117th IOC Session - World's Impression of Singapore

World's Impression of Singapore

A Canadian television report said that the session had placed the country in the centre of the sporting universe and that the spotlight was on six cities, not just the five candidate cities.

The media said that most visitors' first taste of Singapore was an annoying ding-dong alert sound produced in a taxi when it exceeds the speed limit. The speaking of the slang Singlish was highlighted, together with the country's chewing gum laws.

References were made to Singapore's tough drug laws, the traffic jams and the tight security checks. The British daily, The Guardian wrote on the terrorism spectre that stalks the Games, noting that "Even here in Singapore, during the meeting of the 116 members, security has at times been stifling. Access to the Swissôtel, where the members are staying, has been severely restricted and squadrons of Gurkhas armed with hand- and machine-guns patrol inside and outside the hotel."

Two years later in 2008 Singapore was awarded the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics.