A good mix:
Singapore's Asian Youth Games squad contain experienced athletes and rookies
By Terrence Voon
SINGAPORE'S 90-member contingent for the inaugural Asian Youth Games has been unveiled, with a mix of fresh faces and experienced athletes ready to spearhead the Republic's medal challenge.
The contingent - led by chef de mission and national shooter Lee Wung Yew - will compete in all nine sports: aquatics, athletics, 3-on-3 basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, football, sailing, shooting and table tennis.
The only discipline which will not be contested by the hosts during the June 29-July 9 Games is diving, a subset of the aquatics competition which will also feature swimming.
The list of athletes - aged between 14 and 17 - was released yesterday by the Singapore National Olympic Council, following a selection committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and SNOC president Teo Chee Hean.
Much of the selection was done with next year's Youth Olympic Games in mind.
Said SNOC secretary-general Chris Chan: 'Many of the national sports associations have good youth development programmes, and this is shown in the quality of the contingent.
'If these athletes capitalise on their AYG experience and maintain their standards, they should do well at the YOG.'
According to the SNOC, a range of criteria was used to select the athletes. For instance, they should at least be in the top eight of their age group in Asia.
Among those who made the cut are familiar names who are expected to lead the medal charge.
Swimming, which has the largest contingent of 24 athletes, will be helmed by Olympians and national record holders Quah Ting Wen and Lynette Lim.
Said Ting Wen, 16: 'I don't know how strong the field will be, but since it's the first time and we're the hosts, I will aim for my best times.'
Table tennis also boasts starlets like 14-year-old Isabelle Li, who reached the main draw of the women's doubles at the ongoing World Championships in Yokohama.
Sailing is in the medal hunt too, with 2007 South-east Asia Games Optimist team silver medallist Darren Choy in the Byte CII squad.
Not all the medal hopefuls are well-known. But some newcomers like 10m air rifle specialist Jodie Tan, 17, are also being tipped for glory.
The Republic Polytechnic student placed sixth out of 90 shooters at last week's International Junior competition in Germany, firing a creditable 395 out of 400 in the qualification shoot. If she had been at last year's Beijing Olympics, that score would only be one point shy of the 396 needed to qualify for the final.
'The AYG will give me a feel of how things are going to work at the YOG,' said Jodie. 'I'll do my best and hopefully get into the final.'
A total of 274 medals will be on offer at the AYG, but officials are reluctant to pin a number on the Republic's expected haul for now.
Said chef de mission Lee: '(The medal target) will be clearer as we draw closer to the Games, but I am very impressed by the quality of the contingent, especially the swimmers and the shooters.
'My main goal is for the athletes to use the AYG as a stepping stone to something bigger, beyond the Asian level.'
According to organisers, many of the participating countries have yet to finalise their squads.
This makes it difficult to gauge the level of competition and predict the Republic's medal harvest.
The list of athletes for some sports has also yet to be whittled down. Beach volleyball and bowling have until May 14 to finalise their line-up, while basketball and football have to do so by Sunday.
About 2,200 athletes and officials are expected for the AYG. It will be the first multi-sport event Singapore is hosting since the 1993 SEA Games, and is a key test event ahead of the YOG.
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