Singapore 2010 — the 1st Summer Youth Olympic

2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games
(officially known as I Summer Youth Olympic Games)
August 14th - 26th, 2010


Mascot: Lyo & Merly

Lyo (pronounced as “Leo”), the “Lion of the Youth Olympics”, is a lion cub with a mane as fiery as his passion for life. Full of youthful energy, Lyo is always on the go, exploring and discovering new things and playing sports. His favourite sport is basketball and he dreams of someday representing Singapore in international basketball tournaments.

Growing up in Singapore, the City-in-a-Garden, Lyo is no stranger to people. He enjoys making friends from all over the world and learning about their different cultures. He is fun-loving and wants to inspire youths to keep fit and enjoy sports for life.

* Star Sign: Leo
* Dream: To win a gold medal in an international basketball championship.
* Personal Motto: “Never say never”
* Favourite Food: Chilli Crabs and Chicken Rice with lots of chilli
* Hobbies: Jamming on his guitar, exploring and discovering new things, and playing sports, especially basketball.

Symbolism
Legend tells us that a prince visited a lovely tropical island a long, long time ago. Upon landing, he spotted a beautiful lion, and so named the island Singapura, which means ‘Lion City’. Today, that island has grown into the city-state of Singapore, whose 5 million people have adopted the Lion as their national symbol.

Lyo’s mane resembles the Flame of Passion of the Spirit of Youth, the emblem of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. It also calls to mind the Singapore 2010 tagline ‘Blazing the Trail’. His paw is shaped like Singapore island.


Merly got her name from “mer” (as in mermaid, a maiden of the sea) and “l y” for liveliness and youthfulness.

She is a merlion cub who loves exploring the seas surrounding Singapore, and beyond.

Although merlions are omnivorous by nature, Merly sticks to a vegetarian diet out of a deep respect for all living creatures. Merly is friendly and a great listener – when she becomes your friend, she is your friend for life. Always ready to join a good cause, Merly is especially passionate about protecting our environment (sadly, many of her friends have become ill as their homes have been polluted) Merly believes that every one of us can help create a sustainable future and works hard to spread that message. Her dream is to become an environmental scientist one day, so that she can find more ways to help people live in harmony with Nature.

* Star Sign: Aquarius
* Dream: To become an environmental scientist.
* Personal Motto: “You can achieve anything if you pour your heart into it!”
* Favourite Food: Ice Kachang (a Singaporean dessert of shaved ice drenched in colourful syrup).
* Hobbies: Singing, swimming, and collecting seashells to return them to sea.

Symbolism

The merlion is a mythical sea creature that is part lion and part fish. It is inspired by Singaporean folklore and Singapore’s fishing village origins.

Merly’s paw is shaped like a heart.