Get Ready To Shout "Singapore"!

On the 8th of August, Singapore held an opening ceremony rehearsal especially for the secondary students from the every corners of Singapore. The main aim was to let as many students attending the rehearsal, feel the spirit of YOG – which would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

To start off, the students were brought to a waiting area to have their dinner. The dinner was nutritious, usually not consumed by most Singaporeans, but it was to let the students experience the athletes' diet. To add on, a small tub of Ice Cream was distributed as a treat.

After the healthy meal, the students were led by the YOG volunteers to the Marina Bay Floating Platform. Although they were stuck in the human jam, but that didn't bring their spirits down. It was a time to test their patience, surprisingly they withstand the long wait and not only that, they cheered as a cohurt. It was such an enjoyable and spiritual moment that most of the students would probably never ever forget.

It was long wait before they could finally reach their seats. Moving in an orderly manner, they sat and waited patiently for the other schools to settle down too. Everyone was ready for the spectacular performance they were about to see! The performance started of with a band march and young adolescents dressed in ethnic costumes dancing to the oldies and a combination of the lastest and popular songs such as Tik Tok by Kesha, a rising pop singer.

Many of the performances were to inspire the athletes to do their best and that every single one of them has their very own special ability to acheive. Inspiring stories like the "Champion story" which showed a boxer who thought that he wasn't good enough to compete in the Youth Olympics. He had a bad dream and he was fighting a very tough "monster" which was his shadow. He overcame it and regained his confidence. This is to display the kind of spirit that every athlete should have - don't give up on yourself before trying.

There were many other amazing performances by our very own Singaporeans, the spectators, which were the students never failed to cheer on the performancers. The atmosphere was overwhelming and the theme of the whole event was the spirit of the Youth Olympics 2010. There was also a performance put up by some youths and adults, dressed in costumes, and forming a shape of a water lily flowever. Besides that, a breath-taking performance done by a pole-dancer swinged and showed the beauty of the dance.



Last but not least, it ended with a sky full of fireworks and the showcase of the different countries participating in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games.

Reported by: Mavis Loh & Rachel Tan :)