Names Of Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee To Be Revealed Next Week

SINGAPORE: The names of the organising committee for the Youth Olympic Games will be made known next week.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck, said the list is being finalised and added that IOC members are keeping a close watch on Singapore’s progress, since winning the bid to host the Games.

The Youth Olympic Games organising committee will consist of more than 10 people.

Mr Teo said: “We have started to contact some people to join the committee. It’s still subject to approval. We have the initial draft of the first list of names already. They all come from different walks of life. Some are known, some are not. We hope to inject new faces as well.”

Besides the main committee, there will be various sub-committees, including one that will look into the development of athletes competing in the Games.

Sponsorship is another major component, and the rates are being worked out.

Mr Teo gave this update at the launch of the inaugural HSBC Women’s Champions event.

Current world number one, Lorena Ochoa from Mexico is making her debut in Singapore.

She leads a stellar cast of 77 top female golfers – competing for US$2 million in prize money.

But she will face stiff competition, especially from former world number one, Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam, who’s making a comeback from injury.

Sorenstam said: “I was diagnosed with my neck injury in April, so a year from now I feel great. I like to forget about that, I feel good again, I am working hard now and practicing as hard as I can.”

Others to look out for are Korean star Se Ri Pak and Norwegian Suzann Pettersen.

The HSBC Women’s Champions event, dubbed as Asia’s biggest women’s golf event will take place on Thursday at the Tanah Merah Country Club’s Garden Course. -CNA/vm

Channel News Asia

Inaugural Youth Olympic Games Will Boost Singapore’s Tourism Industry

SINGAPORE : Sports is not the only winner as Singapore hosts the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

Tourism too is set to benefit, according to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), which say the Games is expected to generate a minimum of 180,000 visitor nights for Singapore.

This is even more than the visitor nights generated when Singapore hosted the IMF/World Bank meeting in 2006.

The scrutiny from the international media will also help the Republic get additional worldwide coverage.

When Singapore last hosted the 117th IOC Session in 2005, the economy got an injection of US$24 million.

And with the Youth Olympic Games a larger scale event, the impact on the economy would be greater.

Catherine McNabb, Director, Strategic Clusters, STB, said: “The number of visitor arrivals for the Games itself, will be somewhere, we are estimating between 15,000 if you include the athletes, all of the IOC officials, media and spectators. So that in itself is a very large event, but I think what we will see is an increase in arrivals between now and 2010 in the leadup to the Games.”

Also expected to see a gradual build-up, the media coverage from the international media.

All in, STB estimates it could be hundreds of millions of dollar worth of publicity over the next two and a half years.

More than enough to outweigh the US$75 million cost of staging the Games.

Tourism aside, the private sector too is set to benefit when Singapore hosts the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, many small- and medium-sized companies are looking at marketing or sponsorship deals related to the event.

One of them, local fashion retailer 77th Street, which was an ardent supporter of the Singapore bid.

Elim Chew, President and Founder, 77th Street, said: “(It has to be) affordable for a small medium enterprise. Because we are still very much local, if they have different criteria, different ranking, or different amounts then we can sponsor.”

So Singapore will indeed score both on and off the competition arena when it stages its most important sporting event in the country’s history. – CNA/ch

Channel News Asia

Olympics: US Team Told Food Is Safe, Enjoy Chinese Cuisine

BEIJING : There is no need for the US Olympic team to ship their own food to the Beijing Games, Chinese officials said Thursday as they insisted local cuisine was safe to eat despite a series of scares.

Citing the danger of additives such as steroids in Chinese produce that could lead to positive doping tests, US officials reportedly plan to send tonnes of their own food including beef and chicken to Beijing for the Games.

But officials here said Chinese food was safe and urged US athletes to put aside any food safety concerns.

“The standards of Olympic food safety are much higher than international standards so all the delegations can enjoy the food we provide,” said Tang Yunhua, spokeswoman for the Beijing Municipal Office of Food Safety.

The New York Times reported this month that the US Olympic Committee had arranged to ship 25,000 pounds (11 tonnes) of food to Beijing two months ahead of the Games.

As usual during Olympic Games, no delegations will be allowed to bring their own food supplies into the Athletes Village, where several restaurants will supply meals 24 hours a day.

But US officials intend to serve up three meals a day to their athletes at their training headquarters, the nearby Beijing Normal University.

In addition to concerns about steroids, the report said US Olympic officials were worried about pesticides and additives, and that hygiene standards for meat were lower in China than the United States.

More than 10,000 athletes will be in Beijing for the August 8-24 Games along with an expected 500,000 foreign visitors.

Tang said all competitors would be safe from health hazards related to contaminated food thanks to a campaign launched five years ago that had cleaned up China’s food supply chain.

