound
Richard William Duncan Pound, is a Canadian lawyer, partner of the law firm Stikeman Elliott, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency based in Montreal, and former chancellor of McGill University...
was the only person in the IOC critical of the Youth Olympic Games at the IOC's 2007 session in Guatemala. He felt that the IOC should organise an international conference first, instead of taking the risk of founding a large, new event. He also expressed scepticism over whether the Games would encourage more people to take up sports, and estimated that they would attract not more than 2% of the young generation: "All the people involved are minors. They are still doing sports." Pound subsequently waived his trip to attend the Games in Singapore, saying, "It would be hypocritical to spend even more of the IOC's money to come to something in which I do not believe."
Attendance
The International Herald TribuneInternational Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
claimed in a 16 August 2010 article that ticket sales to events had been "sluggish" despite an expensive government campaign featuring billboards around Singapore to encourage neighbourhoods to celebrate the event, and that there had been reports that children had been "forced" to attend pre-Games events. The latter was denied by organisers, SYOGOC Chairman Ng Ser Miang saying: "[J]ust look at the faces of the children that are there, the sparkle in their eyes and the smiles on their faces. Those are not things you can force."
Members of the public commented that although some events were sold out, there appeared to be many unoccupied seats at venues, and claimed that this was because the Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Singapore)
The Ministry Of Education is a ministry of the Government of Singapore that directs the formulation and implementation of policies related to education in Singapore.-Statutory boards:...
(MOE) made a block purchase of 87,000 passes to be given to schools. However, students usually did not stay for the full duration of sessions, which can be up to seven hours long. The MOE denied that students were to blame, stating that more than 95% of students allocated tickets had attended events, and that some schools had asked to purchase additional tickets due to overwhelming demand. The SYOGOC announced that once sessions had begun, unoccupied seats would be resold to people who turned up in person at venues. To enable venue managers to gauge the number of seats available for resale, teachers escorting students to events were instructed to inform venue managers if they intended to leave before sessions ended and the number of seats occupied by students. On 20 August, the organisers reported that tickets were sold out for all 26 sports except girls' football.
Controversy also arose from the YOG attendance policy in Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School
Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School
Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Primary School is a government-aided co-educational primary school in Bishan, Singapore. Students here are known as 'KCPians'...
, a local primary school. The school stated that a S$5 refundable deposit was required from students who attend the YOG events on a non-school day. The principal, Clifford Chua, said that it was to "ensure that our children learn the value of responsibility and not take this rare opportunity for granted, by wasting the ticket and depriving others of the chance". Also, the deposit was returned even if the child did not attend the event. However, the move garnered mixed reactions from parents, who either supported the idea or felt it was not the right way to do things. Some other schools such as Nanyang Girls High School and Bukit View Primary School gave free tickets to their students while Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
Anglo-Chinese School (Primary)
Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore, is the original primary school of the [ACS] family, located at the Barker Road campus adjacent to the ACS block. It opened in 1887 with the secondary school at Coleman Street, moving to a newly upgraded Coleman Street campus in 1961, leaving the Barker Road...
encouraged co-pay of $1 to $2 by the students to teach them to treasure their tickets.
Iranian withdrawal from taekwondo final
On 16 August 2010, IranianIran at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
-Competitors:-Medal table:-Medalists:- 3-on-3 basketball:Boys- Swimming :Boys- Archery:Girls' recurveMixed recurve- Athletics:Boys- Boxing:Boys- Slalom :Boys- Sprint :Boys- Football:Girls- Judo:BoysMixed...
officials withdrew Mohammed Soleimani from the men's under-48-kilogram category taekwondo final against Israel
Israel at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
-Medalists:- Athletics:Main Article: Athletics at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics-Boys:Field Events- Basketball:Boys- Gymnastics:Main Article: Gymnastics at the 2010 Summer Youth OlympicsRhythmic gymnastics- Judo:Mixed event...
