The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics ( ta, 2010 கோடைக்கால இளையோர் ஒலிம்பிக் விளையாட்டுக்கள் ms, Sukan Olimpik Belia Musim Panas 2010), officially known as the I Summer Youth Olympic Games, and commonly known as Singapore 2010, was the inaugural edition of the
Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an
Olympic Games-based event for young athletes. Held in
Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010, it was the first
International Olympic Committee–sanctioned event held in Southeast Asia. The Games featured about 3,600 athletes aged 14–18 from 204 nations, who competed in 201 events in 26 sports. No official medal tables were published, but the most successful nation was
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, followed by
Russia; hosts Singapore did not win any gold medals. Most unique features of the YOG, such as
mixed-NOCs teams (comprising youths from different countries) and the Culture and Education Programme (CEP), made their debut at the 2010 Games.
Although the concept dates back to
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...
, formal plans for the YOG were only first announced at the 119th IOC session on 6 July 2007. On 2008, Singapore was selected as the host city after defeating
Moscow 53–44 in a postal vote by 105
International Olympic Committee (IOC) members. The
Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) prepared eighteen competition venues and twelve training venues.
The Float@Marina Bay
The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, is a multi-purpose outdoor venue at the Downtown Core area of Marina Bay, Singapore. The venue consists of a steel platform in the Mar ...
hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the Youth Olympic Village was located at
Nanyang Technological University
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various inte ...
(NTU). The committee also selected Games mascots
Lyo and Merly (a lion and a female
merlion
The Merlion () is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Being of prominent symbolic nature to Singapore and Singaporeans in general, it is widely used to repre ...
), the Spirit of Youth emblem (through a design competition) and the theme song "
Everyone
Everyone may refer to:
Television
* "Everyone" (Skins series 1), episode 9 of series 1 of ''Skins''
* "Everyone", episode 1 of series 3 of ''Skins''
* "Everyone", episode 8 of series 4 of ''Skins''
* "Everyone" (Skins series 5), episode 8 of ...
", performed by five singers representing each major continent, combining North and South America.
Online media, Asian newspapers and 166 television broadcasters provided extensive coverage of the Games. The torch relay, which began on 23 July 2010, comprised a thirteen-day
world tour of five cities, each representing a
continent, and a six-day domestic leg. Highlights of the opening and closing ceremonies include performances about Singaporean history and culture, a Olympic cauldron, flags being brought onto stage and items featuring YOG symbols. The Games were marred by discrepancies in the budget and attendance figures, two wrestlers caught doping, a walkover in the taekwondo final and allegations that Bolivian footballers were overage.
Bid
The concept of the YOG was developed in 1998 by
Johann Rosenzopf in response to concerns over childhood obesity and declining youth participation in sports. IOC President
Jacques Rogge formally announced plans for the YOG at the 119th
IOC session in
Guatemala City on 6 July 2007. Singapore, which had hosted the
117th session, made its first formal bid to host a multi-disciplinary
sporting event
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, t ...
of this magnitude. 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.
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, Rogge announced that Singapore had won the postal vote 53–44 and was thus selected as the host for 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
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...
(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
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various inte ...
in
Jurong West
Jurong West is a planning area and residential town located in the West Region of Singapore. Jurong West shares boundaries with Tengah in the north, Jurong East in the east, Boon Lay and Pioneer in the south, and Western Water Catchment in t ...
would be used for the Olympic Village.
Organisation
The
Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (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
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
, expressed its desire to assist Singapore in its preparations.
Sebastian Coe
Sebastian Newbold Coe, Baron Coe, (born 29 September 1956), often referred to as Seb Coe, is a British politician and former track and field athlete. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including 1500 metres gold medal ...
, Lord Coe, Chairman of the
London Organising Committee
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) was the organisation responsible for overseeing the planning and development of the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was jointly established by the UK Gove ...
for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, 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
Fairmont Singapore.
Costs
The IOC initially projected in 2007 that 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$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, (; born 6 April 1949) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, diplomat, and retired sailor. He founded Trans-Island Bus Services (now known as SMRT Buses) in 1982 and is a board member of Singapore Press Holdings. Since 1990, he has been ...
. 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 Club 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
The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, is a multi-purpose outdoor venue at the Downtown Core area of Marina Bay, Singapore. The venue consists of a steel platform in the Mar ...
were temporarily converted to host sports events, while
Kallang Field was upgraded to be able to host the
archery
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
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
The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a national research university in Singapore. It is the second oldest autonomous university in the country and is considered as one of the most prestigious universities in the world by various inte ...
