S'pore gears up for YOG
By Terrence Voon
WITH just 18 months to go before the Youth Olympic Games, the clock is ticking for organisers of the inuaugural event.
And with Singapore in the grip of a financial downturn, can the country deliver a top-notch sporting show next year?
The answer, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Transport) Teo Ser Luck, is still a resounding yes.
Responding to queries from MP in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Teo admitted that there had been 'a lull' in YOG-related activities since Singapore won the historic bid last year.
But a slew of initiatives are being lined up this year, as organisers gear up for the final lap of preparations.
'This year, we're going to roll out several engagement activities with the schools and even at the districts level to actually encourage more and more community events that will create the buzz again,' he said.
This includes partnering voluntary welfare organisations like Harvest Care Centre for a cultural and heritage event in April, and the ITE, which will be organising basic excellence training programme for 20,000 volunteers.
Another key initiative - satellite training centres for selected Olympic sports in each of the four school zones. These centres, which will be rolled out in the coming months, will provide additional avenues for youth participation.
They will be based at schools with good potential in the chosen sports or at selected Singapore Sports Council facilities.
The aim is to groom youngsters to compete at the Youth Olympics, with a long-term goal of providing a steady supply of young talented Singapore athletes.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_337059.html