By Leslie Tan

07tjcvsvjc2.jpg

How some of us might be feeling now with regards to Moscow’s suggestion that Singapore is too hot and humid for the Youth Olympic Games. (Photo © Leslie Tan/Red Sports)

The race to host the first Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 14 to 18 years old is coming down the final stretch and Moscow is making unsporting comments, saying that Singapore’s heat and humidity are big risk factors for youth athletes.

According to Reuters, a New York-based paediatric expert, Ljiljana Dimitrijevic, said: “Heat and humidity are definitely big risk factors and, taking into account that the games will be staged in the summer, Moscow looks a more preferable choice than Singapore,” she said.

Moscow city mayor Yuri Luzhkov also relocated the capital of China to South-East Asia in the same Reuters report published in the Guardian Unlimited when he said: “Beijing and Singapore are in Asia. To be more precise, they’re both located in South-East Asia. Still, people don’t question Singapore’s right to host the Youth Olympics just two years after Beijing.”

For once, Singapore does not get relocated to China as it so often happens in the past. While we can’t say Beijing would be thrilled, we should take it as a back-handed compliment that a mayor of an international city has placed the capital of a major world power to South-East Asia because of us.

Moscow hosted the 1980 Olympics which were boycotted by the United States and other countries because of Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan. Recently, Moscow lost the race to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games to London. The Russian city of Sochin recently got the nod to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Instead of descending into a slanging match, let’s show the International Olympic Council (IOC) delegates that a vote for Singapore is a vote for sporting friendship. Let’s continue to show our support for the Youth Olympic Games in a positive way.

We are collecting 2010 signatures here at Red Sports to show our support for the Youth Olympic Games bid. Please do sign off to add your name to the growing list before February 21 at the following story: Show your support for Youth Olympic Games bid

So Singapore, what do you say?