IT ALL began with an unwelcome virus.

Last night, the Games closed with a dinner-cum-dance party - an unusual end to Singapore's first multi-sport extravaganza since the 1993 South-east Asia Games.

The exuberance of the young athletes - some of whom danced the night away in the ballroom at the Raffles City Convention Centre - was the perfect footnote on a Games which had their fair share of warming stories and rising stars.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) confirmed on Tuesday that three countries - Bahrain, South Korea and an unnamed bidder - are in the running to host the next edition in 2013.

But, just two weeks ago, many had wondered aloud if the inaugural Games would even be staged.

Four footballers from Hong Kong and one from the Philippines tested positive for the H1N1 virus, forcing their respective teams out of the competition and into quarantine.

Fears that the AYG could become a viral hotbed spooked some teams, and Malaysia responded by keeping most of their athletes home.

Thankfully, there was only one additional case, an Indonesian official who tested positive for the bug on Monday.

But, once the Games got under way, the focus of the 43 participating contingents quickly switched to the business of winning medals.

The teams had brought with them 1,235 athletes, many of whom were already stars in their own right.

China had Zhang Yanquan, a Fina Grand Prix diving champion who is bound for the London Olympics. South Korea were blessed with the quick feet of footballer Suh Myeong Won, already a member of the youth set-up at English Premier League side Portsmouth.

The hosts had swim queen Quah Ting Wen, a Beijing Olympian.

This was also a Games to savour for Team Singapore, whose return of 30 medals, including nine golds, shattered initial predictions.

China, as expected, topped the tally with 25 gold medals out of the 91 on offer across nine sports. Only South Korea, who won 20 golds, threatened their supremacy.

But not all the glitter came from gold medals.

Kuwait's Rabab Abdullah got to play in her country's final game of the girls' 3-on-3 basketball competition - after being barred from the initial matches because she was wearing a hijab (headscarf).

Her team lost the game. But her presence, she said later, was a victory for female athletes who compete in similar attire.

Sailor Muhamad Amirul Shafiq, one of only two Malaysian athletes left in the Games after their country's pullout and the elimination of the Malaysian football team, was also a hero.

The 14-year-old battled unfamiliar seas and the odds to secure a bronze in the boys' Byte CII class - the only medal his country won at the Games.

In football, North Korea and South Korea were paired together twice. But, even when their players were locked in combat for the top prize, it warmed the hearts to see that friendship and respect were never far from their minds.

As the organisers admitted on Tuesday, the event had its fair share of teething problems.

The furore over the mix-up in football fixtures, half-filled venues and the poorly-updated official website, just to name a few, drew flak from fans and journalists alike.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck noted that the organisers had less than a year to put the event together.

'They have done a very good job despite the enormous pressure, not just from health issues, but also from the public and in spite of budget constraints,' he said.

The stage is now set for an even bigger show to come next year - the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

Said Ng Ser Miang, chairman of the Steering Committee for the Singapore Asian Youth Games Organising Committee: 'We needed the AYG as a learning process. We have five common venues and seven common sports between the AYG and the YOG next year. And this has been a very good testing ground.'

tvoon@sph.com.sg