A12 MY SPORT MY PAPER WEDNESDAY MARCH 18, 2009

Youths spark ideas

for Youth Olympics
Million Deeds Challenge calls on them to embrace Olympic values
DARYLL NANAYAKARA

I T IS not merely young athletes

who will be involved in next
year’s Youth Olympic Games
(YOG) in Singapore.
Indeed, local youngsters have al-
ready started contributing ideas to
liven up the inaugural Games.
For example, what started out as
a leadership conference convened
by Holy Innocents’ High School stu-
dents last year blossomed into a
plan to inspire young people in-
volved in the Youth Olympics move-
ment.
Called the Million Deeds Chal-
lenge, the initiative calls upon Sin-
gaporeans to do good deeds –
which encompass the Olympic val-
ues of excellence, friendship or
respect – and post the experiences VIRTUAL TORCH: Each good deed brings the Youth
on www.milliondeeds.sg Olympic flame closer to Singapore from Greece.
Each deed posted is part of a vir-
tual torch relay, which will bring
the Youth Olympic flame from Ms Fu has praised local youths HELPDESK
Greece to Singapore. for creating YOG-related activities
The website was launched yester- and participating in such events. Conference:
huì yì
day by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minis- She said: “The Olympic creed
ter of State for National Develop- states, ‘The most important thing is Encompass:  bāo hán
ment and Education, and chairman not to win but to take part.’
of the YOG Organising Committee “Take part in the Million Deeds
Challenge today, live the Olympic Creed:  xìn niàn
Ng Ser Miang at the Jurong Region-
al Library. values and we can all be part of Sin-
The virtual torch relay will travel gapore’s journey to hosting the first Virtual:
 xū nǐ
across the globe until the deed Youth Olympic Games.”
count hits the one-million mark
and ends in Singapore. darylldj@sph.com.sg
STREET FEST TO ADD BUZZ
THE Singapore Street Festival is set
to add buzz to next year’s Youth
Olympic Games (YOG).
Its organisers said that next year’s
event will be part of the YOG’s
community-engagement activities
programme, as part of the lead-up to
the Games.
The programme showcases the
efforts and talents of Singaporean
youth, highlighting their culture and
acting as a good platform for their
creative instincts.
The YOG might also use the
festival as a platform to recruit part
of its projected 20,000 volunteers.
Will Hughes give Robinho the boot?
LONDON: Robinho is facing a major chal-
lenge to keep his place at Manchester
City after angering manager Mark Hughes
with his increasingly erratic performanc-
es in away matches.
City have not won on their travels in
the Barclays Premier League since their
second away game of the season at Sun-
derland.
According to The Guardian, Robin-
ho’s poor form has led Hughes to giving
consideration to dropping the league’s
most expensive player.
Relay:  jiē lì sài
Into its eighth year, the Singapore
Street Festival showcases creative
youths through street performances.
It aims to reach out to an
audience of about 250,000.
This year’s event will be held from
May 23 to June 14 at locations like
VivoCity, Orchard Cineleisure, Plaza
Singapura and *scape Youth Park.
Highlights include the Singapore
leg of breakdancing competition
Battle of the Year – Asia, a yo-yo
tournament and even a belly-dancing
competition.
The Brazilian’s performance at Chel-
sea on Sunday has attracted strong criti-
cism and Hughes has suspected for some
time that the Brazilian’s displays indicate
he is not fully committed to the club.
City, with only eight points away
from home this season, still have to visit
Arsenal, Everton, Manchester United
and Tottenham.
Robinho has been described behind
the scenes as a “passenger”, and his fu-
ture has been discussed at length within
the club.