YOG football: Singapore beat Montenegro 4 - 1 and wins the bronze

The candid photo taking after scoring the 4th goal.
Photo: SPH-SYOGOC/Seyu Tzyy Wei

The Singapore boys had won the match and clinched the well deserved bronze medal in the YOG football match. The match was telecast live at 6 pm local time. This will go down as one of the most amazing match for Singapore football.

Singapore scored the 1st goal in the 6 minutes, however the joy was shortlived, 2 minutes later, Singapore captain suffered a bad cut on his face from the elbow of a Montenegro player, he had to be replaced. And within 2 minutes Montenegro equalised to make it 1-1.

Singapore's captain, Jeffrey Lightfoot bleeds profusely, after colliding with Montenegro's Lazar Lalosevic (right in white).
The match was won in blood, sweat and tears.
Photo: SPH-SYOGOC/Seyu Tzyy Wei

The match ended 1-1 at half time.

In the second half Singapore scored 3 goals to win the match. Hanafi scored the 2nd goal from a cross, a penalty taken by Midfielder Ammirul Mazlan made it 3-1. Hanafi's scored again in the 65th-minute freekick into the Montenegro net to make it 4-1.

The team line up before the match against Zimbabwe. Such colourful boots.

A great day indeed. This young football team has great potential in the future, I guess we will be following the team closely. Today we are so proud of them.


Bolivia won the gold medal after thrashing Haiti 5-0 in the final match. The Bolivians played with 10 men after Rodrigo Mejido was given a red card in the first half for throwing an elbow.

Isabelle Li - The Hope of Singapore

August 23, 2010 — Isabelle Li (16 years old on Saturday) won Singapore’s second silver medal of the Youth Olympic Games when she was beaten in straight sets by China’s Gu Yuting in the final of the women’s table tennis singles competition.

Isabelle lost 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9. Singapore now have two silvers and three bronze medals in the Games.

The result was not as one-sided as it looked. Isabelle, one of Singapore's most promising and talented young athletes, made the top-seeded Chinese sweat for her victory, especially in the decisive fourth set.

Isabelle is Singapore born and bred, having picked up the sport when she was in Primary 3.

She was spotted early by national team and has received generous funding from the Singapore Sports council and other associations to take part in international tournaments all over the world to boost her exposure and experience.

Many will remember the harsh criticism surrounding the Team Singapore's silver medal-winning women's table tennis team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as all of them were born in China but later took up Singapore citizenship. There were doubts in some corners whether a Singapore born athlete could dominate in table tennis on an international level, but Isabelle's rise to prominence has surely silenced those detractors.

Isabelle Li is the hope of Singapore table tennis.

Update: Li is in action today (4:50pm) Mixed Double vs Egypt Meshref.

Ended at 5:15pm, she takes the game 11-4, 11-8, 11-3. The Egypt paddler is not her match.

YOG Soccer Singapore 0 Haiti 2

The matched ended with Haiti winning the game. Haiti now faces Bolivia in the finals.

A Singapore player was send off for a tackle in the last minute and Haiti scored from the penatly spot. 3 minutes before half time, Haiti scored to lead 1-0, a school mistake from goalkeeper Fashah Rosedin. Anyway, all the players are 15 years old, this will be part of a learning curve for their future football career.

The Singapore boys played well, however it was just not their day. I think Singapore was the better team. The boys will now play for a bronze medal. Hopefully, they can pick themselves up and give their best shot in the final game, afterall there is a medal to play for.

Congratulation to Haiti, my earlier prediction was wrong. This win will bring happiness to their country.

Singapore Youth Olympic Singapore Vs Haiti Football

The tickets are snapped up pretty fast, and it will be a full house tomorrow. Lucky there will be a live telecast for the semi-final match Singapore vs Haiti, at 8:40pm Singapore time.

Bolivia thrashed Haiti 9-0 in the Youth Olympic Games boys' football tournament at Jalan Besar Stadium on 16 Aug. The local fans cheered for the Haiti boys when they came back to beat Vanuatu 2-1 in their last group match.

