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ssc_marcomms posted on December 01, 2009 09:00 
From left: Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS); Lyo, Singapore 2010 Mascot; Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for CYS & son; Ng Ser Miang, Chairman of Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee (SYOGOC); Merly, Singapore 2010 Mascot; and Niam Chiang Meng, Permanent Secretary, MCYS
Photo courtesy of SYOGOC
The official mascots for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, or YOG, were unveiled by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, on 21 November 2009 at the Suntec City. Lyo (pronounced as “Leo”), the lion cub, and Merly, the merlion, were well-received by the throng of eager supporters who turned up for their maiden appearance.
Besides sounding fun, the names of the two lovable mascots stem from a whole lot of meaning as well.
Lyo is short for "Lion of the Youth Olympics". A sports enthusiast, he is fun-loving and hopes to inspire young people to keep fit and enjoy sports for life. He symbolises the boundless energy of youths, their determination to live life to the fullest and their zeal to strive for excellence.
Merly comes from a combination of the word “mer”, that means “sea”, and “ly”, that stands for liveliness and youthfulness. A passionate advocate of environment protection, she believes that everyone has a role to play in working towards a sustainable future. Merly also encourages young people to play an active role in their communities and promote respect for one another.
Dr Balakrishnan said: "It is an interesting play on fire and water, and the lion and merlion, so there are aspects of which we clearly can identify with as Singaporeans. But really, what we hope is these mascots will be embraced by Singaporeans as well as the visitors who come."
Also present at the unveiling was Mr Goh Kee Nguan, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee. "As mascots for Singapore 2010, Lyo and Merly have to appeal to the international community and the youth. At the same time, they must also possess a strong Singapore identity. As the host city for the inaugural YOG, we hope to share our culture with friends around the world. What better way to do it than to have Lyo and Merly represent us and the youth, and be the faces of the first YOG,” said Mr Goh.
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