The 2010 Summer Youth Olympics torch relay was run from 23 July until 14 August 2010, prior to the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore. The torch relay was termed The Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame, or JYOF, by the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC). It began with the traditional flame lighting ceremony in Olympia, Greece on 23 July 2010, and was followed by a 13-day round the world tour across five cities, namely Berlin, Germany; Dakar, Senegal; Mexico City, Mexico; Auckland, New Zealand; and Seoul, South Korea. Following the international leg, the torch arrived in host city Singapore on 6 August 2010 for the domestic leg.
The torch traversed the five cities, representing the five continents of the world: Europe, Africa, Americas, Oceania and Asia, in the given order. A number of famous athletes, leaders, and media personalities were involved the torch relay. Notably, a schoolboy, Low Wei Jie, who was not part of the torch relay was given the opportunity to bear the torch after local newspaper reports of him having following the torch in the rain throughout the day earlier.
The organisers felt that as the games were the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG), it was significant for the spirit of Olympism to reach out to as many youth as possible across the world. The torch relay was held as "the link that connects the youth of the world to the Olympic movement". While there was active community participation in the torch relay, some were reserved about the event and the games itself. However, there were no major disruptions or protests throughout the torch relay, unlike the earlier Beijing Olympics torch relay. The torch relay was brought to an end on 13 August, when Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew lit the cauldron at Marina Bay. However, the Youth Olympic flame was to last till the closing ceremony of the games.
Concept.
Although the IOC had scrapped any further international legs of the Olympic torch relay due to problems encountered during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, the executive board approved an exception for Singapore. The plan however was different from the traditional Olympics; the flame was to visit one city from each continent, where community celebrations would take place.
The five cities, dubbed the "celebration cities", selected for the torch relay were Berlin, Germany; Dakar, Senegal; Mexico City, Mexico; Auckland, New Zealand; and Seoul, Korea. These five cities each represented the five continents of the world — Europe, Africa, Americas, Oceania and Asia — respectively. The inaugural Youth Olympic Games would commence when the Youth Olympic Flame lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony on 14 August 2010, marking the commencement of the games. The opening ceremony was held at the main venue of the games, The [Email] Bay.
Relay elements.
Torch.
Compared to the two most recent Olympic torches for the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2010 Winter Olympics, which weighed 985g and 1.6 kg respectively, the Youth Olympic torch was one of the lightest Olympic torches ever constructed, weighing in at about 560g without its canister and 740g with it. The torch measured about 60 cm in length, and had a width from 5 to 8 cm. It was designed to incorporate the elements of fire and water, and was constructed using aluminium and polymers. The reflective surface of aluminium, covering the top part of the torch body, was meant to act as a mirror, reflecting images of its surroundings as it went along the relay route. The handle was coated with non-slip material.
According to the organisers, fire represented youths' passion and "burning desire to learn and excel, blazing the trail in life" (Blazing the Trail was the tagline of the games). Water represented Singapore, which is an island country surrounded entirely by water bodies and which had its origins as a seaport; it also reflected the "vibrant and dynamic nature" of the city-state.
When the flame was not being carried by a torchbearer, it was kept in a safety lantern. At the beginning of each day of the torch relay, the flame from the safety lantern would be used to light the Youth Olympic torch. At the end of each day, the flame would be returned to the safety lantern. The safety lantern was also used to keep backup flames lit, allowing the main torch to be re-lit should it go out. At least three safety lanterns were kept lit throughout the duration of the relay.
Cauldron.
The cauldron, not to be confused with the Olympic cauldron lit during the opening ceremony, was lit at each community celebration site. These were found at the last location of activities during the relay at the 5 cities visited, as well as at the end of each day during the domestic leg.
Aircraft.
A specially chartered Gulfstream G550 (tail no. HB-JEV) was chartered to bring the flame on its journey around the world. The G550 was painted with a special livery for this purpose.
Torchbearers.
For the domestic leg, members of the public were invited to sign up to be one of the 2400 torchbearers. A large number of torchbearers were youths, with the youngest being just 11 years old and the oldest, an ex-Olympian, being 82 years of age.
Sequence of events.
International leg.
Flame lighting ceremony in Greece.
In Olympic tradition, the flame was lit at the ancient site of the first Olympic Games in Olympia, Greece. The ceremony was led by Greek actress Ino Menegaki before being passed to 2 Greek and 2 Singaporean youth athletes for a short relay around the ancient stadium. The flame was then handed over to the Singapore delegation at the ancient stadium itself, unlike previous Olympic games where the flame was only handed to the Organising Committee in Athens.
Berlin, Germany.
The Youth Olympic flame made its first stop in Berlin, Germany, home of the 1936 Olympic Games, representing the continent of Europe, on 24 July 2010. The flame made a brief visit to the Siemensstadt, a famous sports club in the city, and was received by youth participating in sports there. It then made its way by boat towards the Pariser Platz on the Spree River, where is passed the Haus del Kulturen de Welt, a leading European centre for arts and culture. The city celebrations were held near the Brandenburg Gate, arguably one of Europe's most recognisable landmarks. The Celebration Cauldron in the city was lit by former gymnast Ronny Ziesmer as well as two German athletes bound for the games. Dirk Nowitzki, the 2008 Summer Olympics flagbearer for country, and André Lange, the 2010 Winter Olympics flagbearer, were present as well.