“The overall scenario is good, it has improved a lot,” she told a press conference.

“We have a basket of measures to guarantee food safety and to monitor the food safety situation in the Olympic venues (so) food safety will be guaranteed and ensured.”

On doping concerns, Lu Yong, director of the Beijing Municipal Food Safety Monitoring Group, said the reported US fears had no scientific basis.

“There is no report that we have seen suggesting that athletes who have eaten meat which contains (banned substances) have ever tested positive for drugs,” he said. “If you come across such a report, let me know.”

Food security is a key issue in China ahead of the August Olympics after a spate of scares in recent years involving food and product safety.

In the latest case, Chinese-made dumplings contaminated by pesticides sickened thousands of Japanese last month.

To keep the Games free of similar concerns, officials have begun implementing rigorous plans including round-the-clock guards for Olympic kitchens, food storage areas under video surveillance and food transport vehicles fitted with global positioning systems.

White mice will also be used to test food destined to be eaten by athletes.

But Tang said that food safety outside the Olympic venues would also be guaranteed.

“In order to ensure food safety for the Olympic Games we have to guarantee food safety for Beijing,” she said.

“Only when the overall food safety has been improved can Olympic food security be guaranteed.”

– AFP /ls

Channel News Asia

Organising Committee For Youth Olympic Games To Be Set Up

SINGAPORE: An organising committee for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will be set up over the next few days to get the ball rolling on the next stage of preparations.

International Olympic Committee Executive Board member, Ng Ser Miang, and Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck, will be spearheading the selection of the organising committee.

Mr Teo said: “We need to attract the best talents in different sectors, and we would not exclude talents from overseas as well. There are some skill sets that may not be readily available locally because Singapore is new to this international sporting arena.”

Plans are also underway to get the young to be part of the organising committee.

And while the committee is being decided, another group of stakeholders – the national sports associations in Singapore – has to prepare athletes for all 26 sports for the Youth Olympic Games.

Singapore Sailing started work months ago and has a junior squad of 40 sailors.

Low Teo Ping, president of Singapore Sailing, said: “I have already told the management of Singapore Sailing that because we are on home waters, I am changing my target from two gold medals to three gold medals for the four sailing events at the YOG.”

But before the Games takes place in August 2010, Singapore would have had the experience of hosting the first Asian Youth Games.

“That (Asian Youth Games) has been scheduled for 2009. We will use that as a test in preparation for our Youth Olympic Games. We will have to start planning how that can be organised,” said Mr Teo.

The Asian Youth Games was proposed by Singapore as part of its YOG bid.

- CNA/so

Channel News Asia

Singapore Ecstatic At Winning Youth Olympics Bid

SINGAPORE – Singapore erupted in celebration on Thursday after winning the right to host the inaugural Youth Olympics in 2010, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong calling it a new era for Southeast Asian sport.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the Games to the city-state ahead of Moscow by a vote of 53 to 44. It will be the first time that Singapore is hosting a multi-disciplinary sporting event of such a magnitude.

“Friends and fellow Singaporeans, congratulations to all of us,” said Mr Lee in front of thousands of cheering supporters wearing red and white, the colours of the national flag.

“It is a great honour and privilege for all of us. It will be the first time that the Olympic flame will be in Southeast Asia and in Singapore.

“We will be the focus of a new era for sporting development for Southeast Asia and Singapore. We worked very hard, it was a national effort, but more than that it was a people effort.”

Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth, and Sports, called it “an historic day”.

“By choosing Singapore, the IOC has declared that it is possible for small young cities like Singapore to host the Olympic movement,” he said.

“On Friday, the hard work begins. I know we will succeed because every Singaporean will go all out to welcome the youth of the world to Singapore in 2010.”

Moscow had Russian President Vladimir Putin in its corner, far deeper pockets than Singapore in terms of budget, and long-standing ties with the IOC on its side. But Singapore played its size-is-not-everything card to perfection.

A huge buzz has been generated among Singaporeans, with people from all backgrounds in the nation of 4.5 million people supporting the bid.

Online, they have shown their backing by blogging, chatting on forums, posting videos and setting up websites. And more than 550 companies publicly backed the bid.

The brainchild of IOC chief Jacques Rogge, the Youth Olympics will feature traditional sports such as athletics and swimming, and also some innovative events such as beach-wrestling and BMX bike riding.

Rogge made the announcement himself from the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, ending a process that originally started with nine cities in contention. This was whittled down to Athens, Bangkok, Turin, Singapore and Moscow before it became a two-horse race.

“This is a key moment for the Olympic movement,” said Rogge. “Singapore has put together a very exciting project. Hosting the Youth Olympic Games for the first time is a great responsibility, and I have every confidence in the team in Singapore.

