There was an irresistible urge for the pride of a nation that erupted into celebration when the city state of Singapore was announced on Thursday as winning the right to host the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called it a new era for Southeast Asian sport. Singapore beat the only other contender, Moscow, for the Games, which will have around 3,200 athletes, aged 14-18, competing in 26 sports.
It will be the first time that Singapore has hosted a multi-disciplinary sporting event of such a magnitude. “It is a great honour and privilege for all of us,” said Prime Minister Lee in front of thousands of cheering supporters wearing red and white, the colours of the national flag.
Singapore is a real-life working model of Olympic values in practice, said Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan who also launched the Junior Reach Ambassadors' programme. The Junior Reach Ambassadors' programme is a part of the restructured Feedback Unit to gather feedback from various groups of Singapore. “By choosing Singapore, the IOC (International Olympic Council) has declared that it is possible for small young cities like Singapore to host the Olympic movement,” he said.
Singapore with a population of 4.6 million has played its size-is-not-everything card to perfection. Now the hard work beyond the huge buzz has begun in earnest to make the event a success.
Singapore is the wealthiest nation in Asia ex-Japan, with a 2006 Gross Domestic Product of about $29,000 per capita, on par with G-7 member Italy.
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Singapore is also famous and highly regarded for its Knowledge Society initiatives. Specifically, it is a star among the libraries in South Asia.
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