The Youth Olympic Flame, on a mission to spread the spirit of Olympism to youth around the world by travelling to one celebration city in each continent, has arrived in Auckland.
This marked the penultimate stop on the Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame that spans five continents, as a prelude to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games in which UAE will be represented by five athletes.
They are Haya Sameer Juma (Taekwondo), Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Majid Al Qasimi (Equestrian), Salim Mattar Ali Rashid (Shooting), Saif Ibrahim Al Hamadi (Sailing) and Hanan Al Balushi (Judo) succeeded in qualifying to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games as well.
The Flame was greeted by a Powhiri at the Manukau Civic Centre Gallery. The Powhiri is a traditional Maori ceremony for welcoming visitors to the island country. The ritual involved a series of warrior chants and dances and ending off with a hongi, a Maori greeting performed by pressing one’s nose to another.
Following the Powhiri, the Flame made a stop at the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club where New Zealand’s Barbara Kendall, the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Athlete Role Model and Elise Beavis (Sailing), athlete bound for the upcoming YOG in Singapore welcomed the Flame; as were New Zealand Olympic Gold Medalist Yvette Corlett together with YOG athlete, Mohamed Ali (Athletics) at the Pakuranga Athletics Club.
The lighting of the Celebration Cauldron was witnessed by Mike Stanley, President of New Zealand Olympic Committee, Len Brown, Mayor of Manukau City, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Singapore’s Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
“It is especially meaningful for the Youth Olympic Flame to visit Auckland, the Celebration City representing the continent of Oceania. Its people are traditionally strong in sport, and the city proactively promotes excellence and education for the youth,” said Ser Miang NG, Chairman of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee and Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee.
To bring a slice of Singapore life, culture and tradition to Auckland, the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) has partnered Singapore’s Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) to present a Singapore Showcase at the city celebration. It features the creative versatility, richness and diversity of Singapore through multi-cultural and youthful performances involving the genres of music, dance and vocals.
The Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame is a 13-day journey to celebration cities, representing five continents around the world. The Flame then arrives in Singapore on Friday for a traditional six-day torch relay around the island nation. The five cities are: Berlin, Germany representing Europe, Dakar, Senegal (Africa), Mexico City (Americas), Auckland (Oceania) and Seoul (Asia).
The Flame’s journey will culminate in the torch being brought to the Float@Marina Bay in Singapore, the world’s largest floating stage on August 14 where it will ignite the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games cauldron as part of the Opening Ceremony, signifying the start of the Games. Once lit, the Flame will continue to burn brightly throughout the 12 days of the Games until the Closing Ceremony on August 26.
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