Random Thoughts: YOG Singapore 2010

To be frank, I was a skeptic once. When I first heard that Singapore is going to hold an "Olympic", my reaction was that of cynical and sarcasm.

My reactions, were not from that of Singapore being too small whatsoever. Olympic games can be held in small towns, as long as you have the proper venues whatsoever, it can be done. Whether or not the conditions of these venues can satisfy, that is another issue.

My skepticism comes from mainly one thing, Singaporeans. Singaporeans are somehow too "passive" for their own good and have these kind of hermit-like thinking that as long as you don't mess up with my way of life, I won't and I can't be bothered. After all I was such a person as well.

My immediate thinking was of empty venues, lack of support from the people, lack of volunteers and helpers. For any person to have such thoughts is inevitable; you look at the tents selling YOG related items and souvenirs from since last year, all you notice is some foreigners inside browsing and the occasional Singaporean, going in and getting amused but not buying anything definitely.

Next the news is that the volunteers not actually "volunteers", but kinda forced to enter from schools and having a change in their time-table. NTU couldn't start school until end of this month when my university, SIM RMIT's Sem is about to end soon!

My thought is that YOG is just a show made for the international stage, earn revenue... all of those economically and politically correct reasons. Socially it just seems totally wrong.

But my reaction started to change as I saw the opening of the YOG at Marina Floating Platform on TV. The scale no doubt incomparable to that of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, but still I can't deny I was impressed with the show put up and the "Phoenix" and "Spiral Torch Tower".

Then started the games and I watched matches that was shown on TV when I'm doing my usual channel switching. Slowly I was converted to the so-called "supporters of YOG" from being an "Anti YOG."

It dawned on me, this event is not about Singapore, it's not about Singaporeans, it's not about the Olympic games itself, it's about the Athletes.

Somehow I compared between the Beijing Olympic and this Singapore's YOG. With stark contrast is the whole professionalism in it, the scale of it, the enthusiastic nature of it, the grandness of it. Beijing's Olympic has the grandeur of a whole country and the people being prepped for it, mainly has got to do with the whole Patriotism that the Chinese have, everything seems so full of spirit and support. Everything was done was a sense of proper actions and the athletes themselves are mature. After all it's an "Adult" Olympic Games. I remembered watching a game of Weight Lifting in the YOG where one of the weightlifters could not fulfill her standard and cried right on the spot as she put down her weight. Few seconds later some of the kid volunteers were then summoned on to the stage to "cover" the athlete from the Camera and main audience. Such is the immaturity and childishness that you can never see in the real Olympics.

In the first place, to compare YOG to a real Olympic is wrong. Just think about the Winter Olympic Games, no one even knows when it's held, when was the last time it was held and what games were in it. It's also an Olympic Game in a sense but no one knows about it. So what if the YOG is not being reported extensively in international news?

The true essence of the YOG that I was enlightened with, after watching the various emotions from the athletes face, is the whole matter that these athletes are really competing and feeling the emotions that one would face in an Olympic itself. No normal person will be able to experience this emotions themselves and being able to witness it 1st hand with the athletes is heartwarming. Remember these athletes are only at most 18 and yet they have such sentiments, compared to the normative Singapore adults, they seem much more human than us. Although the achievements level between the 2 games are very much different, it won't go by too far. Treat this is a Preliminary Exam before your O or A levels, the whole tension and mood of it can be likened to that of the YOG.

Just those real emotions, are certainly enough reasons for the games to be held.

I'm in no position to criticize the "Anti YOG", cause after all I was almost one of them. Furthermore undoubtedly there is quite a bit of mismanagement in the YOG that was and will not be reflected in the international news, for example the food to volunteers, the ticketing issues, the amount of money spent on it and how the involuntary volunteers traded off their time on this. So "Anti YOG" people do have their points.

However, after watching this, I will never say this is a waste of time and money. I prefer to call this an investment in the future of sports for Singapore and possibly the world.

The YOG could be held in other countries and if that happens, it's almost a certainty that no one in Singapore would care. Due to our passive nature, we would not be bothered by it unless it's in the headlines, or maybe the New Paper. But by holding it in Singapore, it will promote the notion of Sports future in Singapore and encourage the culture of it. Singapore's Ping Pong is respectably good (and they are not foreign talents), archery is improving etc etc. Only by holding it in Singapore, will there be an incline to changing society's attitude towards sports and perhaps other aspects of talents, rather than just the paper chase route, because people will be more aware of it. The large amount of local media attention on it due to it being in Singapore itself aids in this purpose by a large extent.

If I were the PM of Singapore, be it that I know this event is a money-losing event, I will still want to hold it. Looking back, maybe this is Dr Balakrishnan's real purpose in pursuing for the games.

YOG was held, and should be held solely for the sake of these young athletes and for the future of the Sporting culture in Singapore and the world. To those asking the many questions on the success and purpose of YOG, in my very honest opinion this was a great success for the purpose of it and it being held here in Singapore, it's almost a once in a lifetime thing which I am willing to be part of.