Marching as one collective and colourful group, 3,600 of the world’s best young athletes gathered at The Float@Marina Bay tonight for the spectacular opening ceremony of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

The world’s largest floating stage was turned into an amazing flooded amphitheatre with the dramatic backdrop of the Singapore skyline. 

Decked out in vibrant green and gold, the young Australian Team could be heard chanting ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi’ throughout the packed stadium as Kylie Minogue’s ‘On a night like this’ pumped into the Singapore night. 

As the clock counted down to the start of the ceremony, performers on top of the giant floating stage played giant rhythm drums – representing the human heartbeat. The drums came from across the five continents, sounds of unity and brotherhood reverberating around the arena signalling a call to action. 

As the last drum struck, fireworks filled the night sky and thousands of performers in traditional Singaporean dress emerged from the water filling the stage in a cacophony of colour, music and dance.  

Following was a celebration of Singapore’s diverse origins with immigrants from afar including explorers, missionaries, merchants and coolies arriving in search of a better life in the island nation. A medley of songs took the crowd on a journey through time, ending with giant shipping containers floating on the water revealing a neon replica of the surrounding modern Singapore cityscape. 

From the bright and cheery, the night turned a dark and sombre corner, with a black and blood red comic book depiction of monsters filling the stage. The monsters represented all those things in life that prevent people from reaching their potential and showed that the time had come to face fears and vanquish the monsters.

Dulcet tones from 17-year-old Seah Weien a local singer-songwriter embodied the Olympic motto: ‘faster, higher, stronger’. The song, called ‘Across the Finish’, was accompanied by a video telling the story of a swimmer, gymnast and sprinter who overcame their challenges and pushed beyond the personal limits. 

Continuing the journey through the earth’s elements, jets of fire shot out across the whole stadium while fire dancers and fire breathers filled the stage. In a display of athletic prowess and creative choreography, pole dancers appeared throughout the stands dazzling the crowd with their acrobatics. 

After a harrowing scene depicting the world in crisis, the ceremony turned to a season of hope and new beginnings. With rain falling from the back of the stage, a crystal lotus bud opened to reveal a globe made from flowers, symbolising a brand new world.

Marcus Lee from band Ex-Dee and Lian Kim Selby performed a song ‘A New Story’ which was specially commissioned for the Opening Ceremony. The final scene demonstrated how with the birth of the Youth Olympics, a whole new chapter of the Olympic story is being told. 

Pole vault star Liz Parnov represented Australia in the Ceremony’s Parade of Nations, where she joined flagbearers from 203 other National Olympic Committees. 

After the crowd roared to welcome the Singapore flag, the YOG theme song Everyone was performed by four talented young singers including Australian Jessica Mauboy.

With the release of thousands of helium filled dove balloons symbolising peace and unity, International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, who took to the stage. 

“You are our future and we want to help you take that future into your own hands,” Rogge said. 

"Tonight we open a new chapter in the history of the Olympic movement," International Olympic Committee president Rogge told the 27,000-capacity crowd and a worldwide television audience in declaring the Games open.

"From this moment on, young people around the world have a chance to participate in a global forum that combines sport, education and culture." 

Rogge spoke of the huge benefit of the Games to the athletes and how they will gain a deeper appreciation of Olympic values. He encouraged them to “Learn the difference between winning and being a champion” and above all to have fun. The YOG was the brainchild of Rogge and it will be a key legacy when his term as President expires. 

The Games were declared open by the President of the Republic of Singapore Mr S R Nathan and after a stunning display of fireworks the Olympic flag was brought into the stadium, carried by four Singaporean Olympians and four international Olympians including Yelena Isinbayeva and Sergey Bubka.

The Youth Olympic Flame concluded its month long journey, having travelled to all five continents – ‘Blazing the Trail’. Arriving on a boat shaped as a giant dragon, six youth torchbearers carried the Youth Olympic Flame into the stadium en route to the much anticipated lighting of the cauldron.  

The final torchbearer was 16-year-old Darren Choy who lit a ribbon of flame that spiralled up a 32 metre lighthouse towards the cauldron burner, encased in a six metre high glass structure. 

“It was amazing from start to finish,” Australian trampoliner Patrick Cooper said.  

“All the fireworks ... and the Olympic torch especially was really great.

“We all had a good time and did a few Aussie Aussie cheers.” 

The thousands of performers combined with brilliant pyrotechnics, video packages produced to perfection and the original setting made it an unforgettable ceremony. 

An elongated and intense fire tornado will now burn in the Singapore sky until the Closing Ceremony on August 26. 

Alice Wheeler
AOC