“I have no doubt that their professionalism and enthusiasm will be instrumental in the staging of a successful Youth Olympic Games in 2010.”

The Games will see 3,500 athletes, aged between 14 and 18, competing in 26 sports.

Singapore is proposing 24 venues, with four being built as temporary facilities, including one large cluster of 13 facilities in its Marina-Kallang area.

The Youth Olympic Village will be located at a new multi-million-dollar student residential complex at the National University of Singapore, slated for completion months before the event.

Singapore is budgeting US$75.5 million to run the Olympics, covering everything from educational and cultural programmes to development of services and transport. The Games will run from August 14-26. – AFP/ir

Channel News Asia

Political Games

 With barely six months left for the Beijing Olympics, China has had to cope with the first significant political protest when Hollywood director Steven Spielberg ended his association with the games as an art adviser last week. Spielberg cited China’s reluctance to leverage its influence with the government of Sudan to end what western campaigners call the genocide in Darfur region.

Having attached so much national prestige to the Olympics, which is to showcase China’s rise to power, Beijing has become acutely vulnerable to a range of political protests and international pressures.The Chinese leadership has invested considerable diplomatic capital to preempt the kind of opposition that led to the western boycott of the Moscow Olympics at the height of the Cold War in 1980.

Western leaders, including US President George W. Bush, have promised not to undermine the Beijing Olympics. Western activists, however, have no such obligation.

Olympic Dream for Darfur, a US-based organisation set up to pressure China into helping end the bloodshed in the western Sudanese region, has unveiled plans to target the international torch relay for the Beijing Olympics.

China, which is one of the closest political and economic partners of the Sudanese government, has come under intense and sustained international criticism for not doing more to stop the years of civil conflict in Darfur.

China has regretted Spielberg’s decision and rejected the charge that it has not done enough in Darfur. Beijing points to its active role in the United Nations Security Council on the Darfur issue and its facilitation of an international peacekeeping force there.

Among the other issues that activists hope to highlight are China’s controversial rule in Tibet, its reluctance to grant full religious freedoms, and its repression of the Falungong sect.

Chinese officials are angry at what they call the ‘politicisation’ of the games. The truth, however, is that it has never been possible to insulate the Olympics from international high politics.

Hollywood’s problem

Hollywood, which is in the forefront of the Darfur campaign, is having another kind of trouble with Beijing. Chinese officials are apparently demanding a change in the script of a big Hollywood film called Shanghai, whose shooting was expected shortly in China. Shanghai is about an American who investigates his friend’s death during the Japanese occupation of the city during the Second World War.

It is believed that Hollywood’s latest China crisis is about the scenes in the script that show opium use among Chinese. Beijing is extremely sensitive about any negative portrayal of its people. This is not the first time that Beijing has asked movie-makers to rewrite the script. Oscar winning director Ang Lee recently said he had to edit his highly successful film Lust, Caution, also set in World War II-era Japanese-occupied Shanghai, so that the main character would appear less of a traitor to the Chinese cause.

Star wars

In January 2007, the United States had mounted massive criticism of the unannounced Chinese test of an anti-satellite weapon. Now it is the turn of Beijing to attack Washington for its plans to shoot down a malfunctioning satellite that is hurtling towards the earth.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Liu Jianchao, said the Chinese government was deeply concerned about the US plan. Russia has joined China in protesting against the US move. Russian analysts have interpreted the American move as an attempt to test its own space weapons. Washington, however, insists that unlike China, which deliberately destroyed the satellite in outer space, it will be intercepting the satellite just before it enters the atmosphere.

US military officials say the bus-sized satellite is carrying a fuel called hydrazine that could injure or even kill people who are near it when it hits the ground. The spy satellite, called US 193, is likely to hit Earth during the first week of March. About half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft would be expected to survive the fall and would scatter debris over several hundred miles.

The writer is professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore iscrmohan@ntu.edu.sg

The Indian Express

Competition Managers At Beijing Olympics Will Come From Host Country

BEIJING: All competition managers at the Beijing Olympics will come from the host country. This is a first since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Zhang Jilong, Director of the BOCOG Sports Department, said: “The International Olympics, International Sports Federation and the BOCOG have all agreed that the competition managers of all 28 sports for the Beijing Olympic Games will be Chinese nationals.”

Competition managers do not help athletes win medals, but they are crucial to ensuring that the games run smoothly and fairly for the players.

They must have a sound grasp of the sport, good organisational and public relation skills.

Together, they will oversee the successful completion of over 2000 events for the Games in August 2008.

The committee said it took pains to ensure that all competition managers would be Chinese nationals, because it wants to raise the standard of competition management in the country.

It hopes that this will benefit China’s sporting culture in the future.

