Heshan Unamboowe, Sri Lanka’s captain at the YOG, who bettered his own Sri Lankan record in the 50 Meters Backstroke, was an interested participant at the work-shop presented by Lenka Wech (of Germany) on work-life balance at the Youth Olympic Village which the athletes paid close attention to.
Lenka is not only a doctor but a three-time Olympian. The Sri Lanka team also took time off to visit Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Singapore, Ms. Jayathri Samarakone, who the first day cover of the Rs. 10 stamp, launched in Sri Lanka before the team’s departure, was shown to.
The Sri Lanka team for the YOG in Singapore with Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ms. Jayathri Samarakone. (eom) |
The YOG in Singapore drew to a blazing close on Thursday (August 26) where the Sri Lanka team took part amidst all the glory. China retained its grip atop the medal standings, ending with 30 gold, 16 silvers and 5 bronzes.
Lenka Wech competed at the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 summer Olympics, rowing in the women's coxless pair in 2000 and 2008 and the women's coxed eight at the past two Games. Although she never won an Olympic medal, she finished fourth in Beijing with partner Maren Derlien.
“She is also a doctor so she knows about studying and balancing life. Listening to her makes it clear that training and living your life is no walk in the park," said Unamboowe.Unamboowe. He also said he had taken part in many cultural activities at the village, and enjoyed the balancing life lesson the most.
Lenka Wech emphasized the importance of fun by leading a group of athletes from Argentina and Sri Lanka in an attempt to remove a Styrofoam rectangle from the base of a structurally questionable two-meter tower. Wech, who stands more than 1.80m tall, stretched up in order to place another block on top of the tower as it leaned perilously to one side, but it crashed down harmlessly around her.
"You look around and all the athletes seem to get it," she said, "And we are having fun." The activity, part of the Culture and Education Programme at Singapore 2010, was set up to teach the young athletes that when they try to move too many pieces around, or attempt to reach too far, they place too much stress on the tower. "Choose what is important, develop your life beyond your sport, don't give up and have fun," Wech said.
"It's difficult to give advice to all of you," Wech said. "You all practice different sports and there are different situations. But you have to find out what you really want to do in your life. If you like to study, if you find a subject very interesting, do it. It's easier to do what you like. Don't ever lose the fun from what you are doing. Once you lose the fun from anything, it's gone." The seven athletes clearly enjoyed the session and understood the message Wech was trying to convey.
No movie theatres in Papua New Guinea
For most of us, going to the movies is a past-time that is taken for granted. But for some of the young athletes from Papua New Guinea it is a chance of a life-time simply to step into a movie theatre in Singapore.
"In Papua New Guinea, we don't have movie theatres," said team official MattheCooper, 41, an Australian who has lived there for 15 years, "So, we have put (it) on our list of things to do with the kids. That would be the first time for some of them."
The inaugural Youth Olympic Games might mean many things to many people but for thousands of foreign athletes and officials, the experience away from the tracks, pitches or pools counts too. A visit by this reporter to the Youth Olympic Village found its inhabitants generally having a good time - be it taking photographs with the Village stilt walker or having henna applied to their hands.
An Algerian official was seen trying his hand at cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Peruvian swimmer Kaori Miyahara, 16, was having her nails painted at the Djibouti booth, run by students from Si Ling Secondary. With four hours of training on a typical day, Kaori - who is half-Japanese - has not had time to make trips around the island.
What she did make, though, are friends from Aruba, India and Brazil. Kaori said, "We talked about our times in swimming and our lives."
Other athletes, such as Canadian Rachel Romu, 17, have ventured further. The long jumper, whose family is being hosted by expatriates in Singapore in an arrangement by the Canadian High Commission, has visited colonial houses in Sembawang, shopped at Bishan Junction 8 shopping centre and tried jellyfish and durian. Her verdict on the delicacies? She did not like the "texture" of jellyfish but found the king of fruits delightful despite its pungency. "There's a lot we get to do both on and off the Village, in and outside of the competition," said Rachel.
YOG organizers are also holding "exploration journeys", with trips to Hort Park and Marina Barrage, for instance. The half-day tour of the barrage attracted 74 athletes and 14 officials from more than 10 countries. |
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