YOG organisers want to get buzz going on the ground
By Hoe Yeen Nie | Posted: 20 March 2010 2120 hrs
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SINGAPORE : Preparations for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are moving quickly, but organisers said they are still short of 5,000 volunteers.
With just five months to go, they said what is really needed now is to get the buzz going on the ground.
Dare-devil stunts were the order of the day as over 40 teams battled for top place at the First National Cheerleading Championships on Saturday.
From April 22, the manic energy of these cheerleaders will be brought from the gym floor to streets of Singapore, to drum up support for the Youth Olympic Games.
During the YOG, the winning teams will lead the crowd in their cheers too, including three specially created for the event.
The first is written by pop singer J J Lin and was unveiled on Saturday. The other two will be unveiled over the coming months.
Back in 2008, Singapore's successful bid for the Games saw sponsors and volunteers getting into the act.
Now, with about five months left, organisers want to get the buzz going again.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Vivian Balakrishnan, said: "We need ideas, we need participation, we need energy. This is not something we can plan top-down. What I am doing is I am opening communication channels.
"If someone has an idea, email it to me, we will work with our staff and we will see how we can work these ideas into reality. There is a sense of urgency but it is not too late and I think we can do this."
Dr Balakrishnan added that the YOG is not just for the young, or for those active in sports.
He said: "All the effort we invested in this will be wasted if every Singaporean does not feel that this is a once-in-a-lifetime, that the Olympic flame is going to come to Singapore in such a close way, and (every Singaporean) is not touched by it or affected by the Olympic spirit in one way or the other."
The Games will run from August 14 to 26, and tickets will be sold from the end of the month.
The sporting competitions will be held at various stadiums in the housing estates. - CNA/ms
By Hoe Yeen Nie | Posted: 20 March 2010 2120 hrs
<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=260 align=right><TBODY><TR><TD width=20 align=right> </TD><TD width=240 align=right>
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD><TD class=update> </TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
SINGAPORE : Preparations for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are moving quickly, but organisers said they are still short of 5,000 volunteers.
With just five months to go, they said what is really needed now is to get the buzz going on the ground.
Dare-devil stunts were the order of the day as over 40 teams battled for top place at the First National Cheerleading Championships on Saturday.
From April 22, the manic energy of these cheerleaders will be brought from the gym floor to streets of Singapore, to drum up support for the Youth Olympic Games.
During the YOG, the winning teams will lead the crowd in their cheers too, including three specially created for the event.
The first is written by pop singer J J Lin and was unveiled on Saturday. The other two will be unveiled over the coming months.
Back in 2008, Singapore's successful bid for the Games saw sponsors and volunteers getting into the act.
Now, with about five months left, organisers want to get the buzz going again.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Vivian Balakrishnan, said: "We need ideas, we need participation, we need energy. This is not something we can plan top-down. What I am doing is I am opening communication channels.
"If someone has an idea, email it to me, we will work with our staff and we will see how we can work these ideas into reality. There is a sense of urgency but it is not too late and I think we can do this."
Dr Balakrishnan added that the YOG is not just for the young, or for those active in sports.
He said: "All the effort we invested in this will be wasted if every Singaporean does not feel that this is a once-in-a-lifetime, that the Olympic flame is going to come to Singapore in such a close way, and (every Singaporean) is not touched by it or affected by the Olympic spirit in one way or the other."
The Games will run from August 14 to 26, and tickets will be sold from the end of the month.
The sporting competitions will be held at various stadiums in the housing estates. - CNA/ms
chipper, betta, faster! ... 
