By Dawn Yip. Pictures by John Ang and Ng Cheng Cong.
On Thursday, February 21, 2008, going to a party was the last thing on my mind. I had just come back from an overseas business trip, tired and recovering from the flu, and the last thing I felt like doing was to be in the midst of a thronging, dancing, cheering crowd.
Yet when Les asked me to cover the Youth Olympic Games Final Countdown, I knew I had to be there. Win or lose, it was going to be a historic moment. The journey had been a long one, and Singapore had already made it through the heats and qualifiers. To add to the drama, the two remaining competitors could not be any more different: in one corner, Singapore, a pint-sized city-state all of 43 years old; in the other, Moscow, the largest city of the largest country in the world, with over 900 years of history and human achievement.
How would the competition end? Could David really overcome Goliath?
We arrived at the Padang at around 5.30pm, and the party was already going on. The cheerleading squad from Jurong Junior College had lined the stands and were cajoling the crowd into dancing and shouting their support. Their enthusiasm was infectious, in particular, the leading duo Pearlyn Tan and Apple Ng. Somehow I forgot I was tired and ill.
At about 5.45pm, the leading lights of the sports community arrived, led by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Mr. Teo Ser Luck, respectively the Minister and Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Among them were students, youth ambassadors and Team Singapore athletes like Tan Howe Liang, Ang Peng Siong and Josceline Yeo. Their arrival was greeted with cheers all round.
As the evening progressed, more and more people piled into the area. I spotted a contingent from Meritus Hotels and Resorts, another from the Overseas Students' Association, a group of students dressed in togas, and flags from the Singapore Sports School, the National University of Singapore, Hwa Chong Institution, and local fashion brand 77th Street. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ms Elim Chew, founder and President of 77th Street, scanning the stands for a seat. In the middle of the crowd, a fully kitted-out Ronald McDonald walked about shaking hands and smiling at everyone. There was a sense of celebration in the air, and yet a sense of anticipation as well.
By 6.30pm, it was standing room only. With the sea of red shirts and Singapore flags against the backdrop of the Padang, it felt a little like the National Day Parade. We were entertained by student performers from Naval Base Secondary School, St Andrew's Junior College, Temasek Secondary School, Singapore Management University, JJC and homegrown celebrities Daren Chen, Chen Di Ya and Hady Mirza. They all did a splendid job, but I must admit the mounting tension kept me from from fully enjoying the performances.
And finally, finally, the ‘live' feed began. All eyes turned to the two screens that flanked the stage at the steps of the City Hall. It started with the obligatory introductions to the two candidate cities. When the Singapore promotional video came on, the crowd cheered lustily. Then, as the camera panned away from the hosts and towards IOC President Jacques Rogge, the crowd quietened. I turned to scan the audience and saw that everyone had risen to their feet.
Here is what we watched:
SINGAPORE.
As soon as Rogge uttered the word, the people came alive with shouts and screams, cheers and yells. I found myself dancing on my chair and hugging a stranger. The platform on which we were standing trembled from all the jumping and stomping. The Prime Minister’s speech was interrupted by applause and whoops a number of times, and then we all sang “Stand Up For Singapore”. Two cannons burst forth confetti, and as the sky rained silver and red, and the young people danced and celebrated, I stood and watched for a while, lost in wonder that Singapore had once again defied the odds and pulled it off.
More pictures in the gallery.
I would like to let Dr.Melanie Chew that I read the newspaper article about the shortage of equestrian showjumping horses. My daughter is a equestrian showjumper and she has gone into many competitions in California and won may ribbons. She has been riding since 5 yrs old. At the moment she is riding at a place called Rider’s Lodge in Kulai, Malaysia. They have excellent horses and am sure will be able to help the equestrian committee regarding the horses. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I have also informed the Manager of the riding place about your need.
Thank you.
congrats 2 singapore! it was a pity i could not be there. but once the news hit my platoon, it spread through the entire company line like wildfire. even us botak peeps at pulau tekong shared the joy of the YOG coming to sg! (:
haha. its okay! =) totally love it!
diyana: sorry about that. 🙂 hope you like the coverage!
er. hey. thanks for up loading the picture. however, you got our names all wrong. haha. its supposed to be:
from left to right: afiq, melanie, cristy, sarah and diyana.
thanks! 🙂
hi Cong nice meeting you that day.
and thanks alot les for putting the pictures up!
Visual feast. 🙂
Thanks to Cong of Temasek Polytechnic for shooting on the day to provide you guys with the most comprehensive photographic coverage of the Youth Olympic Games countdown party in Singapore.
Also, thanks to John Ang for contributing additional pictures.
Between the two of you student photographers, you have more pictures published for a national audience than the newspapers.
Kudos to the both of you and thank goodness for the internet. Here at Red Sports, space is not a limiting factor, only the quality of your picture. If it’s good enough, they all go up.
Firstly, congrats to Singapore for winning the bid to host yog2010!
Next, look into the photo gallery, i hope that there is a picture of you inside somewhere and i hope you like it 🙂