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SINGAPORE : It is the last day of the Youth Olympic Games and it would not have been possible without the some 20,000 volunteers.
Officials commended the performance of volunteers saying that they have shown how Singapore can be gracious and hospitable.
Polytechnic students Fanny Koh and Poojaa Darshan said they feel sad, as it is their last day as volunteers at the Games.
They said the time just flew by and even though the Games ended on Thursday, the experience they have gained is priceless.
Ms Koh said: "In school, for example, we do mock press conferences but here I actually see a press conference live and it was quite a significant one as well because it was the first gold medal."
Ms Darshan added: "The most fun bit about volunteering was getting to meet the athletes and interviewing them and finding out about their experiences. And besides mingling with the athletes, it is also about forming new friendships with the other volunteers here."
At a press conference on Thursday, officials also spoke about a volunteer who went all out to help a mother and her seven-year-old daughter watch a tennis final. The small girl was crying because tickets were sold out and her mother had bought the wrong tickets.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Teo Ser Luck, said: "There are a lot of rules and protocols... but he just did it. I asked him why did he do that and he said, 'I cannot bear to disappoint the mother and daughter, especially the seven-year-old. It meant so much to her and I had to do this.'
"He said, 'Never mind it's yesterday's tickets, I will take it and go ahead.' I asked, 'What if they are chased away?' He replied, 'They will never chase them, I will stand beside them...I will take the responsibility.' That is the type of spirit. He is a volunteer. I do not see that very often...."
Besides volunteers, athletes also said they are glad to have taken part.
Stefanie Tan, tennis player, Singapore, said: "Knowing that only about 100 people got to represent Singapore, especially because it is in the home country, it makes me feel very proud because I had a lot of home crowd support and people writing on my Facebook wall and stuff like that."
Ivania Carballo Barrera, a fencer from El Salvador, said: "It has helped me to see my goals, because of course I want to be in the next senior Olympic Games and this has prepared me a lot."
The Games came to a close on Thursday but there is no doubt that some of the athletes will see each other again in London in 2012. - CNA/ms
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