(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
The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) 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 aft ...
advisor
Teo Ser Luck, former national sprinter
Canagasabai Kunalan
Canagasabai Kunalan (born 23 October 1942), known as C. Kunalan, is a retired Singaporean sprinter, relay runner, former footballer and educator, widely regarded as one of Singapore's greatest ever athletes. Named Sportsman of the Year in bo ...
and former national swimmer
Joscelin Yeo
Joscelin Yeo Wei Ling (; born 2 May 1979) is a former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) from Nov 2006 to Apr 2011 and a former competitive swimmer from Singapore. Yeo won 40 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games. She also represented S ...
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, a fire-themed lion and a water-themed female
merlion
The Merlion () is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Being of prominent symbolic nature to Singapore and Singaporeans in general, it is widely used to repre ...
respectively. The official theme song of the Games was "
Everyone
Everyone may refer to:
Television
* "Everyone" (Skins series 1), episode 9 of series 1 of ''Skins''
* "Everyone", episode 1 of series 3 of ''Skins''
* "Everyone", episode 8 of series 4 of ''Skins''
* "Everyone" (Skins series 5), episode 8 of ...
". It was performed by five singers representing six continents of the world, namely,
Jody Williams (Africa),
Sean Kingston
Kisean Paul Anderson (born February 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is an American-Jamaican singer and rapper. He is known for his hit songs " Beautiful Girls", "Fire Burning", " Take You There", and his collaboration wit ...
(Americas),
Tabitha Nauser
Tabitha Nauser (born 23 February 1992) is a Singaporean singer.
Nauser was born to a Swiss father and a Singaporean Indian mother. In 2009, Nauser placed third in the third edition of ''Singapore Idol''.
In 2017, Nauser's song “Bulletproof” ...
(Asia),
Steve Appleton
Steven R. Appleton (March 31, 1960 – February 3, 2012) was the CEO of Micron Technology, based in Boise, Idaho.
Born and raised in California, Appleton attended Boise State University, where he was on the tennis team. A lifelong aviation enth ...
(Europe) and
Jessica Mauboy (Oceania). The executive producer of the song was local music producer
Ken Lim
Ken Lim (born 1964) is a Singaporean concept & campaign manager, concerts & event promoter, established artiste manager, composer, music producer & publisher. He is the executive director of Hype Records.
Early life and career
Ken Lim runs on ...
.
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 high, wide, and weighed .
The flame was lit at
Olympia
The name Olympia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games
* ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
in Greece on 2010 and travelled to five cities representing the continents Asia, Africa, Europe,
Oceania and the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
. The relay travelled through the following cities, dubbed the "Celebration Cities":
*
Berlin,
Germany
*
Dakar,
Senegal
*
Mexico City,
Mexico
*
Auckland,
New Zealand
*
Seoul,
South Korea
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.
Calendar
The calendar of the Games was as follows:
Participating nations
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Games was held on at
The Float@Marina Bay
The Float at Marina Bay, stylised as The Float@Marina Bay and also known as the Marina Bay Floating Platform, is a multi-purpose outdoor venue at the Downtown Core area of Marina Bay, Singapore. The venue consists of a steel platform in the Mar ...
, a floating stage near
downtown 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 tall Olympic cauldron designed by
Randy Chan
Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them. ...
as a lighthouse. It was flanked by six giant
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
displays, which stood behind a reflecting pool containing 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
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
,
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
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
Thirty Seconds to Mars, and actors
Jackie Chan and
Jet Li. The
flag of Singapore
The Flag of Singapore was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. It remained the national flag upon the country's independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. The design is a horizontal bicolour of ...
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 overcomes his inner fears and defeats the giant monster.
Singer Seah Wei Wen then performed "Across The Finish Line" composed by Mayuni Omar & Mathilda D Silva, 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. In this segment, 500 youth from
Singapore Soka Association participate to form from many fishes into a dragon. 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
Darrell is a given name derived from an English surname, which was derived from Norman-French , originally denoting one who came from Airelle in France. There are no longer any towns in France called Airelle, but is the French word for huckleberr ...
, 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 as the originator of the games, and the flag of
Singapore entered last as the host nation. The flag ceremony was followed by the singing of the Games theme song and remarks by
Ng Ser Miang
Ng Ser Miang, (; born 6 April 1949) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, diplomat, and retired sailor. He founded Trans-Island Bus Services (now known as SMRT Buses) in 1982 and is a board member of Singapore Press Holdings. Since 1990, he has been ...
