I cannot conceal my joy and pride when Singapore won its bid to host the YOG in August 2010. We have beaten giant Moscow with a score of 53-44 votes! Our dream has come true. When International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge made the historic announcement over live TV from Lausanne in Switzerland, 10 minutes past 7pm, the 5,000 odd supporters at City Hall resounded with overwhelming cheers and smiles. It was a sea of red, glittered with shinning confetti and colourful lights that heralded a new beginning for sporting Singapore. I made it to the venue barely in time to witness Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong make his congratulatory speech to the thousands of mainly students who had gathered there since 4pm. I was still in the office at 7pm when I looked down from my window to see the excited supporters waiting impatiently for the verdict. I wasted no more time and took the lift to the ground floor before sprinting towards the Padang which overlooks City Hall. It was a thrilling experience to see so many young people, mostly draped in red, with smiling faces and congratulating one another. Their reward will start a little later when they can dance through the night on the famous road that fronts City Hall.
How Did Singapore Win YOG? The Straits Times Friday, February 22 2008 Editorial OLYMPIAN RECOGNITION Singapore, Olympian city. This is the international validation in the Republic having won the right to stage the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2010. This has always been more than a sporting contest to decide which of the long list of nine candidate cities is the appropriate setting for a jamboree of young people aged between 14 and 18, and more than a return to the early Olympic ideal of innocent, incorrupt striving in athletic contests. Going by pedigree, voting delegates of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who had to pick the venue notionally had it easy in the run-off between Mosow and Singapore. Russia is a hyperpower in sports, besides many other glories. Its capital city has a gilded cultural tradition going back centuries. It has the facilities left over from its hosting of world-level events, including the Olympic Games proper. Russian officials were not shy to commend to the IOC their city's virtues, including pleasant summer weather, over stuffy, little Singapore. But Singapore the upstart with no tradition has won. Singaporeans would be right to take this as the IOC's conferment of its recognition that Singapore represents the future of multifarious achievement and of investing in the talent of the young. The IOC's reformist president, the Belgian Jacques Rogge, has swung the Olympic movement around from the crusty, hidebound days of Avery Brundage and Juan Antonion Samaranch. The Youth Olympics was his idea. He has cracked down harder on drug cheating than previous presidents. He has sought to make the Olympics universal in participation, not just in spectatorship. In designing the Youth Olympics he has added outreach and education components to propagate ideas of a healthy lifestyle and the social values that sport advances. Singapore as a young progressive nation, free of cant but big on benign social organisation, answers to his vision. It is also a model of good government, which would appeal to the IOC leaders' sense of mission in reforming the Olympic ideal. The city-state is by international standards already an Olympian city in finance, tourism, education, bio-tech research and bold ideas. Sports hosting will add to its standing. Singapore must not disappoint. The Youth Olympics might not be that big a media event but the host nation is not in it to show off. If it does a good job of managing the Games and makes friends of the 3,000-plus young competitors and their chaperones, the world will notice. That is a far worthier accolade to win than courting media exposure gauchely. Incidentally, there is much sports fans can thrill to despite this being a junior Olympics. Gymnastics alone, with its many teenage world champion, will be worth the price of admission.
