Torch bearer Mr Anil Wadhwani (left), Citi Singapore's Head of Consumer Markets, hands the torch to Mr Allen Law, Director of Park Hotels Group. -- ST PHOTO: JOSEPH NAIR
THE torch relay for the Asian Youth Games (AYG) blazed a spectacular trail across Singapore on Sunday, setting the scene for a nine-day sporting fiesta that will bring together some 1,400 of the continent's finest young athletes.
The flame, which was ignited at dawn by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, will reach the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Monday night for a glittering opening ceremony attended by all 43 participating countries.
Despite the spectre of Influenza A (H1N1) and Malaysia's late decision not to send its full contingent here, the stage is now set for Singapore's first multi-sport extravaganza since the 1993 South-east Asian Games.
After the flame was lit at the Kallang Waterfront on Monday morning, it fanned its way across the island in three separate torches, making stopovers in Singapore's five districts as well as Orchard Road. The torches will travel across 45 schools on Monday, and by the time they complete their historic journey, over 60,000 people would have been involved in the relay, including about 200 torch-bearers from diverse walks of life.
Amongst those who had the honour of running with the torch was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who graced the Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Community Sports Festival on Sunday morning.
Organisers pulled off the relay on Sunday while scrambling to deal with Malaysia's last-minute move not to send most of its athletes to the nine-sport Games.
The decision was made by the country's Education Ministry, which issued a directive barring student athletes from overseas competitions due to concerns about the global H1N1 outbreak.
Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong told The Straits Times on Sunday that the government did not want the students to risk contracting the flu. 'We want to be consistent in our decisions. We cannot allow anyone to take the risk,' he said.
The 79-strong Malaysian contingent - of which 42 were students under the purview of the Education Ministry - was supposed to arrive from Sunday onwards. But only two sailors, who arrived here last week to acclimatise to the local water conditions, will take part in the competition.
AYG organisers have said they respected Malaysia's decision, while expressing confidence that the Games will continue to shine. Officials from other participating countries shared this sentiment.
Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times
