It is unlikely that the young athletes will find themselves in want of more variety of food at the Youth Olympic Village (YOV), this coming August.

The Food & Beverage (F&B) team from the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) wants give our international guests a taste of why Singapore is often called a food paradise.

For starters, there will be a spread of up to 60 dishes on the buffet table. Kenneth Francisco, head of F&B at the YOV, said that athletes will be treated to main hot dishes, cold cuts, salads, soups, bread and desserts.

The menu is on a 10-day rotation. Since an athlete's stay at YOV spans a minimum period of 12 days, athletes will only see a repeat in the menu during the last two days.

The menu of the three meals of the day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, will also be distinctly different.

Said David Leong, Head of Catering, “We want them to have a more enjoyable dinner. During lunch, they are usually in a rush as they have to leave for competitions, but they have a longer time for dinner to rest and relax”.

Every evening, athletes can embark on a gastronomical adventure. Every three days, a continental food counter will serve different cuisines from across the globe.

Starting from Europe, and moving on to Africa, the Americas, Oceania and finally Asia, the counter will serve dishes like piri-piri roast chicken from Africa and Swedish meatballs from Europe.

In line with the mission of the Youth Olympic Games to educate and engage young Olympians, on top of sampling international flavours, they will also learn the background of food served.

For those who like their food accompanied with a splash of entertainment can look forward to live cooking performances. Local favourites will be cooked fresh after which athletes can sample the delicious plates of Char Kway Teow and juicy sticks of Satay.

A selection of treat items like ice-cream, french fries, pizza and chicken wings can also be found on the dinner table. These are catered specially for athletes who have completed their competitions and will not have to follow too closely to the strict dietary requirements laid down by their coaches.

Francisco explained that treat items and local food dishes, which will be served 'as it is', will only make up a small percentage of the food served. The other dishes which make up 70% of the menu will contain high amounts of carbohydrates to boost energy levels and a reduced amount of fats.

The taste and quality of these healthier dishes will not be compromised while trying to provide a low fat alternative. For instance, when cooking pot roast, instead of braising the meat immediately, it can be roasted and stewed to reduce the fat content.

While only three meals will be served daily, food will be found in the dinning halls at all times. Breakfast begins before the sun rises at 4 am for young Olympians with early competitions, and ends at 10am. From 11 am to 3pm, lunch is served and in two hours time dinner begins at 5pm and wraps up at 11pm.

To keep hunger pangs at bay, the recovery bar will be stocked with snacks like energy bars and fruits like bananas to tide athletes over between meals.

During the 19 days of YOV's operation, an estimated 21,000 meals will be cooked daily. With so much work to do, SYOGOC is working closely with Singapore Food Industries (SFI) and Singapore Airlines Terminal Services (SATS) to help feed the 3,600 athletes.

In addition, the 24-hour kitchen will have three rotating shifts of staff working round the clock to make sure that there will never be a moment when an athlete will have to go hungry.

Amanda Wang
Singapore Youth Olympics Organising Committee