That is how badly the Ban brothers - Dylan, 14, and Benjamin, 12 - want to be part of the inaugural Games in Singapore.

The paddlers are two of 33 youngsters who will take part in the Singapore Table Tennis Association's three-day YOG selection trials today, Monday and Tuesday.

The hopefuls - 20 boys and 13 girls - will train and compete with each other over the three days under the watchful eyes of new national youth team coach Xu Xiangdong.

Xu has been given the task of spearheading Singapore's YOG efforts.

With the help of coaches and officials, he will cut the field by half at the end of the trials.

The number of players eligible for selection has already been restricted as athletes need to be Singapore citizens, aged 12 to 14 and must have made the last 16 in table tennis championships organised by the STTA or the inter-school championships in the past three years.

The short-listed talent pool will be further narrowed down to four girls and four boys after an additional two weeks of training.

Among those vying for a YOG place is Isabelle Li.

The 14-year-old, who ousted compatriot Zena Sim to win the Commonwealth Youth Games women's singles gold medal yesterday, is tipped to be one of the Republic's biggest medal prospects at the YOG.

The STTA's chief executive Chew Soo Sheng said: 'While the results of the competition are important, the candidates will also be assessed on their achievements over the past three years, potential and willingness to commit to a rigorous training programme.'

The STTA has come up with a 22-month training plan for the selected candidates.

It includes local training - 12 sessions a week - and a proposed three-week training stint in China this December.

The selected paddlers will spend at least 30 hours a week training, but that is not an issue with Dylan.

The Secondary 2 student at Raffles Institution said: 'Representing Singapore means everything to me. I'll do everything I can if I'm chosen.

'Moreover, training twice a day is nothing compared to players in China, who train three times a day.'

With limited places available, Benjamin is mindful that he faces an uphill challenge.

Despite being one of the youngest players going through the selection process, he remains undaunted.

The Yuneng Primary 6 pupil said: 'It will be difficult, but it is worth the fight. The YOG is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.'

linxinyi@sph.com.sg