14. August 2010
Singapore
Artistic Gymnastics
I. Youth Olympic Games: Kicks Off In Singapore
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The inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) officially kicked off with host Singapore staging the biggest show ever for its opening ceremony at the floating platform at the Marina Bay.
Featuring light and laser, fire and water effects, the two-hour spectacular and dizzying show mesmerized the 27,000 seated spectators and millions more watching live on television here and around the world. Over 5,500 young performers entertained the crowd including the 3,600 athletes, aged 14 to 18, from all corners of the world and who will be participating in 26 sports in the 12-day Games to be held in various venues around the city-state island. The Games was declared opened by Singapore President S R Nathan after International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and Singapore YOG Organising Committee Chairman Ng Ser Miang gave their speeches.
Featuring light and laser, fire and water effects, the two-hour spectacular and dizzying show mesmerized the 27,000 seated spectators and millions more watching live on television here and around the world. Over 5,500 young performers entertained the crowd including the 3,600 athletes, aged 14 to 18, from all corners of the world and who will be participating in 26 sports in the 12-day Games to be held in various venues around the city-state island. The Games was declared opened by Singapore President S R Nathan after International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge and Singapore YOG Organising Committee Chairman Ng Ser Miang gave their speeches.
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The Olympic flag was then brought in and was symbolically handed over from eight senior Olympians to eight Singaporean youth athletes who brought it to the flag pole for flag raising accompanied by the Olympic anthem sung in Greek by a choir.
The representatives of the participating athletes, officials and coaches then took the Games oath.
The Olympic flame which had traversed the globe from Athens, via Berlin and other important locations and carried by a young torch bearer later arrived in a vessel at Marina Bay accompanied by dragon boats.
The torch flame was passed to several youth athletes one after another before the final runner reached and lit the lighthouse-shaped cauldron, marking the start of the Games.
The representatives of the participating athletes, officials and coaches then took the Games oath.
The Olympic flame which had traversed the globe from Athens, via Berlin and other important locations and carried by a young torch bearer later arrived in a vessel at Marina Bay accompanied by dragon boats.
The torch flame was passed to several youth athletes one after another before the final runner reached and lit the lighthouse-shaped cauldron, marking the start of the Games.
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Earlier, the show began with drummers replicating the sound of the human heartbeat and counting down to the start of the ceremony at 8.10 pm, and followed by traditional songs and dances, representing Singapore's various races, welcoming visitors from all over the world.
The young Olympians were then welcomed into the arena and for the first time in the Olympic history they were brought in early and given the best seats in the public gallery.
The Singapore flag was raised accompanied by a choir leading the audience singing the Singapore national anthem "Majulah Singapura" before giant puppets took the stage and the multi-media show began narrating Singapore's growth from a flourishing port city to the present day metropolis.
Performers then sent a "SOS" distress signal to the world calling for immediate attention to the crises that the planet was facing such as war, famine and natural disasters.
To symbolize that the world was not going to end yet, a lotus bud blossomed, accompanied by a rock band performance, a water ballet and a fashion show which paraded costumes made from recycled materials.
Flags of all the participating 204 National Olympic Committees at the Games were then paraded with the flag of Greece, home to the ancient Olympic Games, the first to enter, and the Singapore flag the last.
A total of 3,600 helium-filled dove balloons, one for each young Olympian, were released into the sky, conveying the message of peace and global unity.
The opening ceremony ended with a display of fireworks launched from the floating platform and high rise buildings around the Marina Bay.
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* Remembering: ... World Youth Games 1998, a part of history ... |
.An event nine years in the making has finally arrived.
From August 14 to August 26, Singapore will host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, bringing an estimated 3,600 young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 from more than 200 nations to compete against one another while learning from and about each other.
Its predecessor, the IOC-endorsed World Youth Games, took place in Moscow in 1998, but was discontinued.
When Jacques Rogge was elected president of the International Olympic Committee in 2001, he decided to bring the project back.
In 2007, five potential hosts were announced, with Singapore beating out Athens, Bangkok, Moscow and Turin to host the inaugural Games. The same 26 sports that occur in the regular Summer Games will be part of the competition in the Youth Olympic Games, but not all disciplines or events will be contested. Of course, these Games are about more than just competing.
From August 14 to August 26, Singapore will host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, bringing an estimated 3,600 young athletes between the ages of 14 and 18 from more than 200 nations to compete against one another while learning from and about each other.
Its predecessor, the IOC-endorsed World Youth Games, took place in Moscow in 1998, but was discontinued.
When Jacques Rogge was elected president of the International Olympic Committee in 2001, he decided to bring the project back.
In 2007, five potential hosts were announced, with Singapore beating out Athens, Bangkok, Moscow and Turin to host the inaugural Games. The same 26 sports that occur in the regular Summer Games will be part of the competition in the Youth Olympic Games, but not all disciplines or events will be contested. Of course, these Games are about more than just competing.
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The Culture and Education Programme (CEP)
is a big part of the event, and its goal is for the athletes "to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect."
The CEP page on the website notes ways for the athletes to apply the Olympic values to their lives as well as an overview of the five educational themes — Olympism, skills development, well-being and healthy lifestyle, social responsibility and expression
is a big part of the event, and its goal is for the athletes "to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect."
The CEP page on the website notes ways for the athletes to apply the Olympic values to their lives as well as an overview of the five educational themes — Olympism, skills development, well-being and healthy lifestyle, social responsibility and expression