Hit by a 7-magnitude earthquake in January this year, which killed an estimated 300,000 people, made 1.6 million people homeless and left their country's capital Port au Prince, in ruins, Haiti were a late replacement for Cuba the YOG football competition. Singapore welcomes the brave Haiti athletes, they hope to rebuild their country by giving a good performance and bring smiles to their countrymen. Results doesn't matter, by travelling all the way here (hard to get funding) and taking part is already an amazing achievement.

My prediction is a win for Singapore.

Youth Olympic Games Stamps FDC 14 Aug

1st local Merly & Lyo sitting on the globe, 65c Merly & Lyo enjoying on an island, $1.10 Merly swimming and $2 Lyo Basketball.

Lyo & Merly on stamps

Collected the YOG FDC issued on 14 Aug (Sat) at the post office yesterday, in celebration of the opening ceremony of the YOG. I didn't managed to get the presentation pack, everything was sold out on the first day of issue.

Hedgehog-and-friends reached 100 blog posts yesterday. Thank you for your support.

Olympic Spirit from Lesotho Swimmer

LESOTHO'S Nts'Eke Setho, 17, got one of the biggest cheers at the Singapore Sports School yesterday. Not because he finished first in his 100m breaststroke heat. It was because he finished. He came in 18 sec after his nearest rival.

'I tried my best,' he said, with every reason for pride. He has no coach. Nor a place to train in the last three months. It is winter at home, and the 25 m pool at his swim club is unheated. Still, he is undaunted.

Thursday's 50m breast is his pet event. 'I want to show what I can do'.

This is the spirit of an athlete, a real champion will always give his best.

picture taken by ST Chan U-Gene

Singapore Youth Soccer Team

Singapore made a winning start in the Youth Olympic Games football tournament when they defeated Zimbabwe 3-1 in their opening Group D match at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday. Watch this stunning strike from Singapore's Ammirul Mazlan, who fires a powerful strike from 20 metres to score after 12 seconds from kick-off.

The official match can be viewed on youtube in HD (Singapore 2010 Football - Men's preliminaries - Singapore Vs Zimbabwe)



Singapore will next play Montenegro on August 19.

15 Aug
Japanese triathlete Yuka Sato created Olympic history this morning when she became the first athlete to win a gold medal at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010

The journey began in ancient Olympia, Greece, where the Olympic Flame was lit, before travelling to the cities of Berlin, Dakar, Mexico City, Auckland, Seoul and finally to all the community districts in Singapore. Today, the Youth Olympic Games will officially begin, past midnight here in Singapore. The opening ceremony will be shown on TV at local time 7:45pm.

For those who are interested to know how their young athletes fair in the games, you can check the medals tally on the link provided. Games will be from Saturday and run through to Aug. 26, will feature about 3,600 competitors aged 14 to 18 from 204 countries competing in the same 26 sports on the current Summer Olympics program.

Medal Tally here:
Your country's Medals

This is not the official medal tally table, there will probably be one on singapore2010.sg.

For the latest news, the official site is
www.singapore2010.sg.

Singapore Youth Olympic Games... are we the first?

Having made a couple of posts here on the coming Youth Olympic Games which will be held this month, came to know about this today. The first game was actually held in Moscow, the name has since changed, but are we first? I don't think so.. everyone was given the idea of: "We are hosting the first ever Youth Olympic Games"...wow!

The 1998 World Youth Games was the first international multi-sport event of its kind. More than 7,500 young athletes representing 140 countries of the world participated in this event. Because the World Youth Games was under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), it is also known as the first Youth Olympic Games. It took place in Moscow, Russia from July 11 to 19, 1998.

Check Here:
1998 Moscow The World Youth Games


Posts Last Month:

Girl's Hope (27 July)
The Olympic Flame (24 July)
The Official YOG Music Video (15 July)
Updated Games Cost (7 July)

A Girl's Hope

A commercial currently shown on Singapore TV on the coming YOG. A meaningful clip.

