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Hosting the Youth Olympics may boost Singapore's drive to turn its population into a sporting nation and raise its profile through staging major events.

The Southeast Asian city-state, whose only Olympic medal came at the 1960 Games, was yesterday awarded the inaugural Youth Olympic Games for 14- to 18-year-olds in August 2010.

Singapore is building sports facilities, bidding for international events and investing in its most talented athletes in a push to lure tourists and encourage its education-focused teenagers to get on the sports field.

``It's not just doing well academically but doing well in sports,'' Teo Ser Luck, parliamentary secretary for the sports ministry, said in an interview today. ``We'd like to draw our youth back into sports.''

More than 3,200 teens will contest the same 26 sports that make up the Summer Olympic program, with much of the action centered on the Marina-Kallang downtown area, which is staging the first Formula One night race this year.

Sports events are part of the government's plan to boost attractions and double visitor numbers to 17 million by 2015 and triple tourism spending to S$30 billion ($21.3 billion).

The Singapore Open golf tournament offered $4 million in prize money -- the second-highest in Asia -- and attracted No. 2- ranked Phil Mickelson of the U.S. last year. The country will also stage the 2013 South East Asian Games and is planning a national sports championship from 2012.

`Benefit the Same'

Singapore -- located 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of the equator -- is constructing a S$1.2 billion Sports Hub in 2011 with a 55,000-seat stadium and water sports center that will improve its chances of luring top-class competitions.

The Youth Games are the most significant event, according to Teo, because Singapore could never host the main Olympics. The games will be the biggest multisports competition held by the nation of 4.6 million people.

``This is the closest that Singapore can get to the Olympics,'' Teo said. ``Other cities benefited from the Olympics in the past and Singapore will benefit in the same way.''

Singapore has a $75.5 million budget for the Youth Olympics, with the government footing $52.8 million and guaranteeing to make up any overspend.

Olympic hosts typically raise their performance on the field, so Singapore's youth may set an example for a nation whose only success was a weightlifting silver medal for Tan Howe Liang almost a half-century ago in Rome.

Singapore has started Project 0812 to target Olympic success in Beijing this year and at the 2012 Games in London by directing a S$7 million fund at elite athletes, including badminton's Ronald Susilo and table tennis player Li Jiawei.

``We believe in creating a sports culture,'' Teo said. ``We're looking forward to winning our second medal in this year's Olympics.''

(Source: Bloomberg)