One aspect of their job will include making sure that the Wukesong Indoor Stadium is in tip-top condition – ready to host all basketball matches come this August.

The arena, which can house 18,000 spectators, will host its first basketball match in April as part of a series of pre-Olympics test events. -CNA/vm

Channel News Asia

Background To The Youth Olympics

The decision to create the Youth Olympics was taken in July 2007 by the 119th IOC Session in Guatemala City.

The Youth Olympics which IOC President Jacques Rogge describes as the IOC’s “commitment to the youth of today and tomorrow” will gather young talented athletes aged from 14 to 18, from around the world to participate in high-level competitions.

Although sporting events will take centre-stage, the aim of the Youth Olympics is not just to inspire young people around the world to take up sport.

Through the games it’s also hoped that bonds between the youth of the world will be created with the respect shown on the sports field of play being translated into everyday living.

As education will be weaved into the Youth Olympics, it’s hoped that young people will learn to be wary of the dangers in sport and the world such as drugs and violence, and become inspired to play an active role in their communities.

The Youth Olympics will follow the four year cycle of the Olympics Games, alternating between Winter and Summer Games.

The first ever Youth Olympic Games will be the Summer Games to held in 2010.
It will bring together approximately 3,200 athletes and 800 officials who will be involved in a sports programme that will encompass all 26 sports on the programme of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The Winter Olympic Youth Games will follow in 2012.

Channel News Asia

Sports Associations Prepare For Inaugural Youth Olympic Games

SINGAPORE : February 21 is the day Singapore will know if it managed to edge out rival Moscow in its bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

But even before it gets the final nod, Singapore has prepared its game plan.

And one strategy is to get all stakeholders on board.

Our reporter looks at how National Sports Associations can play a pivotal role.

Support for Singapore’s bid to host the Youth Olympic Games came in various forms and for some groups, their commitment to the Games is much more than a show of support.

The National Sports Associations have a crucial role as they are the ones which will groom the athletes to take part in the inaugural event in 2010.

Some 3,500 athletes will be competing in 26 sports for the Youth Olympic Games.

But what’s more important, all the athletes have to be from 14 to 18 years old, so National Sports Associations in Singapore have to focus on youth development and developing its talent.

The Singapore Athletics Association believes it’s on track to deliver a few medals in throwing and sprint events.

S Govindaraju, Honorary Secretary, Singapore Athletics Association, said: “The Association has a very strategic plan for development of young athletes, so for the past couple of years we have been grooming young athletes and they have been showing some results at the last SEA Games. Our message to them is that if they continue to focus and show the same commitment, we can expect some medals at this Youth Olympics.”

Also confident at making a splash are Singapore swimmers.

Most of them are in the age group which is just right for the Games.

Despite being a regional powerhouse, the Singapore Swimming Association, or SSA, wants to aim to excel in another discipline – diving.

Jeffrey Leow, President, Singapore Swimming Association, said: “Right now, we have no divers so if there are any divers out there listening to this, and want to take a crack at the Youth Olympic Games, please come to SSA and let us know so when we get our diving coach in we can start the programme.”

Singapore plans to have its athletes compete in all 26 sports being contested.

Teo Ser Luck, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said: “There are some sports without Associations like handball. But the good thing is we have handball players…so if you have the players that would help.”

And with that strategy, Singapore managed to send a large contingent of young athletes at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last year in preparation for the big Games in 2010.

Meanwhile Young NTUC members have specially penned a cheer to show support for Singapore’s bid to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

They performed the cheer for the first time at the inaugural Singapore Charity Shield event on Sunday evening.

It was a soccer match between Singapore Armed Forces FC and Home United at Jalan Besar Stadium.

The event marks the start of this year’s NTUC Income-Yeo’s S.League season. – CNA/ch

Channel News Asia

Effort On Youth Olympic Games To Be Celebrated, Regardless Of Bid’s Success

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s fate is sealed on Friday, on whether it will host the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

International Olympic Committee members had till 15 February to post their ballots, but the results will only be announced on 21 February.

Until then, the momentum continues to impress upon the world that Singapore is ready for the Games – said Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development Teo Ser Luck.

Speaking to reporters at a Boys Town event in support of the bid, he said there are many more activities in the pipeline till next Thursday to continue the momentum.

He said he is ‘quietly confident’ of a win, and added that there will be a celebration no matter what.

“We will have a party, a party not just to celebrate the outcome of the results, but more importantly it’s to celebrate all the effort that has been put in by Singaporeans and all the organisations in Singapore,” Mr Teo said.

He continued: “I want to thank the public for bringing us so far. I think it is a very commendable feat. All of us are truly inspired and very encouraged.” -CNA/vm

Channel News Asia