Never deprive anyone of hope.
If may be all they have.

Coming Singapore Youth Olympic Games CO$T

mascots with our dear ministers...

Cost of Youth games goes up three-fold

An extra $265 million needed to meet the cost will be borne by MCYS and Ministry of Finance. (taxpayers' money)

I read this news on our local papers today, 38 days before the game starts, the cost went up 3 times! I am flabbergasted with the news report of how there seems to be a total lack of financial discipline and control of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sport. $387million to chase this vain glory called YOG is absurd and stupid. Big sporting nation don't even intend to send their bright junior to the event. For readers who had been following my blog, I made a few posts on the upcoming YOG with excitement, but now....

Lyo & Merly post

Lyo & Merly at Orchard Road

The budget breakdown (selected areas) source from TODAY

Revised specification, scale and scope:

* $97 million: Technology, including $16 million for providing "live" broadcasts in 18 of the 26 sports.

* $76 million: Sports and venues, mainly for upgrading works like floodlights and warm-up halls.

* $44 million: Logistics and transport, such as warehousing, supply chain, catering and cleaning costs which increased after organisers upped the volunteers from 7,000 to 20,000.
(volunteers are not paid, they are given event T-shirt, meals and transport)

* $18 million: Security, including for screening, equipment. (COOL)

* $12 million: To engage Singaporeans. (WOW)

* $7 million: Cost to organise the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame. (Flying the flame lighting in Olympia, Greece on July 23 before arriving via Berlin, Dakar, Mexico City, Auckland and Seoul, with a celebration involving President SR Nathan, followed by a 6 days torch relay islandwide involving 2,400 torchbearers, torchbearers not paid)




the famous JJ LIN... YOU ARE THE ONE SINGAPORE

Oh Yeah Oh Yeah Oh Yeah Hey! Oh Yeah Oh Yeah Hooooh... You Are The One Singaporeans.. Please Be Prepare To Pay Hoh!

Singapore helping to repair Jamaica’s stadium in exchange for marketing for YOG. This is a stunning report in April which was not reported in Singapore.

Jamaica Observer on 25 April 10
Jamaica Observer


Recently received a couple of emails and feedbacks from readers on my blog, they enjoyed the posts and find it interesting. The character Hedgehog was used as a study Mascot in one of the elementary school in South Korea in May this year, when I agreed to let a teacher use my character to motivate her students in their coming exams (for non-commercial purposes). Cheers!

1st Youth Olympic is getting closer..

Lyo & Merly fighting..with Merly having an upper hand.. this is my favourite!

Along Orchard road, looked like containers to me, probably storing all the merchandise items.

Merly Gymnastics

Lyo Football

The 1st Youth Olympic Games will start in less than 99 days..

Was at Orchard Road last Sunday evening, currently along the street is a row of advertisement promoting the games, this is where the Games Mega Store is currently located. Purchased a games mouse pad and was given the games program brochure showing the 26 sports represented by Lyo & Merly.

Lyo & Merly post

Singapore YOG 2010 Mascots

SOLD OUT...4 months before the game.

The Mascots Pin...

The first Youth Olympic Games will be coming to Singapore this August. This week I managed to get the pin from the post office. On the trip down, I was supposed to get a refund from my order, upon seeing the pin on display in the showcase, I asked the staff to sell the display items to me (got a pair).

Was told that this particular pin was sold out and they are not producing anymore! I would not have bought them, if I had waited longer...

Introducing Lyo (firey lion) & Merly (female, idea came from the Singapore Merlion) the games Mascots. In my opinion the games mascots are very well-designed.

Lyo & Merly in their signature pose.

Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010

2 years ago on 21 Feb, I was at the scene waiting for the announcement. I still remember clearly how excited everyone was when we were awarded to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Here is a clip, on that amazing day at the Padang.



Looking forward for the games this year! Singapore will be hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010.

The Official Games Page!
www.singapore2010.sg