The daily post #55: Ambassador Bolt

Usain Bolt is our latest YOG Ambassador! 😀

Need I say more?! (see the official media release)

We're thrilled to have you on board!

The list of YOG ambassadors now includes the world record holder for the women’s pole vault, the fastest fish man in the water, and now … the fastest man on land. If flying were an Olympic event, I’m pretty sure the gold medalist would be one of our ambassadors too.

Coincidentally, his team mates Asafa Powell, Veronica Campbell and Dexter Lee from the Jamaican sprint team visited us last year, and back then, we had a debate about important things like whether Asafa Powell looks better than Usain Bolt.

Hmmm… maybe it’s time for a poll.

 

The daily post #44: Blowing my Vuvuzela

For those of you who’ve been living under a rock with industrial-strength earplugs on, no, there is nothing rude about my headline at all.

This is a Vuvuzela.

Very loud, very irritating

Yes, this thing has caused much discomfort for folks at the World Cup: Players (Patrice Evra, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo are not fans of this thing), commentators (it’s been likened to “a giant hive full of very angry bees”), and people watching at home (i can’t repeat what they’ve said about this thing without blushing) alike.

You wouldn’t think that something whose name sounds like the reproductive organ of a female zebra would be as loud as this thing is, but it clocks in at 127 decibels – that’s just a vuvu-whisker shy of a jackhammer (130 decibels).

I’ve checked the spectators’ guide for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, and no, you will not be able to bring along your Vuvuzelas. (But I’ve also found a free application that gives out a little whimper of what the vuvuzela sounds like on the iPhone. It’s still muchos irritating though! 😉 ) Just thought I’d let you know before anyone gets any ideas …!

And in other news, I’m blogging from Kuala Lumpur this evening and not sure if I’ll be able to sign in tomorrow (cousin’s wedding to attend) but normal service will resume on Sunday. Don’t miss me too much! 😉

 

99 days to go!

By Eliane Luthi Poirier, NOC Relations Coordinator, Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee

Hi Everyone!

On Friday, 7 May 2010, Singapore will be celebrating the 99-day countdown to the first-ever Youth Olympic Games.

It’s a huge milestone for us! We’ve come such a long way since Singapore was voted the host city of these Games in February 2008. With just two and half years to prepare the inaugural edition, we’ve been racing to live up to this monumental challenge.

As a coordinator for NOC Relations, my duty within the Organising Committee is to provide National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with all the information they need to prepare their delegations for Singapore 2010. I’m the first point of contact for a group of fourteen European NOCs – one of which is the NOC of Switzerland, my home country.

Though each NOC has different concerns, our entire NOC Relations team receives queries from the NOCs on a daily basis. To me, that’s a clear sign of interest in and support for the first Youth Olympic Games.

The support from the NOCs was also evident when we received the participation from 198 of them (out of 205) during the Chef de Mission Seminar held here in Singapore earlier this year in March. The Chef de Mission heads the delegation coming from each NOC. In the comprehensive programme we had for them, it included a tour of Singapore 2010 venues and a series of plenary sessions; not forgetting the wonderful opening dinner that was graced by the IOC President, Dr Jacques Rogge.

At the event on Friday, we will be welcoming on board the thousands of volunteers – an important part of the backbone of Singapore 2010.

Some will be working alongside my team as NOC Assistants. They’ll help the Chefs de Mission in their daily activities from 14 – 26 August. Think we’re lucky to be working with such dedicated and enthusiastic youth on this project.

This Friday’s event will be held at *SCAPE, also the venue for 3-on-3 basketball. It’s a chance for us to celebrate with these volunteers, and an excellent opportunity for us to take a break and have some fun together. If you’re there, look out for the fashion show where volunteers will be “modeling” their Games-time uniforms. If you can’t join us, do remember to check out the shots and videos that we will be uploading on our Games website – http://www.singapore2010.sg/ after the event.

With only 99 days, these Games are almost at our doorstep. We’re truly excited to welcome the world once again to Singapore to experience one of the greatest sporting events in history!

 

Less than a hundred days to go to YOG

It’s official. By the end of this week, there will be less than a hundred days to go to the first Youth Olympic Games. To be exact, the Countdown Clock will strike 99 come Friday.