The Singapore Showcase, which was to be held at the other cities as well, was presented by Singapore's Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts and SYOGOC to give the audience an insight into life in Singapore. There were four segments in the performance; the dance segment, the music segment, the sport segment, and a music, dance and sporty extravaganza. Singaporean singer Erick Guansing performed a local song, Bunga Sayang, during the music segment. Chairman of the SYOGOC and vice-president of the IOC Ng Ser Miang commented on the celebrations, expressing his "thrill" in seeing "the level of enthusiasm for sports displayed by youths here in Berlin as well as Germany". Ng accompanied the flame throughout its journey across the world.
Dakar, Senegal.
The continent of Africa was represented by Dakar, capital of Senegal. The flame made its arrival on 25 July 2010, one day after its stop in Berlin. Prime Minister of Senegal Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye, Mayor of Dakar Khalifa Sall, and president of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa General Lassana Palenfo were onsite to receive the Singapore delegation. The Youth Olympic flame travelled around the city, transiting through various historical sites which included the city hall, the Hotel De Ville, and the presidential palace, the Palais de la Republique, of the country.
It was transported through water to Goree Island, a former slave colony and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the City Celebrations took place. Local performances by the Senegalese, as well as Singaporean performances were put up; the song "Singapore Town" was played there by Singaporean band Supernova. A Senegalese music group performed a local folk song in Walof about "hope and passion for the future", with SYOGOC chairman Ng commenting that Dakar had "embraced the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect in everyday life".
Mexico City, Mexico.
Youths from various National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the Pan American Sports Organization welcomed the Youth Olympic Flame when it arrived at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, Mexico. The city, which hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics, was the only one among the five which had celebrations spanning two days, from 27 to 28 July. Around 6,000 spectators accompanied the flame during its journey in Mexico City.
The flame visited a number of places in the city, including a community center for less privileged children in Iztapalapa; the Ecoguarda Center, where Mexicans learn about the environment; and Hidalgo Garden in Coyoacan. The Youth Olympic flame also stopped by the Angel of Independence in downtown Mexico, where a hundred Mariachi musicians dressed in traditional Mexican charro suits played a traditional birthday song for the flame. It also went to the Government Palace of Mexico. The Flame then proceeded to Zocalo, the main square in the heart of the historic centre of Mexico City. The City Celebration in Mexico City took place on the night of 28 July. The Singapore Showcast involved the percussion groove of Ethnicity, an ethnic fusion pop band, as well as singing performances by Singaporean Erick Guansing as well as Singapore Idol finalist Gayle Nerva.
Auckland, New Zealand.
The Youth Olympic flame arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on 2 August 2010, five days after the celebrations in Mexico City; time had been lost as the flame crossed the International Dateline. The city was the penultimate stop on the international leg of the torch relay. The flame was greeted by the Pōwhiri, a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony, at the Manukau Civic Centre Gallery. Following the Powhiri, the flame visited the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club. Present there were athletes Barbara Kendall and Elise Beavis, who was bound for the YOG a few days later. YOG athlete Mohammad Ali (different from boxer Muhammad Ali) and Olympic gold medallist Yvette Corlett welcomed the flame at the Pakuranga Athletics Club.
The City Celebration was culmination of the flame's tour in Auckland, held at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, where Sir John Walker and Beavis ignited the Celebration Cauldron with the Youth Olympic flame. The lighting of the Celebration Cauldron was witnessed by President of the New Zealand Olympic Committee Mike Stanley, Mayor of Manukau City Len Brown, Singapore's Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and Singapore's High Commissioner to New Zealand M.P.H Rubin, amongst other guests. The Singapore Showcase at the celebrations involved music and theatrical performances, including a special rendition of Rasa Sayang, a Singapore folksong.
Seoul, South Korea.
The flame arrived at Seoul, South Korea, the last stop in the international leg, on 4 August. It marked the third city the Youth Olympic Flame visited to have hosted the senior Olympic Games before, with the other two being Mexico City and Berlin. Stops were made the Cheong-Gye Square, the Olympic Park and Gwanghwamun Plaza, where the City Celebrations were held.
In Seoul, the Youth Olympic flame revisited the city's Olympic Park and the Seoul Olympic Stadium, where the 1988 Summer Olympics was held. It marks fourth time to hold the Olympic torch relay in 1988, 2004, 2008 and 2010. in 1988 Towards the end of the day, the Flame made a stop at Cheonggye Square which was adjacent to the Cheonggyecheon, a creek that runs through downtown Seoul. The flame then headed towards Gwanghwamun Square, the site of the City Celebration, accompanied by costumed musicians playing traditional Korean music. Ethnic fusion pop band Ethnicity performed once again; so did singer Erick Guansing as well as Gayle Nervas, who sang Home, a Singaporean song, completing a medley of Singapore songs.
Domestic leg.
The domestic leg of the torch relay covered most of Singapore's residential areas ending at Marina Bay on 13 August 2010. Due to Singapore's small size and road limitations and organisers wanting as many people to have a chance to be a torchbearer at the same time, each torchbearer carried the torch for a distance of