Extract of  Parliament report - 20th July, 2009

Mr Baey Yam Keng (MP Tanjong Pagar GRC) (asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports how the hosting of the Asian Youth Games 2009 has helped Singapore prepare for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The inaugural Asian Youth Games (AYG) was a success. The Organising Committee comprising staff from the Ministry of Education and Singapore Sports Council did an excellent job despite the very short preparation time and tight budget in organising a complex multi-sports event.

 The AYG was conceived as a test event for the coming Youth Olympic Games in 2010. Therefore, members of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) were involved throughout the preparatory and operational phases of the AYG. Both Games Organising Committees are undertaking a comprehensive review of all aspects of the AYG to draw relevant lessons for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) next year. I shall now touch on some of the preliminary lessons learnt, and also give an update on the preparations for the YOG.

 First, we gained invaluable experience in conducting an international multi-sport event in a community setting. It is worth bearing in mind that both the AYG and YOG will be conducted without the National Stadium being available. Therefore, all the venues are really community sports venues used by local residents. We had to quickly bring the facilities up to international competition standard to ensure that athletes have a conducive environment to perform to their best. It was also a complex exercise in coordination because of the numerous different venues and transport arrangements to ensure that athletes and officials could move safely and efficiently.  On the accommodation front, I am pleased to note that the Games Village has impressed the National Olympic Committees, athletes, officials and VIPs for the total offerings and world-class service excellence.

 Second, we learnt the importance of having sufficient lead time and publicity to increase spectatorship. The AYG did not have the luxury of time or budget for sustained publicity for the Games. We now recognise that perhaps due to lack of familiarity of sports and the athletes, some events were less popular for spectators. The YOG team, together with the national sports associations and other education, community and corporate partners, will be increasing public outreach. I hope this will drum up greater support for all athletes before and during the games. There was one area where we broke new ground. The innovative use of live new media broadcasting over the internet had turned out to be a positive experience in engaging the public, both locally and overseas for the AYG, and it will be considered for the YOG.

The third area is in the conduct of the culture and education programme (CEP). This was first introduced at the AYG, and will be a key feature of the YOG, where sports, culture and education will be integrated as part of the formal programme for all the athletes. The CEP aimed to help the participating athletes learn about different cultures, and establish new understanding and friendships with fellow athletes and our volunteers off the field. The athletes had given positive feedback. We have gained valuable knowledge on areas such as athletes’ interests, event schedules and role of interpreters. With these insights, SYOGOC would be able to refine service levels and ensure delivery of an engaging and lasting off the field experience for the YOG participants next year.

 Fourth, we also learnt much about how to manage a potential outbreak of influenza and other infectious diseases while conducting an international event.  We were able to quickly detect the few cases of influenza among the athletes and officials, and took prompt actions to prevent an outbreak. The protocol that was developed and field-tested during the AYG will certainly help to ensure a safe environment for the YOG.

 There are many other lessons, such as the enrolment, training and engagement of volunteers, working as a team among the various stakeholders, enhancing our relationships with the Olympic Council of Asia and the International sports federations. SYOGOC will carefully study all the lessons learnt and apply them to ensure that the YOG, though much larger and more complex, will deliver an even more exciting, enriching and memorable experience for all athletes, officials, visitors, volunteers and other stakeholders.