Despite being a small country with only a land area of only 710 km2 and a multi-racial community of merely 4.8 million people, Singapore has edged past several first-world cities to win the bid of hosting the first ever Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Held from 14 to 26 August in 2010, over 3,500 athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 coming from 170 nations around the world will participate in this sporting event. The five candidate cities who have bid for the inaugural games and are shortlisted includes Athens, Bangkok, Moscow, Turin and last but not least Singapore. The main objective of the YOG is to bring together talented athletes from across the world with the aim of having them take part in high-level competitions and indicating to them the path to take to become real Olympians.

The idea for such an event was envisioned in 2001 by International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge. On July 6, 2007, IOC members at the 119th IOC session in Guatemala City approved the creation of a youth version of the Olympic Games. Just like the world-class sporting event – the Summer/Winter Olympic Games, the YOG will be held every four years with the first Summer YOG to be held in Singapore in 2010 and the first Winter YOG to be held in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012. The Singapore YOG 2010 will feature 26 sports, including popular ones such as Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Sailing and Table Tennis.

As a test in preparation for the YOG, Singapore will also host the Asian Youth Games (AYG) this year. Mainly for the participation of Asian youth, the AYG is a multi-sport event held every four years to complement the current Asian Games. Slightly different from the YOG, the maximum age of participation is 17 instead of 18.

What makes a tiny country like Singapore win the bid to host the YOG?

Although Singapore only has 44 years of history after its independence on August 9, 1965, she has emerged from just a poor fishing village to a first-world country that has been regarded by economists worldwide as a highly developed market-based economy. Its 2008 GDP (PPP) has exceeded the $200 billion mark which means that every person in Singapore earns a staggering $51,142 a year! Ranked fourth in the world, she beats the United States of America, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. With such a strong economy, this definitely plays a huge part in guiding Singapore to success in her bid.

Besides being a strong export driven economy, the powerful and stable governance is also another important factor. Despite the fact that Singapore’s laws are inherited from English and British Indian laws, and includes many elements of English common law, the government has also chosen not to follow some elements of liberal democratic values. As a result, there are no jury trials and there are laws restricting the freedom of speech that may breed ill will or cause disharmony within Singapore’s multiracial, multi-religious society. Having a low crime rate, the YOG committee would most likely select a city that has peace and harmony among the people as minimal crimes are committed.

The most obvious intangible gain from the recent advances has been the creation of a new awareness of the significance of sport. Younger Singaporeans now have more sharply defined sporting goals to achieve. The public and the private sector now realise the potential benefits of cooperating in business associated with sport. In education, the position of sport and PE is being reviewed. On a broader scale, it is time to consolidate the new mind-set that is being forged. The new identity for Singapore as a global sporting host has been established.

How can Singapore benefits from staging the YOG?

Many countries around the world are eager to host the Summer/Winter Olympic Games, the Formula 1 Race and FIFA World Cup because these sporting events can significantly boost their image in the international spotlight. For example, according to Nielsen Media Research, the recent Beijing Olympic has attracted 4.7 billion television viewers worldwide, one-fifth larger than the 3.9 billion who watched the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The 2008 Olympics was the most-viewed event in American television history.

Due to the small land area and population, Singapore does not have the ability to host either the Summer Olympic Games or the FIFA World Cup. As a result, the government takes the opportunity to bid for the YOG, a smaller version of the Olympic Games. With the success of staging the YOG in her hands, Singapore is able to show pride in the achievements of the people and confirmed a place in the international spotlight. Other benefits includes the ability to stimulate opportunities to expand through exposure to the world business community to the world and to promote the tourist potential at a commercial level.

Our thoughts and opinions:

As students, we are glad and fortunate that Singapore is the host city of the inaugural YOG. Dubbed as “A Small Country But A Big Dream”, it is a milestone for Singapore as she has never hosted any world-class and international sporting event before. Singapore had created a new segment of its unique sporting identity. The opportunity to host was created not only through direct state planning and skilful promotion orchestrated by the Ministry of Community Development and Sport, but also with the undiluted enthusiasm and drive of the people. The general sense of optimism encircling the prospect of hosting a major sporting event – prior to the vote – was almost unprecedented.

If Singaporeans and the athletes were to continue their enthusiasm and perseverance, we believe that the first YOG will become a successful major sporting event and attract the eyes of millions of potential investors and tourists around the world.