It's Singapore 2010 THE STRAITS TIMES Friday, February 22 2008 By Carl Skadian Editor The news that Singapore waited over seven months for came at precisely 7.11 pm yesterday, broadcast live via satellite link from Lausanne in Switzerland. It was delivered by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, who simply said: “The IOC has the honour of announcing that the first Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2020 are awarded to the city of Singapore.” With that, more than 5,000 people who had gathered at the Padang for the announcement, as well as countless others glued to television sets across the island, threw up a resounding cheer. At the Padang, the reactions of the “Ser tandem of Singapore's IOC Executive Board member Ng Ser Miang and Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck, who had beeen instrumental in pushing the bid, reflected Singaporeans' joy over making history. Both men caught each other in a bear hug before jumping up and down on stage, broad grins creasing their faces. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, called on to deliver a celebratory speech, had to wait a while for the cheers to die down before saying: “I need hardly say how happy we all are.” A smiling Mr Lee, with a miniature Singapore flag clutched in one hand, hailed the win as a “great honour and privilege for Singapore and every Singaporean”. “For the first time, the Olympics flame will be in South-east Asia, and in Singapore,” he said. “We will be the focus of a new era of sports development for Singapore, for South-east Asia, and for the Olympic movement.” He praised the national effort to land the Games – both young and old, from schoolchildren to taxi drivers, were involved, including one 68-year-old cabby who wrote letters to all IOC members telling them why Singapore deserved to be host. As the PM ended his speech, the party fired up anew. It had begun at 4pm but quietened as tensions rose with the clock ticking closer to the magic hour of 7pm. Amid a backdrop of a City Hall bathed in yellow, purple and red lights, revellers began dancing, singing and hugging each other, flashing the “V for Victory” symbol. Ms Cindy Chin, 20, a Singapore Management University , summed up the feelings of the assembled throng when she said: “This is a historic moment. Some of us are having our exams tomorrow, including me, but this is more important. I wanted to let everyone see that Singapore deserves to host the games.” The contest to play host had come down to Singapore or Moscow. According to the Associated Press, IOC members voted 53-44 in the Republic's favour. What clinched it was its innovative Games concept, which included a compact venue plan and a comprehensive Olympic education programme. Speaking in Lausanne, Mr Rogge also said he thought the prevailing sentiment among IOC members was that the event should go to a “new city that has not organized a Games”. He added: “Singapore has put together a a very exciting project.” Expressing confidence in the Singapore team, he added: “I have no doubt that their professionalism and enthusiasm will be instrumental in the staging of a successful Youth Olympic Games.” Yesterday's announcement culminated in a sensational turnaround for a bid that started slowly nine months ago. Singaporeans were initially tepid about the bid, but galvanised around it when the country emerged as a front-runner. The win caps a series of sporting coups for Singapore: It will stage the world's first Formula One night race in September, as well as be a stopover port for the Volvo Ocean Race in January next year. Now, as Mr Lee said last night, the countdown to the Games' opening on Aug 14, 2010 begins. “We have 2 ½ years to prepare for the Youth Olympic Games. It's going to be full of excitement and achievements.”
Congrats. With F1, IR and YOG, I can only hope the property price to keep going up The Government is doing extra-ordinary well to bring Singapore to this level. I wish they can share the expertise to the neighboring countries. "This small dot is really damn amazing"
Thank you! I hope you can share in our joy and enjoy the benefits as they accrue. I suppose Singapore dared to dream, but Singaporeans have to work really hard to make the dreams come true. Our people could only learn from the expertise and experience of others as we go along to hone our own skills.
Congrat to team s'pore men i was over joy when i heard the news hope they will do well in the yog all the best...
As a Singaporean, I am delighted we are given this opportunity to host a major sports event. I do hope that the organising committee will do it in a prudent manner so that we do not overspent the money and incur substential losses. Past olympics have shown it is a financial burden on the society (with a few exceptions) so I pray that the people planning it will have the wisdom and courage to do the correct thing and not just spend and spend.
The event will surely incur substantial loss. However, the after effect (tourism, projects, etc) will bring more $ to Singapore.
It is difficult to ascertain the net $ result at this point as this is a new venture, not totally the same as the actual 'adult' Summer Olympic Games, the forthcoming one to be held in August in Beijing. Singapore has budgetted about US$30 million to be spent on YOG and this amount must be relatively small compared to the Beijing Olympics. Singapore does not have to build many new sports facilities because our existing ones can be used with some upgrading and refurbishment. And they are within close proximity with one another. For example, the swimming competitions will take place in the Singapore Sports School which has two Olympic sized pools. Diving events, however, will be held elsewhere, perhaps at Toa Payoh. Unfortunately Singapore does not have a tradition for diving. We have a number of outdoor stadiums for athletics, soccer, hockey, etc, and more seats can be added just as they will do so for the swimming events at the SSS. And I'm sure the indoor stadiums such as the Singapore Indoor Stadium (a favourite with badminton fans for BWF SS matches) and the Toa Payoh Sports Hall will come in handy for indoor games and sports such as gymnastics. It will even be a bonus if our beautiful Sports Hub in Kallang can be completed in time, but I doubt it . However for events such as equestrian and possibly "indoor" cycling, we need to build new venues, which of course will not go to waste but become additional sports for our own athletes after the games. Suffice it to say we expect about 3,200 athletes from age 14-18 to compete in 26 sports. And to house these athletes and the foreign officials (totalling about 5,000), the old Warren 9-hole golf course at Dover Road will be converted into a beautiful and family-like NUS (National University of Singapore) campus in time to house our visitors before being used by the NUS. On the economy side, our SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) are reported to be able to do more business especially with the foreign brand names which may need local content and knowledge of the marketplace. Of course the tourism industry will benefit directly. Now if we could earn income from the media, especially satellite/TV rights, our bottom line will not be that bad. Particularly so when the facilities could be used by our own athletes for their further development and future income could be earned if Singapore could establish a name for itself as an efficient organiser for huge sporting events. That will make Singapore an excellent sporting hub for the region and beyond. After all, we already have an excellent infrastructure for locals and visitors alike. This YOG opportunity will provide us a chance to bring our services and facilities to a higher level, with the entire nation benefiting from it, both materially and intangibly.
