SINGAPORE : Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck, has given the Asian Youth Games' organising committee an "A" grade.

Speaking at the sidelines of a youth award event on Monday, he told reporters that the event was a success despite the problems faced.

The Asian Youth Games may have opened with a bang, but it was plagued with several problems from the start.

Criticism erupted over poor ticketing promotion and last minute scheduling changes, amid complaints about events held in half-empty venues.

There were also initial doubts whether the Games would go on as scheduled, as the H1N1 virus hit the Philippine and Hong Kong football teams and Malaysia pulled out as a precaution.

Despite those problems, Mr Teo said the organising committee did their best, given the time and budget constraints.

While he admitted the committee was not fully prepared, he added the Games had always been meant as a testing platform for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in 2010.

He said: "Honestly, we did not realise that it can come up to be so big, and we also did not realise that it would capture so much attention. But nevertheless, putting the hiccups aside, and some of the gaps we need to close aside, I think they have done a great job. I would give a good 'A' grade."

On Team Singapore's performance, Mr Teo said the crop of 30 medals - comprising nine golds, six silvers and 15 bronzes - confirms the Republic can produce local sporting talent.

Mr Teo said: "Based on the results of our youth athletes, I realised that they do have a chance for medals, and five medals were originally what I'd forecasted, but they exceeded my expectations."

Mr Teo added that with growing interest in Singapore's sports culture and the work done by the YOG organising committee so far, he is confident Singapore will be able to pull off similar events in the future. - CNA/ms