A YOG TO BE REMEMBERED

After 14 days of sporting competitions and two years of hard work, the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2010 came to a rousing end with the closing ceremony held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform on 26 Aug.

Building around the theme of Celebration, the ceremony showcased a spectacular display of fireworks and brought back fond memories of competition and friendship among the youth athletes from all over the world. While it was a night of celebration, there was clearly a strong sense of nostalgia as the Games came to a close, and it was a feeling shared by not only the athletes, but the volunteers as well.

3rd Sergeant (3SG) Mark Choo, who was a Gate-in-charge, expressed that he would miss being part of the YOG Opening and Closing Ceremony (OCC) committee.

"The YOG was a change from the regimental life, but it was a good way to interact with the civilians. Once this is over, I will go back to the normal duties in camp and that means taking up a different kind of responsibility. Instead of interacting with civilians and children, I'll be back to handling recruits and men," said the 22-year-old from the 4th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (4 SIR).

3SG Choo's job involved releasing performers on time onto the stage or the floating platform as per the instructions of the control station. "The YOG was more fun and had more free play. Somehow, it did not seem like work," he added.

For Corporal (CPL) Lam Yan Tung, it was the good exposure to different medical situations that he would miss.

Citing the example of an 80-year-old lady who fell down, knocked her head and was subsequently brought to them, the medic from 1 SIR said: "The lady was bleeding quite badly. If it was in camp, I would not have had the opportunity to deal with a situation such as this. Because of the YOG, we also had a joint 'mass casualty evacuation' exercise with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and we picked up many tips from them."

Despite feeling that his stint in the YOG was a pretty tough and tedious one, the 20-year-old knew that he would also miss the fun and the opportunity of meeting different people that being in the committee presented.

"Being activated for 24 hours almost every day during the YOG was really quite a challenge. While I feel relieved that the event is over, I know I will miss it when I return to my normal National Service routine," said CPL Lam. "Nevertheless, I'm really glad to have been part of the YOG OCC committee."

On the other hand, 3SG Fahrulrazi, an usher in the YOG OCC committee, looked forward to returning to his normal duties. "I'm actually glad that the YOG is ending as I feel the military is a more familiar environment," explained the 24-year-old from 1 SIR.

Indeed, being part of the inaugural YOG OCC committee had shaped the experiences and perspectives of many who were involved, including the SAF personnel. As the closing ceremony signified, the journey was not an end, but instead, about new beginnings, as Nanjing prepares to host the next YOG in 2014.