Frasia is, after all, an unusual name, even for a mascot.

Short for Friends of Asia, their choice for the name of the Asian Youth Games mascot emerged as the official winner yesterday after a competition held jointly by The Straits Times and the AYG organising committee last month.

Georgia, a 50-year-old housewife, explained: 'We wanted something that represented the essence of the Games - young people coming together to compete in sports.

'We didn't want to focus on the lion but rather values like community and sportsmanship, especially among the youths.'

The next question was how they came up with it. Michael, a 55-year-old, in-flight supervisor, said: 'We had thrown up a few other names but our son Gordon dismissed them as cliches.

'Then the name Frasia just popped into Georgia's head while we were sitting down reading the newspapers.'

The couple decided to put Michael's name on the entry form.

There were a total of 1,470 entries from the public during the week-long contest.

The inaugural Games will see the Republic host some 1,100 athletes from 45 countries aged between 14 and 17.

The Lyes will receive $500 in cash, two tickets to the opening ceremony, an all-access pass to the June 29-July7 Games, $100 worth of 100 Plus products and of course, an AYG mascot plush toy.

Georgia said: 'I hope they will give us two, so I can give one to my nephew who collects stuffed toys.'

Having named the official symbol for a major sporting event in Singapore is a 'great honour' for Michael, who remembers the emotions stirred up during the Malaysia Cup in the 1990s.

Married for 21 years, he plans to take Georgia to the opening ceremony at the Singapore Indoor Stadium if his schedule permits. Coincidentally, it will be the first time he attends a sporting event.

'After watching the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony last year on television, I can't wait to see what Singapore will do,' said Michael.