Sep 30, 2010
AFTER THE GAMES
Stop video clips and countdown clock
THE spate of recent lapses by the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Organising Committee, the latest of which involved the late delivery of free tickets to the Formula One races over the weekend ('YOG helpers get F1 tickets - after race'; yesterday), suggests poor post-event planning.
Unfortunately, there may be more, such as the YOG's countdown clock at Ion Orchard and the big screen near the Mountbatten MRT station.
The Games may have ended more than a month ago, but the clock is counting the days since the event. This is absurd as well as a waste of energy.
The screen erected opposite the Mountbatten station is even more bizarre because of the low pedestrian traffic at the site.
The only significant traffic is from cars heading for the fast-food restaurants there. Surely, those who put up the billboard do not expect cars to stop or slow down to view what is being screened - a repetitive series of clips that circulate on a loop.
Finally, when are the authorities removing the 'give way' markings on the roads? If the sports authorities wish to remember the YOG for posterity, build a proper Olympic park rather than leave scattered remnants that serve no purpose.
Keith Gerard Tan
