From Youth Olympics to Formula One

SINGAPORE – For a small city-state of 3.6 million people, Singapore is hosting a number of sports events that have attracted – and is attracting – international attention.

The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics or the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an international multi-sport event for youth, took place from Aug. 14 to 26. It was the inaugural of the YOG which attracted a total of 3,531 athletes between 14 to 18 years of age from 204 National Olympic Committees. The athletes competed in 201 events in 26 sports.

The Singaporeans won three medals: a bronze in taekwondo for 17-year old Daryl Tan and silvers from swimmer Rainer Ng and Isabelle Li in table tennis. Table tennis is one sport in Singapore that does not conceal the fact that paddle wielders from Mainland China who are given Singaporean citizenship (which is not easy to acquire) suit up for the Singaporean squad. Li, however, is natural-born, which makes the Singaporeans doubly proud of her achievement.

The Singaporeans worked hard to win the right to host the YOG. As I said in a previous column, the YOG is the closest Singapore will get to host a multi-sport event and it made sure everything just worked out fine. Its main selling points were its efficiency, multi-racial harmony, its placid environment and overall modernity that made it athlete- and spectator-friendly.

Singapore beat 10 other cities but its hottest rival was Moscow which together with Athens (Greece), Bangkok (Thailand) Turin (Italy) made it to the shortlist of five.

In the article “Youth Olympic Games gamble for Singapore,” writer Sharanjit Leyl stated that the International Olympic Committee initially projected in 2007 the YOG would cost US $30 MM (about P1.3 B) to stage. Singapore won its bid with a budget of US$75.5 MM with government subsidy available. The budget was later increased to US$284 MM (P1.420 trillion), or thrice the original amount. The Singapore Straits Times said that the cost overruns were due to increases in logistics and transport and security costs and upgrades of various sports venues and technology.

Financially, the Straits Times said that local companies received 70 percent or US$200 MM worth of contracts from the Games. Concerns over cost overruns were brushed aside by Singapore Youth Olympic Games organizing committee chairman Ng Ser Ming, according to Michael Casey’s article, “Youth Olympic flame lit in Singapore” in the Seattle Times.

In conversations with Filipino expatriates and Singaporean friends who have made the Philippines their second home, the community accepted the cost overrun as part of “the cost of hosting these worthwhile Games”. The Singaporeans had full faith in their officials and they were certain that all expenses would be properly accounted for.

I found that rather instructive and inspiring considering that in our country, with or without cost overruns, there will always be controversy surrounding the financial component of high profile projects such as the YOG.

These expatriates and Singaporeans merely laughed off the possibility that the cost overruns were due to overpricing and other anomalous transactions: “Over here, we know that the money will be used for its intended purpose. We are sure of that!”

The Singapore YOG was, of course, not without its controversies, one of which was what the International Herald Tribune called “sluggish” attendance. The government explained that the Ministry of Education resorted to block purchases of tickets given to schools, whose students could not stay for the entire competitions, some of which lasted seven hours.

The Straits Times also reported that Arturo Garcia, chairman of the Coaches Association of Santa Cruz in Bolivia, told the Bolivian newspaper La Razon he had proof that at least five Bolivian football players were over the age limit of 15 years. Bolivia beat Haiti, 5-0, to take the gold medal. Sounds like the Little League baseball fiasco we had in the 1990’s when our own media denounced our violating, among others, the age limit rules of Little League baseball.

The next big international sports event in Singapore is Formula One to be held from Sept.24-26. This early, hotels, especially along the 5,067 kilometer circuit length that features 61 laps, are all fully booked. Even the yacht club that will host a number of international yachts is exceptionally busy nowadays.

2009 Singapore Formula One winner Fernando Alonso of Spain will be back carrying the banners of Renault.

Bruce Jones of Grand Prix 2009 is all praises for the Singaporeans saying that “Singapore’s street circuit broke new ground last year (2008), not only for taking Formula One to a different country, but famously for holding its first night race.”

A few more kinks need to be ironed out. You can be sure the Singaporeans will sort them out with efficiency.