's Gili Haimovitz, citing an ankle injury. According to the officials, Soleimani had first hurt his ankle at the World Junior Championships in Mexico earlier in the year, and the injury had flared up again during his semifinal contest against the US's Gregory English. Soleimani was sent to hospital for an X-ray, and his ankle was put into a cast. Haimovitz was awarded the gold medal by default at a victory ceremony at the Suntec International Convention Centre from which Soleimani, the silver medallist, was absent. Interviewed later on, Soleimani said he was "very sad" to have missed the bout as he was "sure [he] was going to get the gold medal". Israel's chef-de-mission Daniel Oren claimed that the pullout had been politically motivated. He said: "It's not the first time this has happened at the Olympics. But this is a first for a medal match. To be honest, once our boy got into the final, we knew that this is going to happen. I spoke to our boy after the final and he, of course, was disappointed that he did not have a chance to win his gold through an actual fight. I feel more sorry for the Iranian boy. He must have trained hard to get to this stage and was not given a chance to fight. We are dealing with sports here, youth sports, in fact. It's a pity that politics got involved." However, IOC spokesman Mark Adams said: "As far as the IOC is concerned, there is no sinister intent here. What we know factually is that the athlete injured his ankle and was sent to the hospital for an X-ray. Tests revealed he did not suffer anything broken, and he is all right now. So unless more factual information is available, it [the controversy] is mere speculation." This was reiterated by IOC President Jacques Rogge on 17 August: "He [Soleimani] was driven to the hospital, was examined by a Singaporean doctor, totally independent, not belonging to the organisation and he diagnosed an ankle sprain. For us, that's the end of the story." Previously, Iran has stated that since it does not recognize Israel as a state, its policy is to withdraw from competing against the country.
Bolivian footballers alleged to be overage
Arturo Garcia, chairman of the Coaches Association of Santa Cruz in Bolivia, told the Bolivian newspaper La Razón he had proof that at least five players in the Bolivian boys' football team had been over the age limit of 15 years. BoliviaBolivia at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Bolivia competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 August to 26 August 2010.-Medalists:- Athletics:Main Article: Athletics at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics-Boys:...
beat Haiti
Haiti at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
Haiti competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, held in Singapore from 14 August to 26 August 2010.-Medalists:- Athletics:Main Article: Athletics at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics-Girls:...
5–0 to take the gold medal in the finals of the boys' football tournament
Football at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics – Boys' tournament
Football at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics took place at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.-Medalists:-Group C:---------Group D:---------Semi-Finals:-----5th Place Match:-Bronze Medal Match:-Final:-Final Ranking:...
on 25 August 2010. Bolivian Deputy Sports Minister Miguel Angel Rimba ordered an investigation into the claim.
Montenegro
Montenegro at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics
- Judo:Main Article: Judo at the 2010 Summer Youth OlympicsIndividualTeam- Swimming:Main Article: Swimming at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics- Taekwondo:Boys- Tennis:Main Article: Tennis at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics...
coach Sava Kovačević, whose team was knocked out by Bolivia in the semifinals, said that Montenegro would ask football governing body FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
to look into the matter. However, FIFA announced they would not be doing so as complaints concerning the eligibility of players should have been submitted in writing to FIFA's headquarters in Singapore at the Youth Olympic Games no later than five days before the first match, that is, by 8 August. FIFA also said that its staff had met all footballers individually at the Olympic Village and had checked their passports against their dates of birth provided by their respective National Olympic Committees.
Doping
Two wrestlers, Greco-Roman 50 kg silver medallist Nurbek HakkulovNurbek Hakkulov
Nurbek Hakkulov is an Uzbek Greco-Roman wrestler who participated at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore. He finished in the silver medal position in the 50 kg weight class, losing to Elman Mukhtarov of Azerbaijan in the final...
of Uzbekistan and 63 kg freestyle wrestler Johnny Pilay of Ecuador, were disqualified on 15 October after testing positive for the banned diuretic furosemide
Furosemide
Furosemide or frusemide is a loop diuretic used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and edema. It is most commonly marketed by Sanofi-Aventis under the brand name Lasix...
.
See also
- 1998 World Youth Games1998 World Youth GamesThe 1998 World Youth Games was the first international multi-sport event of its kind. More than 7,500 young athletes representing 140 countries of the world participated in this event. It took place in Moscow, Russia from July 11 to 19, 1998.-Ceremony:...
- 2012 Winter Youth Olympics2012 Winter Youth OlympicsThe 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games, officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games , will be an international multi-sport event for youths that will take place in Innsbruck from 13 to 22 January 2012. They will become the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics, a major sports and cultural festival...
- International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
- List of IOC country codes
- Olympic GamesOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
- Youth Olympic GamesYouth Olympic GamesThe Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event first held in Singapore from August 14 to August 26, 2010. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format. The age limitation of the athletes is between 14 to 18...
External links
- Singapore 2010 – official site
- Singapore 2010 Facebook page – Singapore 2010 Facebook page
- Youth Olympic Games – International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
official site