Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck, who is also adviser for the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, said on Thursday that securing sponsorship has not been going as smoothly.

Speaking at a combined schools sports meet at the Bedok stadium, Mr Teo said: 'I would not say that it's at the milestone that we had originally forecasted or targeted, but I believe that things will pick up as time goes by.

'Based on the current economic climate, we can't expect to meet every milestone. We can't expect more companies to offer sponsorships, because they also have their own corporate targets to meet.'

On top of the US$75 million (S$113.9 million) the Government has set aside to bear the bulk of the cost of hosting the inaugural Games, organisers are looking to to raise S$50 million from private sponsorships.

SYOGOC confirmed that it has managed to secure some cash sponsorship but would not reveal the amount. Given the present financial climate, organisers are now exploring other ways businesses can help out.

For example, firms such as Deloitte Singapore, which is the official consultancy services, and Changi Exhibition Centre, sponsor for the logistics hub, and Pilot Pen have stepped up to offer their sevices during the Aug 14 to 26 Games next year.