On the Scene in Singapore -- Rowing Ends; Olympians Chat; YOG YouTube Popular

Rowing Ends

Rain soaked the final day of rowing, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the crowd.

Nearly every seat was occupied with spectators at the Marina Reservoir, only the first two rows of the grandstand were not packed. This section was not fully protected by a temporary cover over the seats.

In order to ensure high spirits, organizers passed out musical instruments to the spectators at the start of the competition.

Denis Oswald, president of the international rowing federation (FISA), tells Around the Rings he was more than satisfied with the competition.

"It was a very good outcome, very good races and good conditions. Despite the rain what is important is we have a fair course."

The rain did not delay competition Wednesday.

"We are a water sport so if it rains...it’s not a big drama" Oswald said.

A dam was built to protect the course. The starting point is partially exposed to the Singapore River. Oswald praised the design of the venue.

"In the past it was difficult to use because you had a very strong stream. With a stream you are never sure if the stream is the same over the course and some lanes may be faster than others and have unfair conditions," he explained.

"Now they close with a dam and just open when it’s needed. And they were clever enough to anticipate possible rains and to start with a rather low level so they can afford some days of rain.

"We hope we will be able to come back in the future, so there is a legacy."

Nine countries won medals in the tournament, which Oswald calls a "very good spread".

Forty-five countries entered rowers. The 98 athletes competed in single and double sculls for boys and girls. FISA stipulated that no country could send more than two boats to the YOG to allow smaller countries to compete.

Oswald said the biggest change for the YOG was using a 1000m course instead of the traditional 2000m one used at an Olympics.

"In some sports its more difficult to make new things. In rowing, not many possibilities."

Singapore has a full length course, but it is located outside of the city unlike the reservoir. "We had a lot of interest in this competition because it is 10 minutes from downtown."

"Nothing major" needs to be changed for the 2014 YOG in Nanjing, China, Oswald claims. "For a first experiment, we have the feeling things have been done very well."

The only potential change he could predict is moving the junior world championships up in the calendar. This year’s edition - and the YOG qualifier - was held Aug. 5-8.

Oswald thinks the rest of the Youth Olympics will go well. "We can really anticipate a good success. The number of spectators is quite good. I think they sold a half million tickets which is not bad at all. You never know when you start something new how it's going to develop but it seems to be very positive."

Oswald, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations, believes some of his more skeptical colleagues are now supportive of the Games.

"Some of course because it’s new and in the mind of some people the Olympic Games can only be the regular Olympic Games," said the IOC member from Switzerland. "But I think even those who were a bit skeptical, when they see the enthusiasm and the participation, I’m really convinced they will go back with a more positive opinion than the one they had when they came, because so far it has gone very well."

Wednesday’s final was well attended by IOC members. Oswald watched the first two finals with IOC president Jacques Rogge. Anita DeFrantz, Craig Reedie and Sergey Bubka were among other IOC members present.

Katarina Witt, an ambassador for the Munich 2018 Winter Olympic bid, watched the finals as did Urs Lacotte, director general of the IOC.

Bubka Calls Chat a Success

Ukraine IOC member Sergey Bubka tells Around the Rings his chat with the YOG Olympians "was great".

Around 600 people came to hear Bubka and fellow ambassador Yelena Isinbayeva share their tips for success with the athletes staying at the Youth Olympic Village in the first "Chat with Champions" program. The two are world record holders and Olympic champions in pole vault.

"I think it was a good discussion, easy to ask questions, really open," Bubka said.

At the event, part of the YOG Culture and Education program, the champions offered insights into their sports.

"Pole vault is every technical and complicated, because it combines two sports. On the ground it is athletics and after taking off is gymnastics," Bubka said. "In any sports you must be fast, to be a good gymnast, and have a mental stability because you have to face lots of challenges."

Bubka told ATR he hoped the young athletes learned how important time management and focus is for an athlete.

"A top career in sports is very short" he said. "There will be plenty of time to relax", he said, "once your career is over".

echoed his sentiments Tuesday. "You will sacrifice a lot and you will want to lead a normal life like your friends."

Four more "Chat with Champions" sessions are scheduled before the close of the Games.

Bubka said they served an important purpose in presenting role models to athletes. "There are many champions that are role models for them but when they touch, they can understand we are human, we face difficulties too but we managed the challenges, this is important."

Pal Schmitt Visits School

IOC member and newly inaugurated president of Hungary Pal Schmitt visited a high school connected with Hungary on Wednesday.

Schmitt, a two-time Olympic champion in fencing, visited Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Secondary School, as part of an exhibition on Hungary’s Olympic involvement.

He told the school many Hungarian athletes have entered politics after sport adding "it’s not very modest, but I think I’m the first Olympic champion to become a president".

YOG YouTube a Hit

The official YOG YouTube channel is one of the most popular in the world.

At the time of writing, the channel, youtube.com/user/olympicsingapore2010, was the eighth most viewed channel on YouTube for Wednesday.

So far 1,831,286 people have viewed the 145 uploaded videos, and 139,286 have looked at the channel. In all, 2,407 people have subscribed to the channel.

In comparison, the IOC’s official page has 1,867,140 views of its 74 videos, 309,285 channel views, and 6,079 subscribers.

Highlights from the sports and other updates from the YOG are posted for all to see.

The two most popular videos on the YOG channel are promotional videos from Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps with 188,307 and 172,299 views respectively. Singapore’s football match against Zimbabwe is the most popular clip filmed during the Games. That was watched 170,506 times.

ATR coverage of the Youth Olympic Games

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Written by Ed Hula III.

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