ADDRESS BY MR LUI TUCK YEW, ACTING MINISTER, FOR INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS AT THE LAUNCH OF THE SINGAPORE 2010 ODYSSEY, ON SATURDAY, 6 MARCH 2010, 2.25PM, CATHAY CINELEISURE ORCHARD FOYER
Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of S’pore,
Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee,
Role of ICT in Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
1. Thank you for joining me this afternoon to launch the Singapore 2010 Odyssey. With just five months to go before Singapore hosts the first-ever Youth Olympic Games, the Singapore 2010 Odyssey is set to encourage more people to gear up for this inaugural event and be part of the Games.
2. As you all know, this is a new global event by the International Olympic Committee. From the 14th to the 26th of August, Singapore will play host to this international multi-sport event which will see competition in 26 Olympic sports at 18 competition venues across the island. Singapore is excited to play host to more than 5,000 athletes and officials from 205 National Olympic Committees. We will integrate sport, culture and education and in doing so, young athletes are encouraged to adopt and live by the Olympic values through a holistic programme.
3. Preparations for the Games are well underway and Singapore is committed to delivering a memorable and wonderful experience for all the athletes, officials and spectators in Singapore as well as the world. A successful Games will depend on the contributions of many people including volunteers and on many parties working together. Infocomm technology will be a critical enabler in the conduct of the Games, and the organisers - the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, or SYOGOC, together with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore or IDA - are focused on building a comprehensive, resilient and secure ICT system to support the Games.
4. During the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, the athletes and key team officials will be able to enjoy the “Digital Concierge for Singapore 2010” application via smart phones. This application will enable athletes and officials to obtain personalised competition schedules, results, and information on the Culture and Education Programme.
5. The Organising Committee has also leveraged on digital media to engage youth around the world through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. SYOGOC has also established the “WhyOhGee” microsite for young people to learn about Olympism and to show the lighter side of the Games by encouraging users to upload user generated content.
6. The Singapore 2010 Odyssey is a three-dimensional virtual world modelled after the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games and the ideals of the Olympic Movement.
7. As part of Singapore 2010, each user assumes a customised avatar which allows him or her to get immersed in a computer-generated environment mirroring the Games venues and a futuristic world set in the year 3010. Through online games, multimedia content and activities linked to real-world events in Singapore, youths from around the world can learn about some of the Olympic sports and interact with each other.
8. One of the features I am excited about is the function which allows users to contribute content. With tools to help users create their own content, youths can bring their ideas to life in the virtual world and share their creations with users around the world. I understand that more than 3,000 registered users signed up during the beta phase of the platform, and these beta users provided valuable feedback to make the environment even better.
Enhancing Development of Singapore’s ICT Industry
9. This development of the world’s first virtual world based on an Olympic event is jointly developed by a consortium of Singapore companies with international partners. The consortium is led by ST Electronics with Activate, NextGen, New Media Express, Crystal Graphics, Sohu, Fujitsu and Hipihi as its members. I hope it will inspire digital media companies and local games developers to come up with more innovative “Made by Singapore” digital media products and services for the global market.
10. Singapore can capitalise on this potential growth area with our good infocomm infrastructure and talent, and position Singapore as a leader in the use of interactive media and a vibrant digital media hub.
11. Singapore 2010 will certainly contribute to that, as it gains popularity among the youths, consumers and enterprises. I would like to encourage all of you to be a part of this exciting, new Singapore 2010 Odyssey.