Singapore, November 17, 2008 – Badminton players hoping to represent Singapore at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will get a chance to make the national squad at the ongoing Cheers Age-Group championships.

The Youth Olympic Games will feature boys’ and girls’ singles badminton for ages 14 to 18 years.

The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) YOG Committee will identify potential players at the November 19th to 29th 2008 Cheers Age Group (Singles) Badminton Championships and the Pilot Pen Schools Individual Badminton Championships in the first half of 2009.

Semi-finalists and finalists from the two tournaments will get an invite to the SBA YOG 2010 selection trial scheduled for mid-2009 at the SBA Youth Academy, a joint initiative with the Singapore Sports School.

The Committee may also invite other young shuttlers training full-time with the national senior team to participate in the selection trial which will be played on a round-robin format.

The top five players from each of the boys' and girls' categories will form the YOG 2010 training squad and undergo training at the SBA Youth Academy, before the eventual national representatives are selected.

These Singapore YOG candidates, subject to confirmation by the Badminton World Federation and the YOG organizers, may also be required to participate in YOG qualifying tournaments.

The Singapore Badminton Association has formed an SBA YOG Committee which will oversee issues relating to the selection and development of Singapore's YOG shuttlers. The committee is chaired by SBA Management Committee (MC) Member and former national men's singles player and 1983 SEA Games Team Bronze medalist Mr Lau Wing Cheok and assisted by Vice-Chairman Mr Wong Shoon Keat, another SBA MC Member and 1983 SEA Games men's singles champion.

The YOG Committee comprises six other members – Mr Low Tai San, SBA CEO Mr Edwin Pang, SBA Technical Director Mr Zheng Qing Jin, SBA High Performance Manager Mr Jim Hui, Singapore Sports School Badminton General Manager and former state shuttler Mr Desmond Tan and ex-Olympian and national badminton champion, Mr Hamid Khan.

A YOG Appeals Panel has also been set up to ensure fairness in the selection and development process and to handle any appeal cases. It is headed by Chairman Mr Tan Kian Chew who is SBA's Secretary-General.

He is supported by two other members, Mr Michael S. Chia, a partner with legal firm Sankar Ow & Partners LLP; and Ms Zarinah Abdullah, ex- state shuttler who was ranked amongst the world's top 3 women singles players in 1994.

"With this comprehensive process to comb through the youth players in Singapore, the SBA YOG Committee aims to select the best talents to represent our nation in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games," said Mr Lau Wing Cheok, SBA YOG Committee Chairman.

He added, "The Committee is here to help our youths achieve their chance of a lifetime to be part of the YOG and hopefully, bring sporting glory to Singapore."

Added SBA CEO Mr Edwin Pang, "The SBA YOG Committee has been formed to help in the selection and preparation of our youths to represent Singapore in the YOG in 2010 and beyond. As some of the nation's best youth talents, the YOG candidates can also look forward to representing Singapore in other major youth tournaments like the World and Asian Junior Championships.

In addition, I hope our former top home-grown talents in the SBA YOG Committee can serve as a source of inspiration to these YOG candidates who form the next generation of our national senior badminton players."