Singapore gears up for Youth Olympic Games
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Singapore is ready to host a successful 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) and hopes it will leave a unique legacy while providing valuable experiences for young athletes from around the world.
This year's YOG, which takes place from Aug 14-26, is the inaugural event and will feature 3,600 athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 from more than 200 National Olympic Committees (NOCs). They will compete in 184 events in 26 sports.
The second YOG will be held in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, in 2014.
The opening ceremony in Singapore is expected to boast fireworks, elaborate costumes and stunning performances. It will be hosted at the Marina Bay floating platform and the construction of it for the extravaganza has been completed.
It will be the world's biggest show on a floating platform.
Apart from the sporting events that will take place in 18 venues across Singapore, the organizing committee will also have events to educate and entertain the athletes and other young people.
One of its major efforts is to set up the Athlete Role Models club, where a number of world famous champions will share their experiences with athletes and the youth Singapore.
The star-studded list includes three Chinese, diving queen Guo Jingjing, volleyball Olympic champion Feng Kun and Winter Olympics champion Yang Yang A).
"As a Chinese athlete, I feel honored to become one of the role models for the Youth Games," said Yang, one of the most accomplished short-track speed skaters of all time having won 59 world titles, including two Olympic gold medals at the 2002 Winter Games.
"I'm pleased to see Singapore set up such a program to educate athletes. It's a great start as sport is also a part of education. Sport not only teaches us about winning and losing but also lets us know the spirit of never-say-die and how to remain positive during times of difficulty."
Yang said there would be 48 "model athletes" at the Youth Games and encouraged the younger generation to talk with them.
"We will attend the competitions, visit the Youth Olympic Village and feature in 'Chat with Champions' forums designed to inspire and educate the participants through our own dreams and experiences and the challenges we have overcome," Yang said
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