Thinking Hard about the Youth Olympics
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang speaking to Nanyang Girls' High School students about the values of Olympism.
"How is the Youth Olympic Games an event for all Singaporeans?"
"Is it possible for the Olympic values to exist alongside competition, which is fundamentally what the Games are about?"
"Many research studies have proven that such fierce competition for youths aged 14 to 18 may be detrimental to their health as well as future as an athlete because they may burn out too early. What are your views on this?"
These were some of the questions that flew fast and furious on 28 October 2008 at Nanyang Girls' High School. The school had invited Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang, Principal of the Singapore Olympic Academy and Elected Executive Committee Member of the Singapore National Olympic Council, to speak to Sec 3 and 4 students about Olympism. These students would soon be embarking on overseas trips, and the school wanted to give them a better understanding of how to engage the international community before they left.
After the talk, students had the chance to pose questions to Dr Teo-Koh and think about what Singapore can offer in the international arena. They certainly didn't mince their words when it came to questioning the rationale behind hosting the Games.
Koh Ming Ming (right) co-chairing the Q&A session with teacher Mr Chow Weisi.
Asking the tough questions
Sec 4 student Koh Ming Ming co-chaired the discussion with a teacher. As she admits, "To be honest, the Youth Games did not interest me before the talk. I held a rather cynical attitude towards the entire affair. I did not believe that young Singaporean athletes would gain much from the Games; rather, I felt that fierce competition at such a young age would be nothing but detrimental to the health and future of young aspiring athletes."
Responding to this, Dr. Teo-Koh explained that the competition would be very carefully constructed and carried out so as to ensure that no harm would come to the young athletes. While this addressed Ming Ming's concern, another student went on to bring up another pressing issue: how would Singapore pay for such an expensive event when it was experiencing a severe economic crisis and many people were already struggling?
Dr Teo-Koh explained that the Games organisers would be seeking major sponsors, so the actual spending of public funds amounted to a very reasonable figure. Also, the Youth Olympic Games committee was trying to reduce costs by trying as much as possible to use existing facilities instead of having to build new ones. "Dr Teo-Koh was very patient with the queries of the audience and dispelled any worries we had," Ming Ming reflects. "I came away from the panel discussion feeling very mentally refreshed, having heard new sides to the Youth Olympic Games story."
The torch relay for Singapore's bid for the Games.
Putting the Youth Olympics into perspective
Teacher Ms Agnes Ng was hoping precisely that the talk would help students to better understand the significance of the Games to Singapore. "Our students should be ready to play their part as good hosts and ambassadors of Singapore. We want them to understand that every Singaporean can do their part for this event and they don't have to be sportswomen to do so, nor should they wait till 2010 to start thinking about how they can contribute."
The talk also left students like Ming Ming with plenty of food for thought. "Perhaps the true essence of the Youth Olympic Games is not just about the medals. Besides competition, the games are about human interaction, learning to give and to take with grace." The school plans to infuse key ideas like this into the PE curriculum and CCA programme, so that students can put into practice Olympic values with classmates, team mates and even their opponents on the field.