, 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
Sellapan Ramanathan (; 3 July 1924 – 22 August 2016),. often known as S. R. Nathan, was a Singaporean politician who served as the sixth president of Singapore between 1999 and 2011. He was also the longest-serving president in Singapore's hi ...
, the
President of Singapore. The Olympic flag was brought on stage by eight Olympians—
Tan Howe Liang
Tan Howe Liang, (; born 5 May 1933 in Shantou, Guangdong, China) is a Singaporean weightlifter who was 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 t ...
,
Yelena Isinbayeva,
Yang Yang, Tan Eng Liang,
Frankie Fredericks
Frank "Frankie" Fredericks (born 2 October 1967) is a former track and field athlete from Namibia. Running in the 100 metres and 200 metres, he won four silver medals at the Olympic Games (two in 1992 and two in 1996), making him Namibia's only ...
,
Patricia Chan
Patricia Chan Li-Yin (陈丽燕; born 12 April 1954), popularly known as Pat Chan and the "Golden Girl", is a retired swimmer from Singapore. Between 1965 and 1973 she won 39 gold medals at Southeast Asian Games, which was the best achievement ...
,
Tao Li and
Sergey Bubka
Sergey Nazarovych Bubka ( uk, Сергій Назарович Бубка; born 4 December 1963) is a Ukrainian former pole vaulter. He represented the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. Bubka was twice named Athlete of the Year by ''Tr ...
—and handed to eight Singaporean youth athletes before it was raised with the singing of the
Olympic Hymn in Greek by the Singaporean singers. The
Olympic Oath was taken on behalf of all athletes by
Caroline Chew, on behalf of all judges by
Syed Abdul Kadir
Kadir Syed Abdul, born 16 February 1948, was the first Singaporean to win a medal for boxing in the Commonwealth Games, where he was awarded the bronze medal. He has also been a representative for Singapore in various regional meets.
Boxing ca ...
, and on behalf of all coaches by
David Lim Fong Jock
David Lim Fong Jock, (; born 8 September 1966) is a retired Singaporean swimmer. He won 28 medals, including ten individual and nine relay gold medals, at the Southeast Asian Games from 1981 to 1991. He was part of the Singapore freestyle re ...
. 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 tall cauldron was designed by Dr. Tsai Her-Mann, a fellow and resident inventor of the
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. It houses over 85 ...
. Designed to look like a lighthouse, its distinctive feature was a swirling 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 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 . The cauldron, which had been patented in Singapore and the United States, consumed about 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 and 201 events. 201 events, there will be 8 mixed team events (Mixed-NOCs), 4 mixed team events (NOCs), 1 open event (Equestrian), 106 men's events, and 82 women's events.
[ ] These included two disciplines under the IOC classification of
aquatics
Aquatics may refer to:
*Aquatic sports in the Olympics and other international competitions, including the disciplines of swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, water polo, and open water swimming
*Water-related sports more broadly (including boa ...
(diving and swimming), and three under
gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline). Each sport in the Games was represented by a pictogram 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. The list of sports is as follows:
About 3,600 athletes, aged 14 to 18, participated in the Games.
[ All 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were represented, except Kuwait, which was suspended in January 2010 due to alleged government interference; however, three Kuwaiti athletes competed under the Olympic flag. A unique feature of the YOG was the creation of the ]mixed-NOCs
Mixed-NOCs (IOC code: MIX) are Youth Olympic Games teams consisting of athletes representing different National Olympic Committees (NOCs). The concept of mixed-NOCs was introduced at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, in which athletes from differen ...
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. 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 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 first gold medal for a mixed-NOC event was awarded to team Europe 1, consisting of Yana Egoryan of Russia and Italians Marco Fichera Marco, Camilla Mancini, Leonardo Affede, Alberta Santuccio Alberta and Eduardo Luperi, which won the team competition in fencing.
Medal table
Although the SYOGOC did not keep an official medal tally, news outlets, such as xinmsn
xinmsn was an Internet portal featuring various news and entertainment information for Singapore-based users. It was launched in March 2010 as a joint venture between MediaCorp and Microsoft, and replaces the old iteration of MSN Singapore.
Sinc ...
, kept unofficial medal tables, where medals won by mixed-NOCs teams are credited to the NOCs that the athletes belong to. The following table lists the top ten ranked NOCs and the host nation. See 2010 Summer Youth Olympics medal table
The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, officially known as the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010. The event was the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, and it saw 3,53 ...
for more details and a full table with medals won by mixed-NOCs teams counted separately.
