From the YOG News Room

journey youth olympic flame

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew raises the Youth Olympic flame at the Promontory@Marina Bay. With him are Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and International Olympic Committee Vice-President Ng Ser Miang. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Samuel He)

Singapore, Friday, August 13, 2010 – A star-studded line-up of torchbearers and the lighting of the cauldron by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at the Promontory@Marina Bay marked the end of the six-day torch relay in the Singapore leg of the Journey of the Youth Olympic flame.

The Olympic flame received an exuberant welcome at Nanyang Girls’ High School this morning, where Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim lit the torch. The torch travelled through the southern part of Singapore’s Central District, to Jalan Besar, the Arts District (Victoria Street and North Bridge Road), Chinatown, Tiong Bahru, Sentosa, Bukit Merah, Orchard, Rochor, City Hall, Shenton Way and Marina Bay.

Over the past few days, the torch has journeyed through all five community districts, passing through Singapore’s bustling financial district, cultural centre and the new downtown.

Having the honour of being both torchbearers as well as competitors in the first Youth Olympic Games are Joelle Lim, 18, and Ng Sue Shen, 15. They were among the 50 athletes nominated by the Singapore National Olympic Council to be torchbearers, including C. Kunalan, 67, former Olympic runner and founder of the Singapore Olympians Association.
Former Olympic hockey player Ajit Singh, 82, who is also the oldest torchbearer in the relay, also found it particularly meaningful as he ran past the Singapore Sports School. Ajit was keen to share his love of sport with young athletes, and hoped that this wwould inspire them to work hard in pursuit of sporting excellence.

Torchbearers Lee Li Hui, Lee Peh Gee, Sim Yi Hui, Soo Mei Ying and Tan Yinxuan, who were all part of Singapore’s first women’s group to scale Mount Everest, ran the relay together in celebration of their friendship and their combined achievements as a team.

There were several features of the torch relay. On Wedneday evening, the Youth Olympic flame was carried across Bedok Reservoir in a dragon boat. Temasek Polytechnic student Chew Swee Hau, 22, then brought the flame to the Berlin Wall exhibit at the reservoir, where he was welcomed by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo.

There was even fly-past by members of the Singapore Youth Flying Club on Wednesday during the morning torch-lighting ceremony at Hwa Chong Institution. On Thursday, day five of the journey, the flame was lit at the SAFTI Military Institute, training ground for officers of the Singapore Armed Forces. Wu Han, 21, was the first of 10 national servicemen to carry the flame at SAFTI, representing the millions of young Singaporean men over the years who have served their country with dedication and pride.

The flame’s journey also included a turn at Nanyang Technological University’s Boon Lay campus, location of the Youth Olympic Village and the headquarters of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee.

Stars of the sporting world also joined Singaporeans in the torch relay to celebrate the first-ever Youth Olympic Games (YOG). They include International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission members Alexander Popov, Yang Yang and Frank Fredericks. YOG Ambassador Yelena Isinbayeva carried the Youth Olympic flame at Orchard Road, the country’s famous shopping belt.

Near the last stretch of the relay, Koh-Leong Swee Ling and Eugene Heng, winners of the Watermark Award for their tireless efforts in water conservation, crossed the waters of the Marina Bay from the iconic Merlion Pier to the newly-opened Marina Bay Sands. Eugene passed the torch to pole vault legend and Chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission for the first Summer YOG, Sergey Bubka, against the backdrop of Singapore’s stunning skyline.

As the sun set, Singapore athletes Huang Chao (Badminton) and Ranjitha D/O Raja (Athletics) took over the torch before handing it to IOC Vice-President and Chairman of SYOGOC, Mr Ng Ser Miang. Completing the final leg of the torch relay, he ran into the Promontory@Marina Bay and passed the torch to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. To the cheers of the 5,000-strong crowd, Minister Mentor Lee raised the torch up in the air before setting it down to light the cauldron in celebration of the successful 13-day torch relay.

Today’s torch relay brings the Journey of the YOG flame to an end. The journey began in Ancient Olympia on 23 July, where the flame was lit and travelled to Berlin (Germany), Dakar (Senegal), Mexico City (Mexico), Auckland (New Zealand) and Seoul (Republic of Korea), and then on a 305-km route around Singapore.

journey youth olympic flame

Lim Ying (centre) of Nanyang Primary School accompanied by Minister for Enviroment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim on the final day of the Journey of the Youth Olympic flame in Singapore. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Tukiman Warji)

journey youth olympic flame

Singaporean pop singer/song-writer Lin Junjie carries the Youth Olympic Torch along Singapore’s Central Business District as his fans follow behind. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Gavin Foo)

journey youth olympic flame

Ajit Singh, who at 82 years of age is the oldest torch bearer, runs with the Youth Olympic Torch. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Chia Ti Yan)

journey youth olympic flame

Singapore YOG volleyball player Joelle Lim waves as she bears the Youth Olympic torch on the fifth day of the torch relay. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)

journey youth olympic flame

Tan Yinxuan (centre) bearing the Youth Olympic Torch accompanied by (L-R) Lee Li Hui, Sim Yi Hui, Soo Mei Ying, and Lee Peh Gee from the first Singapore Women’s Everest Team share a light moment with a support runner. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)

journey youth olympic flame

Foo Xiu Quan, 21 (centre) of Temasek Polytechnic takes the Youth Olympic Torch across Bedok Reservoir on a Dragon Boat. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)

journey youth olympic flame

Singapore’s Hwa Chong Institution student, Sean Lim Zi Qing holding the torch of the Youth Olympic Games at Hwa Chong Institution on Wednesday. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Kent Chow)

journey youth olympic flame

Wu Han holding the torch proudly, follow and cheer by a large crowd of fellow cadets and supporters at the SAFTI Military Institute. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Kent Chow)

journey youth olympic flame

National Servicemen from Jurong Camp of the Singapore Armed Forces offer a salute to their officer Alan Yeoh (front left) as the Youth Olympic Torch is passed to him by Alvin Loh (front right) on the fifth day of the Journey of the Youth Olympic flame in Singapore. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)

journey youth olympic flame

Students from Henry Park Primary School wave drawings in support of bearers of the Youth Olympic Torch as it travels through the North West of Singapore on the fourth day of the torch relay. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)

journey youth olympic flame

Soon Le Ying, a Youth Ambassador of the Singapore Zoo, poses with the Youth Olympic Torch with three of the Singapore Zoo’s elephants on the fourth day of the torch relay. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)

journey youth olympic flame

Torch Bearers Chew Swee Hau, Tan Hwee Hoon of Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore and Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo pose with the Youth Olympic Torch on the third day of the torch relay. (Photo © SPH-SYOGOC/Joseph Nair)