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First Asian Youth Games Opening Ceremony to be a dazzling celebration of the creativity and exuberance of youth
The inaugural Asian Youth Games Opening Ceremony is set to be a dazzling showcase of the exuberance of youth and the multi-cultural diversity of Asia. Themed “Asia’s Youth, Our Future”, the Opening Ceremony promises to be a feast for the senses with its music and colours, bringing more than 1,400 performers from 20 schools and tertiary institutions together in an exciting display of teamwork and vigour.
The Asian Youth Games celebrations will kick off with the Opening Ceremony at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 29 June 2009, where Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong will be the Guest of Honour. Representatives from the Olympic Council of Asia and the Singapore National Olympic Council will also be present.
More than 7,000 people are expected to catch the performances live at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. In a first for an international multi-sport games, the Opening Ceremony will be broadcast live via webcast to reach out to the international community.
Highlights of Asia’s Youth, Our Future
Giving a glimpse of the Opening Ceremony today, the Singapore Asian Youth Games Organising Committee (SAYGOC) wowed guests with a preview of the show highlights, with sneak peeks at energetic dance performances and mass displays that will form the backbone of the Opening Ceremony’s show segment. The show comprises three mass displays, titled “Garden in the City”, “Asia’s Zest” and “Spirit of Evolution”, which make use of visual illusions as well as the innovative use of props and costumes to capture the imaginations of the audience. Highlights include an energetic dance featuring bamboo sticks, a musical piece incorporating Korean drums and Sanskrit phrases - an ancient Asian language — and a show-stopping descent from the skies by two dancers.
The AYG Ceremony will also feature a celebration song, “Asia’s Youth, Our Future (3.1mb .mp3)”, an upbeat number which carries the message of hope, friendship and community. Youth talent Amni Musfirah from the School of the Arts, as well as Nathan Hartono and Lian Kim Selby from Anglo-Chinese Junior College, will deliver renditions of the theme song, accompanied by the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.
In another novel move for an international sporting event, the contingent of more than 1,400 athletes from 40 countries participating in the inaugural Asian Youth Games will also partake as spectators throughout the Opening Ceremony. They will march into the arena from the viewing galleries, via specially constructed platforms to take the athletes’ oath and to witness the lighting of the cauldron.
The AYG, to be held from 29 June to 7 July 2009, will feature athletes across nine sports - aquatics (swimming and diving), athletics, FIBA33 (3-on-3 basketball), beach volleyball, bowling, football, sailing, shooting and table tennis.