On the 14th of August 2009, crowds of high-spirited supporters were teeming at the Padang in great anticipation of the global countdown to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Amongst the many that turned up, there were the Team Singapore athletes who had also made themselves especially available on the day to grace the historic occasion.
A strong sporting spirit pervaded the occasion as many sports tryouts and activity booths were made available for everyone to participate. In addition, there were soccer and basketball matches starring our very own local Mediacorp artistes such as Joakim Gomez and Randall, and other volunteered teams.
The Guest of Honour for the event was Professor S Jayakumar, Senior Minister for National Security, who arrived at around 1900 in the evening. He was cordially welcomed by the cheering revelers from the Temasek Polytechnic who were doing a successful job of injecting the crowds with vigor. After an inspiring speech by the Guest of Honour, several performances were lined up to entertain everybody.
At last, the celebratory event culminated in the unveiling of the first YOG countdown clock at 2000. The spirit of the crowds was at an all time high as a dazzling array of colours lit up the night sky with an impressive display of fireworks.
With the official end of the event at around 2100, many stayed behind and continued to party to the music provided by some of Singapore’s top DJs.
