- 18 athletes qualified on merit to be among the world’s best youth to represent Singapore
- Chef de Mission Mark Chay impressed by the grit and stellar performances displayed by the athletes to push beyond their personal bests
- YOG experience will help prepare athletes for their senior sports careers
- Mixed international team events a hit, friendships forged through sports and Culture Education Programme
Nanjing, 27 August 2014 – The competition for Team Singapore at the second Youth Olympic Games (YOG) came to a close today when flag bearer and diver Jonathan Chan executed his final dive with his partner Ganna Krasnoshlyk from Ukraine in the mixed international team event. Over the past 11 days, 18 young athletes representing Singapore in eight sports have displayed grit and stellar performances to rise above the competition in Nanjing.
Qualification on merit
Since Singapore hosted the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games, the momentum in developing youth sports talents for the Nanjing Games continues to bear fruit. All eighteen athletes qualified on merit, meeting the qualification criteria set by the International Federations and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), hence qualifying among the top best athletes in the world to compete in Nanjing.
Rising among the best
The YOG commenced in good fashion for Team Singapore athletes when triathletes Denise Chia and Bryce Chong, the first athletes to compete, both clocked personal best timings. Gymnast Nadine Joy Nathan put on a solid performance in the qualifiers to secure a coveted spot in the women’s all-round finals and achieved a personal best overall score. Swimmer Dylan Koo managed to clock a personal best in the Men’s 100m Butterfly event with a new timing of 56.24.
Martina Veloso and Teh Xiu Yi both shot silver medal targets in the 10m Air Rifle Women’s event and 10m Air Pistol Mixed International Team event respectively. Martina is one of the four Team Singapore athletes who will be competing in three major games this year. Besides a silver medal to boast, her reunion with her childhood friend, gymnast Ava Verdeflor (PHI), at the Games has gained international attention. (See http://www.olympic.org/news/childhood-friends-reunited-as-youth-olympic-athletes-after-12-years/236615)
Xiu Yi rated her experience teaming up with Mohamed Ahmed from Egypt in the mixed international team event a nine out of ten. A unique feature of the YOG, the mixed international team events bring athletes from different National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to compete together in a bid to encourage athletes to foster friendships through competition.
“Mohamed and I have not competed before, in fact this is my first time meeting him, but we have developed a great chemistry at the range. Whenever I shoot a low 9, he’ll shoot a 10 to bring our results up. We have exchanged contacts and I look forward to keeping in touch with him,” said the 18 year-old Republic Polytechnic student who also shot a personal best score of 382 in the individual 10m Air Pistol Women’s event.
The sailors’ clean sweep in the dinghy events set a historic mark in Singapore’s Olympic records. Bernie Chin and Samantha Yom became the first Singaporeans to win gold at the Summer Youth Olympic Games when they bagged two gold medals in the Byte CII men’s and women’s events.
Though competition concluded early for some of the athletes, they quickly resumed their training programme in Nanjing to prepare for the competitions ahead and also took time out to participate in the Culture Education Programme.
Culture and Education Programme
Culture and Education are key components for the YOG. The Nanjing 2014 Culture and Education Programme has proven to be a hit with the young athletes. They made new friends from around the world, met Athlete Role Models, learnt important skills, connected with other cultures and celebrated the Olympic values.
Within the CEP Programme, Team Singapore athletes participated in activities based on themes which embody Olympic values such as Olympism, Skill Development, Well-Being & Healthy Lifestyle, Social Responsibility and Expression. They visited booths to learn topics such as anti-doping, protecting the environment and healthy body image, and sampled different cultures. They also took part in workshops and games such as healthy cooking and treasure hunt.
Said windsurfer Ynez Lim, “I really enjoyed the Culture Education Programme as I get to experience different cultures from different countries. I’ve also made many friends and exchanged social media contacts with them on the YOGGER device.”
Said Cecilia Low, Young Ambassador, “At first, I had to encourage the athletes to participate in the Culture Education Programme. Once they tried it out, they had so much fun and persuaded others to participate too. Being a Young Ambassador at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games has given me the opportunity to understand the extensive efforts put in by the organisers to ensure that the athletes have a great experience. Along the way, I’ve also picked up a lot of new knowledge and skills, and made new friends from other sports and countries.”
Preparing for the future
Said Chef de Mission Mark Chay, “The past 11 days in Nanjing brought a lot of wonderful celebratory moments for Team Singapore. The athletes have performed well in their sports, some made personal bests, and the sailors and shooters were extraordinary in their inspiring performances. The athletes also immersed themselves in the Culture Education Programme to learn about different cultures and picked up new skills. More importantly, I am very happy that they have emerged a stronger team, supporting each other and fostering new friendships among themselves. The Youth Olympic Games is more than a sports competition, their examples of doing their best while maintaining friendship and respect for each other has fulfilled my expectations for the team”.
“The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games will be very memorable for many of these young athletes. The people and volunteers of Nanjing have delivered a fantastic Games, providing a warm and friendly atmosphere for the teams. As we conclude our campaign in Nanjing, I would like to acknowledge the support from the Singapore National Olympic Council, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Sport Singapore, the National Sports Associations, parents, coaches and educators, and hope that they will continue to support youth sports development in Singapore. The YOG has proven to be a fantastic platform for young athletes to gain competition experience to prepare them for their senior careers ahead.”
