An estimated 5000 teenage athletes and officials will pour into Singapore, one of the world's most densely-populated islands, for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games from August 14-26.

A total of 26 sports will be contested by competitors aged between 14 and 18 in what's seen as a possible stepping-stone to the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee created the new event as a means for drawing young people back to the playing fields and away from computer and TV screens, and hopefully aim at becoming "real Olympians".

The Youth Olympics' mission is "to inspire young people around the world to participate in sport and live by the Olympic values".

Singapore defeated Moscow by 53 votes to 44 to be the first Youth Olympics venue, and apart from the sports has devised an accompanying list of cultural and educational events for the youngsters, many of whom will be making their first overseas trip.

The Youth Summer Games will be held every four years, the second scheduled for 2014 in the Chinese city of Nanjing.

The inaugural Youth Winter Olympics will be at Innsbruck, Austria, in 2012.

In Singapore, about 3500 athletes from up to 170 countries are expected to face the starters.

Australia will send the maximum of 100 athletes (compared with Britain's 40) with Nick Green, a member of the "oarsome foursome" which won two Olympic rowing gold-medals, as chef-de-mission.

Competitors will be in all sports except fencing, football, judo, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.

Another 38 Australians, aged between six and 12, have been flown to Singapore by chartered Boeing-747 in advance of the Games - they're horses!.

Noted Queensland mother-daughter equestrians Paula and Olivia Hamood were contracted last year - Olivia competed in the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival - to recruit, train and ship 38 horses to be allocated to Youth Olympics riders.

The IOC decreed that no new stadiums should have to be built for the Youth Olympics, but temporary structures were allowed.

With five million residents crammed into a 700 square kilometre island, Singapore is now ablaze with banners and posters announcing its biggest international sporting event - although it has hosted three South East Asian Games.

(By contrast. Sydney's population nearing five million is spread over an urban area of 1,687 square kilometres).

The 18 Games venues are located all over the island; the opening and closing ceremonies on August 14 and 26 will be at the Marina Bay Floating Platform, opened in 2007 as a venue for National Day events, music and cultural performances.

The opening will feature a colourful 110-minute show depicting the story of Singapore and the aspirations of young athletes - followed by fireworks.

The platform, with seats for 25,000 spectators, is close by the newly-opened Marina Bay Sands resort with its distinctive three 55-storey towers and a rooftop park in the shape of a boat.

Athletes and team officials will be housed in the Youth Olympics Village, which the organisers describe as "comfortable but not lavish" accommodation and services on the campus of the Nanyang Technological University.

The dining hall will present a spread of up to 60 international dishes per day on the buffet table, representing European, Asian, Asian and Oceania cuisines.

In the village are training facilities and an Internet centre, and the Village Square has a world culture pavilion exhibiting the histories and cultures of the countries taking part in the Games.

There will also be musical concerts in the square and also the chance for the young athletes to meet and chat with senior Olympic champions who are being brought to Singapore for the Games as role models and ambassadors.

They include the world's fastest man, Beijing Olympic sprinting champion and world record-holder Usain Bolt of Jamaica, American multi-gold-medallist swimmer Michael Phelps and Russian pole-vault title-holder Yelena Isinbayeva.

The Australian Olympians will be basketballers Andrew Gaze and Michele Timms, hockey's Andrew Smith and taekwando's Daniel Trenton, while Young Ambassadors on the list include sailing gold medallist Elise Rechichi.

Meanwhile, Australian showbiz star Jessica Mauboy will be Oceania's representative as five singers from each continent who will present a new inspirational Olympic theme song titled "Everyone" during the Games opening ceremony.

The Games will follow a modified Olympics schedule, with no synchronised swimming, no track cycling, no canoeing-slalom, softball or baseball, and other events shortened. 
 
James Shrimpton
AAP