YOUTH OLYMPIC FLAME PASSES THROUGH SAFTI MI

The dreary morning skies did nothing to dampen the spirits of the spectators who gathered at the SAFTI Military Institute to witness the fifth day of the Youth Olympic Flame's journey in Singapore on 12 Aug.

In fact, it was a momentous occasion for SAFTI MI as it was the only military institute to host the launch of the Olympic Flame during the six-day torch relay. With 10 torchbearers consisting of a selection of Officer Cadets (OCTs) and specialists, the soldiers demonstrated a spirit of unity and comradeship within the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

"The values of the Olympic Games, namely, Excellence, Friendship and Respect strongly resonate with the concept of National Service, especially in the SAF's Leader schools," said Brigadier-General (BG) Lim Teck Yin, Commandant SAFTI MI.

BG Lim was joined by Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was the Guest-of-Honour, as well as Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community, Youth and Sports Teo Ser Luck.

Upon the arrival of the flame, everyone cheered and confetti streamed all over the stage with the lighting of the torch. After passing the torch through the hands of Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and BG Lim, the torch was finally in the hands of the first torchbearer, OCT Wu Han, who kick-started the run.

I am honoured to be the first torchbearer, and very surprised that such a position was given to me. This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience! said the 20-year-old.

The SAFTI torchbearers were selected based on their consistent excellence in sports and have at least competed in their sport at the national level.

OCT Wu, who hails from Charlie Company in the Officer Cadet School, took part in the ASEAN schools fencing championships in 2007 and achieved a bronze medal for the individual category and a gold medal in the team category. He was also in the National fencing team from 2006 to 2008."The first thing that came to my mind when I held the torch was that it was really light! But knowing that the torch has been through so many places and the hands of many professional athletes really touched my heart. I'm really looking forward to the Youth Olympic Games as it is a great chance for the youth to showcase their talents and also, for the world to see Singapore in a different light," said OCT Wu.Likewise, OCT Hossein K, who previously played in the National Under-18 soccer team, felt very privileged to have been chosen as one of the torchbearers. "This was a really rare and memorable experience, though I was kind of scared that the flame might go off during the run," said the 21-year-old who is also from Charlie Company."The fact that our team of torchbearers does not only consist of officers, demonstrates unity within the whole army and the SAF. We're all sportsmen and our strengths lie in different sports. This is a run that showcases our sportsmanship," he added.Indeed, competitive sports and soldiering find convergence when it comes to developing personal character and teams that collectively sacrifice and strive for the benefit and glory of the greater good. Catch Singapore as she sets out to emphasize and celebrate these values at the Youth Olympic Games!