The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (referred to as "Singapore 2010"), the first ever Youth Olympic Games (YOG), will be held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August 2010.

The YOG is a new initiative by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to engage the youth through an integrated sport, culture and education programme. It will follow the traditional Olympic Games cycle of four years, with the first Summer YOG in 2010 and the first Winter YOG in 2012. Unlike the Olympic Games, the youth athletes taking part in the YOG are expected to stay in the host city throughout the Games to take part in the culture and education activities. The YOG will not be as grandiose as the Olympic Games; all sports venues must be located in the host city, and the host city is not required to build any major venues.

About 3,600 athletes are expected to take part in Singapore 2010.

The participating athletes will be between the ages of 14 and 18.

The 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) over five continents will select and send their youth athletes to take part in Singapore 2010. The list of participating NOCs can be found in the link below: http://www.olympic.org/en/content/National-Olympic-Committees

Singapore is an exciting destination, one that is vibrant, cosmopolitan, culturally rich and diverse; it is a global city to live, work, and play. It respects people of all races and religions and believes in fair play, honesty and integrity. Singapore’s innovative and exciting programmes for the inaugural YOG will support and strengthen the Olympic Movement and ensure that the legacy of the Games is felt long after they have ended. Singapore also has world class sport facilities and an excellent transport infrastructure which are integral for the successful staging of the Games.

The Singapore 2010 YOG will create a lasting sports, culture and education legacy for Singapore and youths from around the world. Being the first host allows Singapore to develop a new set of programmes to connect the youths from around the world to the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect, and in the process, provide opportunities for young people in Singapore and other parts of the world to come together and build lasting friendships. The sporting culture in Singapore will grow richer with the arrival of the Games.

The YOG also provides an excellent platform for Singaporeans to come together, through various community partnerships and events. In addition, Singaporeans can benefit from the upgrading of existing sport facilities which will be used as competition venues during the Games. Increased visitor arrivals during Games time will also translate into more opportunities for local businesses.

The planning and preparations for Singapore 2010 are on track. The Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC) has completed its operational planning at the end of September 2009. From October 2009 to May 2010, the Organising Committee will go into "operational readiness planning", where it will go into more detailed planning for Games operation and how it will operate within the venues. This is a critical phase where the Organising Committee and partner agencies will get ready to operate the Games.

Preparations for Singapore 2010 are on track. Right from the start, we are mindful of the need to keep the costs of organising the Games at a reasonable level. The current economic condition is not expected to hamper preparations, and Singapore remains committed to hosting a successful event.

Accreditation will start in February 2010, and media can apply for accreditation directly through the Singapore 2010 website. More information will be available on the website when it is ready.

All the 26 sports on the programme of the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games will be featured in Singapore 2010. However, there will be a smaller number of disciplines and events. The 26 sports, with a total of 201 events, are:

1) Aquatics
2) Archery
3) Athletics
4) Badminton
5) Basketball
6) Boxing
7) Canoe-Kayak
8) Cycling
9) Equestrian
10) Fencing
11) Football
12) Gymnastics
13) Handball
14) Hockey
15) Judo
16) Modern Pentathlon
17) Rowing
18) Sailing
19) Shooting
20) Table Tennis
21) Taekwondo
22) Tennis
23) Triathlon
24) Volleyball
25) Weightlifting
26) Wrestling

The IOC determines the sports programme for all editions of the Olympic Games, which include the Olympic Summer Games, Olympic Winter Games and now the YOG.

More information on the qualifying system for the various sports can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'Sports'. You can also write in to the respective NOCs for more details.

The 18 venues where the sports competitions will be held can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'Venues'. The venues were determined in consultation with the International Federations (IFs) and approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Most of the competition venues are existing facilities owned by the Singapore Sports Council and other government agencies as well as commercial entities.

The IOC's vision is for the YOG to be an event which places equal emphasis on sport, culture and education. More than just a sport competition for young athletes, Singapore 2010 has an integrated Culture and Education Programme (CEP) that encourages athletes to embrace, embody and express the Olympic Values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect, and play active roles in their communities.

More information on the CEP as well as activities under the programme can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'Culture & Education'.

The Youth Olympic Village (YOV) is located amidst lush greenery of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Campus. It will accommodate all 5,000 plus athletes and team officials of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) for a maximum period of 18 days, from 10 to 28 August 2010.

The YOV will provide comfortable, but not lavish accommodation and services to the athletes and officials such that all will have a uniquely memorable experience. It has a quiet and serene environment that is conducive and safe for the athletes to rest peacefully, prepare for competition, and in their free time, socialise and participate in specially designed cultural and education activities.

For more details and updates on our marketing partners, please refer to the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Marketing Partners'.

Tickets for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will go on sale from March 2010. Details on ticket sales will be announced once they are ready. For more information and updates, please refer to the Singapore 2010 website under 'Tickets'.

You may purchase Singapore 2010 merchandise at the following locations:

• Takashimaya Square, Basement 2
• Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Headquarters Lobby ( 1 Kay Siang Road)

An official online store is also being hosted at the Singapore 2010 website. To visit the online store, as well as for more information/updates, please refer to the Singapore 2010 website under 'Store'.

Ten SingPost post offices have also begun selling Singapore 2010 merchandise to the public. The 10 selected post offices are at Ang Mo Kio Central, Change Alley, HarbourFront Centre, Jurong Point, Killiney Road, Singapore Post Centre, Tanglin, Tampines Central, Toa Payoh Central and Woodlands Central.

There are a few ways you can sign up to volunteer for Singapore 2010.

If you are a student from one of the local primary and secondary schools, junior colleges, Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities, you can approach your student affairs office to find out more on how you can volunteer through your school.

If you would like to volunteer in your personal capacity, you can register your interest on the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Volunteer'. Individual volunteers have to be at least 18 years of age on or before 1 March 2010.

Corporate and organisational volunteers can write in to Singapore2010_Volunteer@singapore2010.sg to find out more details about volunteering opportunities.

Registration for volunteers will be open till 28 February 2010.

More FAQs related to volunteering can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Volunteer'.

Preference will be given to people with relevant skills or experience for the different areas. A list of volunteering opportunities and job description is available on the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Volunteer'.

More FAQs related to volunteering can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Volunteer'.

More than 15,000 volunteers have signed up to date.

More FAQs related to volunteering can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Volunteer'.

We are currently matching the interests and aptitudes of the volunteers to available opportunities, so that they can have a meaningful and memorable experience volunteering for the Games. Volunteers who have signed up will be notified by the Organising Committee. Meanwhile, thank you for your patience.

More FAQs related to volunteering can be found at the Singapore 2010 website under 'About Us – Volunteer'.

Thank you for your interest to join the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. You can look out for job openings at the following websites: the Singapore 2010 website (under 'Careers'), the public sector job portal, VOG (https://app.vog.gov.sg/Presentation/HotJobs.aspx (if you select 'Jobs by Organisation', please look under 'MCYS - Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports'), and/or the JobsDB website (www.jobsdb.com.sg/Singapore). Job openings are open to all nationalities.

For further enquiries, please contact our Workforce Division at Singapore2010_HR@Singapore2010.sg.

For internship opportunities, please contact our Workforce Division at Singapore2010_HR@Singapore2010.sg with a copy of your resume and field of study. If you are students from various local Institutes of Higher Learning (e.g. Polytechnics, NUS, NTU, SMU), please do approach your Career Services offices for more details on the internship periods and positions.