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 and former pole vaulting champion Sergei Bubka on 30 October 2008. The two-storey, 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.
]
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 Merly dancing to a medley of " Fame" and "Fight for This Love
"Fight for This Love" is the debut solo single by English singer and Girls Aloud member Cheryl (singer), Cheryl Cole, recorded for her debut studio album, ''3 Words'' (2009). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on ...
". 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
Ng Ser Miang, (; born 6 April 1949) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, diplomat, and retired sailor. He founded Trans-Island Bus Services (now known as SMRT Buses) in 1982 and is a board member of Singapore Press Holdings. Since 1990, he has been ...
, 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
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, the host city of the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics
The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics (), officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games , and commonly known as Nanjing 2014 ( zh, c=南京2014, p=Nánjīng Èr Líng yī sì), were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports ...
. 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.
Media coverage
The Games organisers used online media to market the event, including Friendster, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and the official Youth.sg 2010 discussion forum. Contracts were signed with 166 broadcasters to provide worldwide television broadcasts for the Games. These include China Central Television
China Central Television (CCTV) is a Chinese state- and political party-owned broadcaster controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Its 50 different channels broadcast a variety of programing to more than one billion viewers in six lan ...
, which telecast the opening ceremony live and has been screening nine hours of coverage each day on its 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. CCTV-5 now broadcasts 24 hours ...
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
The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...
'' 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
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in London. In Canada, the games were broadcast by Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, a joint venture between CTVglobemedia and Rogers Media
Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...
. Coverage of those games was limited to a one-hour daily highlights package on Sportsnet
Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...
and TSN2 (rebroadcast several weeks later on TSN
TSN may refer to:
Science and technology
* Translin, DNA binding protein involved in microRNA function
* Taxonomic serial number, a stable and unique taxonomic serial number issued by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
* The Science Netwo ...
). The consortium did not, however, own rights to the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics
The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (german: Olympische Jugend-Winterspiele 2012), officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 J ...
in Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...
.
Concerns and controversies
The initial budget of 108 million SGD was exceeded over 3 times amounting to more than 300 million SGD.
Attendance
The ''International Herald Tribune
The ''International Herald Tribune'' (''IHT'') was a daily English-language newspaper published in Paris, France for international English-speaking readers. It had the aim of becoming "the world's first global newspaper" and could fairly be said ...
'' 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: " st 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
"Guo", written in Chinese: 郭, is one of the most common Chinese surnames and means "the wall that surrounds a city" in Chinese. It can also be transliterated into English as Cok, Gou, Quo, Quach, Quek, Que, Keh, Kuo, Kwo, Kuoch, Kok, Koc, ...
, 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
Nanyang Girls' High School (NYGH) is an independent girls' secondary school in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Founded in 1917, it is one of the oldest schools in the country. NYGH offers a six-year Integrated Programme, which allows students to skip the ...
, Bukit View Primary School
Bukit Batok, often abbreviated as Bt Batok, is a planning area and matured residential town located along the eastern boundary of the West Region of Singapore. Bukit Batok statistically ranks in as the 25th largest, the 12th most populous and ...
and Park View Primary School
This is a list of primary schools in Singapore. Children typically start their primary education in the year they turn seven. Primary education lasts six years, and is compulsory for all Singapore citizens.
Primary schools in Singapore are clas ...
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.
Iranian withdrawal from taekwondo final
On 16 August 2010, Iranian 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 ewas 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 he controversyis mere speculation." This was reiterated by IOC President Jacques Rogge on 17 August: "He oleimaniwas 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 its existing government does not recognize Israel as a state, its policy is to withdraw from competing against the country.
Bolivian footballers alleged to be overaged
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. Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
beat Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
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
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
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 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. However, ...
of Uzbekistan and 63 kg freestyle wrestler Johnny Pilay
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
of Ecuador, were disqualified on 15 October after testing positive for the banned diuretic furosemide.
See also
* 1998 World Youth Games
The 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. The Games took place in Moscow, Russia from July 11 to 19, 199 ...
* List of IOC country codes
References
External links
Official site
at the Wayback Machine (archived 13 December 2012)
*
Youth Olympic Games
at the IOC official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Summer Youth Olympics,2010
Youth Olympics
Youth Olympics
2010 in Singapore
Youth sport in Singapore
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Olympic Games in Singapore
2010 in youth sport
August 2010 sports events in Asia