Inaugural Youth Olympic Games – Torch Relay

Case Study: Inaugural Youth Olympic Games – Torch Relay

Client: Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC)
Project: Torch Relay – Inaugural Youth Olympic Games
Location: Olympia (Greece), Mexico City, Auckland, Berlin, Dakar, Seoul, Singapore
Production Partner: Whatever / IMG (Australia)
Executive Producers: Ean Thorley, Nik Goldsworthy

Overview

The 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, officially the I Summer Youth Olympic Games and popularly known as Singapore 2010. marked the debut of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), an Olympic-style competition for athletes aged 14 to 18. Held from 14 to 26 August 2010, it was the first International Olympic Committee–sanctioned event to take place in Southeast Asia. The Games brought together approximately 3,600 young athletes from 204 countries, competing in 201 events across 26 sports.

Proposal

Whatever was the only non-Singaporean company invited to pitch for the 2010 Games Torch Relay—a critical and symbolic component of the Olympic tradition. To strengthen our proposal, we partnered with IMG Australia. Against expectations, our joint pitch was selected.

The Journey of the Torch

The Olympic flame was lit in ancient Olympia, Greece, in accordance with tradition. From there, the flame embarked on a world tour via private jet, visiting six international cities:
Olympia (Greece)
Mexico City (Mexico)
Auckland (New Zealand)
Berlin (Germany)
Dakar (Senegal)
Seoul (South Korea)
Singapore

At each stop, production teams documented the torch relay and local ceremonies. The operation involved two dedicated teams: one traveling with the flame aboard the private jet, and another team flying commercial routes to provide ground support and media coverage at each destination.

Contingency Planning

A key operational challenge was ensuring the flame remained continuously lit—a core requirement of any Olympic torch relay. The flame was carried in three separate miner’s lamps onboard the aircraft. In the event all three were extinguished (a rare but possible scenario), protocol required the flame to be re-lit at its source in ancient Olympia.

Final Leg in Singapore

After a 13-day global journey, the flame arrived in Singapore, where the torch relay continued for six more days across the city-state. The culminating moment occurred on 13 August at the Marina Bay Promenade, where the portable cauldron was lit by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. This moment marked the symbolic arrival of the Games and was broadcast live across multiple platforms.