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SINGAPORE: The Youth Olympic Games has ushered in a new generation of sports stars in Singapore.
Community Development, Youth and Sports Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said this at the end of the Games on Thursday.
He said Singapore made the right decision in bidding to host the Games, adding that there is no doubt Singapore will recoup the investments pumped in.
The budget for the inaugural YOG has surpassed original estimates of S$104 million by more than three times to about S$387 million.
The football match where Singapore clinched bronze probably summed up the experience of the YOG - blood, sweat and tears.
The Sports Minister said Team Singapore's overall performance is proof the Singapore system is capable of producing the best talents who can compete on the world stage.
The Games also signalled the reawakening of spectator support for sports. This was seen in the capacity crowds at various competition venues.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "Singaporeans understand what it is now to support sports to respect excellence. For those of you at Jalan Besar, the crowds, the way they sang the anthem, the way they cheered for our team and shed tears both in victory and defeat, and equally important last night, even after our match the numbers who stayed on to watch the Bolivia-Haiti match showed that we have now reawakened the ability to appreciate sports."
Dr Balakrishnan said the Olympic fever caught on among Singaporeans during the torch relay around the island, despite initial concerns about the Games not catching on among Singaporeans.
Rules and protocols were broken to ensure the torch was accessible to the most number of citizens.
There is also a legacy on the ground for Singaporeans to appreciate in the various sports infrastructure that have been upgraded to accommodate the Games.
Dr Balakrishnan said the Games gave Singapore the opportunity to upgrade sporting venues across the country and these facilities would be used by all Singaporeans long after the Games have passed.
Beyond that, the Games also showed that a small country like Singapore can dream big.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "It's really part of our larger game plan of repositioning Singapore, that we've gone past the stage of Third World to First World city. We now want to be one of the most exciting, happening, dynamic, vibrant places that caters to all needs."
On critics of the Games, Dr Balakrisnan said he appreciated constructive ones because "they made a difference". But it was not the case for many others.
Referring to reports of a man who posted negative comments about the Games on his Facebook page and threatening to "burn" the Sports Minister, Dr Balakrishnan said: "I didn't know about it until I read about it in the papers. It shows that I almost didn't care. I had more important things to do. I had good feedback and good suggestions from so many people and I focused on that."
The minister also commended the performance of the volunteers who he said showed that Singapore can be "welcoming, hospitable and gracious".
On its part, the International Olympic Committee said the Games exceeded the highest expectations, despite cynics and some countries choosing not to send their best teams.
IOC president Jacques Rogge said: "Football - we definitely did not have the very strong teams; this was a deliberate policy of FIFA. I said to FIFA, 'we would prefer to have a stronger team next time' and we agreed to discuss this although I had to say the tournament was a very exciting one. There's a number of countries that have sent not the absolute top athletes, a little lower level, and they all told me that they regretted it."
As for Singapore's YOG Organising Committee Chairman Ng Ser Miang, he is grateful for a successful staging of the Games. He said: "I'm very happy, very relieved and I think it's wonderful to see that the Olympians are happy, the officials are happy, Singaporeans are happy; it's quite amazing, it's something that has created so much goodwill, so much friendship that it's really incredible, really amazing."
The inaugural YOG may have ended but it is hoped that the spirit of the Games will remain in the young athletes and that they will be charting bigger sporting careers for themselves.
- CNA/ir
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