Youth Olympics footballer Dhukhilan selected as one of IOC's 25 Young Leaders

SINGAPORE - A member of the Cubs who inspired Singaporeans with their lionhearted performances at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) here, Dhukhilan Jeevamani learnt that sports can make an impact on others.

Despite retiring from the sport at just 22 to enrol in National Service and later to pursue a university degree in finance, he knew he wanted to stay involved in football and to help the marginalised.

His aspiration was what convinced the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to select the 25-year-old as one of 25 Young Leaders for a four-year programme supported by worldwide Olympic partner Panasonic.

He is the fourth Singaporean to be part of the programme, following fellow Youth Olympian and fencer Rania Rahardja and sailors Cecilia Low and Sean Lee.

Selected from 350 applicants, the future leaders come from 25 countries across five continents, said the IOC in its announcement on Monday (Feb 1). The aim of the programme is to help them build sustainable, sport-focused social businesses from idea to fruition, supported by weekly learning modules and leadership opportunities.

Dhukhilan had come across an awareness post for the programme on Facebook last October and felt he could make a difference.

After all, the former Young Lions and Geylang International defender had previously been involved in social work, having helped out with Meals-on-Wheels, a meal delivery programme to meet the daily needs of the homebound elderly, as well as interned with the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund.

As part of the Young Leaders programme, Dhukhilan will undergo an induction programme with the IOC in the coming weeks. He then intends to use football as a medium to empower three groups of people: Girls aged five to 15, the physically disabled, and intellectually impaired.

The final-year University College Dublin undergraduate told The Straits Times: "The YOG opened my eyes to the world and shaped my life. Not only did it expose me to different cultures, it sparked a drive and determination in me to do good and better things and not settle for anything less.

"I have this growing sense of responsibility as I understand more about the growing inequality gap, and this programme comes at a good time for me to do my part to help the people who are left behind, via a platform with greater reach."

Launched in 2016, the IOC Young Leaders programme empowers young people to leverage the power of sport to make a positive difference in their communities.

With the support of seed-funding from the IOC and a network of mentors, these leaders have delivered over 116 sport-led projects in global communities, promoting themes such as education, social inclusion, sustainability and well-being. These initiatives have directly benefited more than 30,000 people.

Previously known as the IOC Young Change-Makers programme, the initiative also sees the future leaders attending international events and conferences to spread the message that sport can be used for good across society, as well as serving as IOC commission members.

IOC president Thomas Bach said: "All of us in the Olympic community share the mission to make the world a better place through sport. The IOC Young Leaders programme is empowering young people from around the world to put this mission in their communities into action.

"In this Olympic spirit, I would like to welcome the new class of IOC Young Leaders, who have already impressed us with their energy and motivation. I look forward to meeting each of them and learning about their ideas on how to bring about positive change in their communities in and through sport."