To Friendship, Excellence and Respect

The big event in town these days is the Youth Olympic Games.

While the local media is -- not unexpectedly -- filled with pages and pages of glowing reports of how well things are going, the overall sense I've been getting from the ground, especially online, has been overwhelmingly negative.

On the whole, people are just not interested. Instead they have been complaining. About the budget that more than tripled, about the inconveniences caused by road closures, about having to give way to YOG vehicles, about MOE buying the bulk of the tickets and "forcing" students to attend events, about the fact that we are spending money hosting a games that no one seems interested in.

I'm not saying that these complaints aren't valid. (Though personally, I can't see why people have an issue with giving way to YOG vehicles. Perhaps they are unhappy about the possible imposition of a fine for any failure to do so -- that probably could have been handled better. But giving way is just basic common courtesy isn't it? Can we really not make an exception for guests/athletes in this respect?) But when I think of all the negativity surrounding what is essentially an amazing opportunity for Singapore youth and sportsmen, I am deeply saddened.

Maybe it was because I was a student athlete. I used to run long-distance events, though you probably can't tell since I hardly even run for the bus these days. I was good, but obviously nowhere near the best. I remember the one time I got to represent combined schools in the 1,500m. I was 15 that year and it was a great experience. I enjoyed getting to train with and get to know the athletes from other schools better, girls that I met regularly at events but never got to exchange more than a few words with. It was good competing against runners from Australia and Malaysia, running against a broader field. I believe the experience was invaluable.

I always knew that the reason I got to do so that year was because the meet was held in Singapore. If they had to choose athletes to be sent overseas for such a competition, I would never have stood a chance.

Which was why I told DD while reading some news reports on Singapore's representatives to the Youth Olympic Games that the Singaporean youngsters were SO LUCKY. It isn't the Olympics per se, but it is a recognised olympic event involving countries from around the world, held in our own backyard. Even better, Singapore has committed to sending representatives for all 26 sports, so folks who ordinarily would probably never have gotten an opportunity to represent the nation at this level will be doing so. What an amazing opportunity.

I was glad to see that, from what I have read, our young sportsmen have seized the opportunity with both hands. They have been diligently training, some even taking time off school to concentrate on their sport in preparation for the Games.

These athletes should be supported, not ignored, or worse still, made to feel like they have been a big inconvenience. We want to encourage the young to pursue their dreams, to know and believe that there's more to life than studying and pursuing academic qualifications, to be less self-centred and materialistic. Here is a chance to do so.

My only regret is that I didn't buy tickets to events earlier. I had fully intended to go, but with the house-moving, uncompleted reno and the unpredictability of a toddler, I didn't dare to commit to any dates. Now it appears that most events are sold out, perhaps filled by students who were forced to go?

A couple of friends and I are probably still going to try our luck this weekend and see if we can get some tickets. Perhaps catch some track events for old times sake. If not, I guess there's always TV.

The baby of the family has been showing a keen interest in the events, asking to "watch TV! watch swimming!". And as you can see below, happily jigging to the beat of the Opening Ceremony.

Rock on baby. These Games, they are for you.

Edit:
Yes, that is my new and rather bare new house in the background in the video. The TV console hadn't been completed so the TV is on my old coffee table, on the opposite wall to where the TV console now stands. As I was commenting to some friends, my old furniture now looks rather dwarfed in my new space so I think we'll have to get a new sofa and dining table! It's all rather raw at the moment, but as you can tell, Noey is positively relishing the space.