well said mr loh, just worried costs of living may go up. anyway congrats to singapore , SINGAPORE BOLEH hehe
Actually, I do share your concern about inflation. And I do hope the government can keep it at bay although a rise is already anticipated to be around 5%, which by our standards is relatively high when the average in the past few years was around or less than 2%. So incomes will have to rise above the inflation rate to make one's livelihood more pleasant with disposable income in hand to spend more freely. The two Integrated Resorts (IR), incorporating money-spinning casinos, at Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, will come onstream about the same time. We will expect around 10 million visitors to our shores during the first year and if their spending is confined to the tourist belt, I suppose the domestic inflation will not be too widely dispersed to affect everyone. The plus side is that the two IRs will bring enormous income to our shores and many of our own people, including those that were forced out of work previously for whatever reason, will be gainfully employed. Being employed with a steady income is one good way to fight inflation! Of course a trial run of things to come will be the inaugural Formula One night racing in September which will help us to understand some of the skills and intricacies required of big-time enterprises that will benefit many. Already many people, both local and foreign, are excited and we should expect a good turn out to complement the Singapore Flyer, which is now in place and running. If you are young, mobile and enterprising, the opportunities available in Singapore get better and better. More so as our SMEs become financially stronger and export their business overseas. It is up to you to grab and make good use of them!
well one plus point is that it will create more jobs for singaporean. anyway our government has brought us to the next level and not only they think out of the box but think out of this world :0 please don't play play with the RED DOT.
yog. Ya. hopefully more playing badminton also. Then can coach more people. hehehe.. No worry about cost. I make it affordable to you lah..
Congrats Spore. Loh, will you be involved in any part of the games, as one of the official photographers for Badminton perhaps?
Many thanks dear eagle. I will only be involved as a spectator and perhaps as unofficial photographer for BC! Malaysia also contributed to our success in that Genting International has put their trust in us by investing heavily in the Sentosa IR. I have no doubt that GI will be able to do a good job with their expertise in tourism and international networking with the established global entertainment brand names. I'm sure Singapore business would like to reciprocate in due course when the opportunity avails itself.
Congratulations to Singapore! I was really excited to hear the announcement too. Being south-east asian decent myself, I am really proud of this bid! I dearly hope to play a part in these Games too, since our sport has been included on the agenda!
Thank you Maz. Yes I thought you said your dad was once Singaporean. We'll meet again in Singapore at least in 2010. I hope you will lead your badminton teens to tiny Singapore. Kind of a reciprocation I guess, since I visited you folks in Melbourne for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 2006, although you're from Sydney. I must say I really enjoyed it then with the other guys. Somehow I missed FEND as I hardly see him post in BC. He must be working very hard for his degree. I sincerely hope the rest of the party will converge for the inaugural YOG too, particularly the former Malaysians, like Kim and BadFever. Wonder whether our lady lawyer from NZ will be able to make it also? Hope to meet up with Chris too, at least for the first time. Wow, I think we'll be more 'matured' in two and a half years' time. Singapore will have a few more pleasant places of interest by then to keep you folks more excited! Particularly so for Kong! But you'll need to visit a little later to see our Sports Hub at Kallang.
There is a very active thread on the ongoing Thomas Cup matches which you can participate. This very thread is on the YOG in particular and we're NOT off-track.
The cost is not the problem. The problem is how qualified you are as a coach. The worst that can happen to a trainee is when he is coached the wrong things which will be very difficult even for another more qualified coach to sort out.