To mark the date, the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games organising committee will be having a party downtown at *scape, 113 Somerset Road on 7 May 2010 from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

The night promises to be special with the following highlights:

• Presentation of Singapore 2010 uniforms for the first YOG
• Carnival featuring Olympic Sports and more
• Celebration Concert featuring gravity-defying Parkour act and heart-thumping drum beats
• Music by Singapore Idols – Taufik Batisah and Hady Mirza, and pop rock and indie band, Electrico
• Appearance of Singapore 2010 Mascots, Lyo and Merly
• Sale of limited edition Singapore 2010 Merchandise and Souvenirs

Find out what else you can do to celebrate this occasion.

 

Please read the instructions

Whenever you buy a new coffee machine or join a competition, it’s always best to read the instructions.

In the ongoing “My Avatar Contest“, we are grateful for the many who submitted a photograph of their virtual self in the Singapore 2010 Odyssey.

However, there have been quite a few entries which did not comply with our competition requirements.

The main instruction is straightforward, “Please note that the requirement for this contest is to post a photo of your Avatar from the virtual world so submit the right entry now and stand to win up to US$2,000 Amazon vouchers!”

Here’s a gentle reminder:  you are NOT the Avatar!

Let’s take a look at some entries which left us scratching our heads:

While it’s cool to post your own photograph, your entry is not eligible for the competition.

Here’s how to do it right:

1. Go on to Facebook and click “Like” to become a fan of the Singapore 2010 Odyssey page to qualify for the contest.
2. Register via “My Avatar” tab and submit photo in order to qualify.
3. Log into Singapore 2010 Odyssey and take some nice pictures!
4. Submit pictures of your avatar every week during the contest period (22 April – 19 May 2010) for the Weekly Photo Contest. Last submissions should be in by Wednesday at 23.59pm (Singapore time, GMT+8) every week.
5. The photo with the highest votes win. So get your friends to vote now!

Voila! You now stand a chance of winning our attractive prizes.

Remember…read your instructions BEFORE you post another photograph of yourself, your sister or your dog. Cheers!

 

Join the Boring Banner Contest at WhyOhGee.sg

The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee has developed a  ‘personalised’ Singapore 2010 banner template to help schools announce their association with the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.  This banner template is ‘personal’ because it has a reserved space for schools to insert their school logos.  It is intended to provide a basic, personalised design for each school, but that doesn’t stop you from from designing your own novel banners.  Schools may produce as many of the Singapore 2010 banners as they wish. Click HERE to download the Singapore 2010 banner template.

Sign up at WhyOhGee.sg now!

 

Catch it before it airs on TV

Don’t miss our first Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Television Commercial! 60 seconds of pure enjoyment.

 

Get your seats for the first Youth Olympic Games!

Ever wanted to catch a show and missed it because tickets were sold out? You only have yourself to blame because you did not buy them early.

Avoid disappointment by getting your hands on the tickets for the first Youth Olympic Games held right here in Singapore! The Games commences on 14 August and runs for 12 days.

With 26 Olympic  sports and 201 events, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Don’t miss this chance to experience the Games and catch great sporting moments live!

Log on to www.singapore2010.sg/tickets.

 

30 Young Ambassadors coming your way!

With fewer than 150 days to go to the first Youth Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched its Young Ambassador Programme in Singapore today.

30 young people from all over the world were selected by their respective National Olympic Committee (NOC) to help promote the Culture & Education Programme to athletes back home.

Aged 18 to 28, each of these Young Ambassadors has a strong background to influence other youths. Among them are former Olympic champions, scholars and entrepeneurs.

They are in town this week to experience the Culture & Education programme for themselves. They visited Pulau Ubin on Monday for an island adventure. Today, they will be visiting Hort Park and Marina Barrage to learn about environmental sustainability and water conservation.

President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge said, “The Young Ambassador Programme is a very effective way of reaching out to young people around the world to promote the YOG and Olympic values. THe NOCs have selected very talented individuals and I am forward to seeing them in action with their delegation and in their respective communities.”

For more highlights, visit WhyOhGee.sg.

 

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