By: Benjamin Liew

As with the National Day Parade held just 5 days earlier, spectators of the Opening Ceremony of the Inaugural Youth Olympics on Aug 14 were treated to colourful fireworks displays and precise performances by the youth of our nation. The most notable difference was the latter culminated in a spiralling fiery tower, a symbol of the Olympic Flame that will be burning throughout the 12-day event.

Expensive pyrotechnic displays and inspiring speeches aside, what’s the true purpose of the YOG? Has this been lost to the glory of winning, sidelined as the total medal tally overshadows all? As Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said in an interview with Channel News Asia, “YOG is not about medals, it’s about education and culture.”

Maria De Koninck, 47, a Belgian permanent resident and housewife who attended the opening ceremony, agreed wholeheartedly with this statement.

“I believe that the purpose of the games is not so much about winning medals but about promoting the Olympic values of friendly competition and excellence,” She tells UrbanWire.

In an interview with Channel News Asia, former national sprinter Canagasabai Kunalan, who set the national 100m record that stood unbeaten for more than 3 decades (10.38s) at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, shared that while shaking hands and being friends is easy at the start, as the stakes for winning get higher and higher, staying friendly becomes more difficult.

Isaac Goh, 13, a student from Bedok North Secondary School who attended the opening ceremony, also believes that sporting glory is the crux of any sporting event. He said, “In any case, you still want to win something in a competition. All the emphasis on friendly rivalry and values will not distract athletes from their ultimate goal, which is to win their event.”

Friendship, excellence and respect – the 3 core values of the Olympics, which YOG is fashioned after, seem less important to many than the 3 metals – Gold, Silver and Bronze.