2008 Commonwealth Youth Games
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Pune
, India
, a city in the state of Maharashtra
. They were the third Commonwealth Youth Games
, which are held every four years; they were the first Commonwealth Youth Games
to be held in Asia
.
The III Commonwealth Youth Games were conducted from 12th to 18 October 2008. Over 1,300 athletes and 350 officials from 71 countries participated in these games.
The III Commonwealth Youth Games is unique for its green theme, which permeates all aspects of the Games. A special drive is being conducted by the game organisers to create a "save the tigers" campaign to promote awareness of the critical state of the Indian tiger.
Each sport has a unique pictogram to represent it. The pictograms are designed to be, like the 2008 CYG logo, a balance between the cultural heritage of India and the modern India. The pictograms have been derived from the tribal art form of Warli.
. Abhinav Bindra
, India's gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, was the final Youth Baton Runner, who poured the water collected from different countries into a kalash. The "Fountain of Youth" was later formed from this water. Veteran actress Hema Malini
performed a beautiful prayer dance. Bollywood
actor Saif Ali Khan
also performed during the event. Singers Sunidhi Chauhan
and Shankar Mahadevan
sang the theme song. There was also a performance by the Indian actress Urmila Matondkar
. The President of India, Pratibha Patil
, declared the Games open. The entire event was choreographed by Shiamak Davar
. Various schools from Pune participated in the event.
stars. The ceremonies began with a special dog show organised by the military of India. This was followed by the official ceremony, when the Secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation declared the Games closed. The cultural part included musical performances by some of the finest singers from India, such as Shaan
, Kunal Ganjawala
, and Shiamak Davar
, the choreographer of the event. A few select schools were selected to perform in the closing ceremony, like Kamalnayan Bajaj and St. Ursula's. These dances were also choreographed by Shiamak Davar's group. Various indigenous cultures from Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western India were shown by Diya Mirza, Neha Dhupia
, and Malaika Arora. Bollywood actor Ritesh Deshmukh also performed with them during the event. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty
also performed during the event. The "Fountain of Youth" which was created during the Opening Ceremony was slowly lowered and a "Garden of Youth" was formed. The "Garden of Youth" will remain outside the stadium as a part of the legacy. The hand over ceremony included a seven-minute show from the Isle of Man
, who will host the games in 2011. The official mascot of the 2008 Games, Jiggr said good bye to the competitors of the youth Games, after which the mascot for the Delhi 2010 Games, Sheru, welcomed all to Delhi. The closing ceremonies were ended with fireworks.
. The seal features the city's name 'Pune' in both English script and Devanagari/Sanskrit script. The seal itself is derived from the Maratha seal of Shivaji Maharaj. It is a fusion of the traditional Pune culture and modernity.
.
Jigrr the name, is an amalgam of the word "Jigar
", which implies courage in Hindi language and also the sound of tiger roar 'grrr...'
The Youth Baton Relay will begin at New Delhi University North Campus and proceed to India Gate on 1 August, 2008, at a large cultural festival. The Baton will then travel through nine states, and cover over 8000 km. Six thousand athletes have been selected to carry the Baton; an additional 7500 volunteers will help the Baton through 199 cities, towns and villages. Additionally, approximately 80 crew, 25 vehicles and guests, media and VIP’s will escort the baton on its trip.
In keeping with the "green games" theme for both the 2008 Youth Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, the relay will be in support of the ‘save the tiger’ campaign. The collected water is to symbolize the conservation of natural resources, and will be used at the opening ceremony to create a "fountain of Youth". A "garden of youth" will also be created by the 71 participating nations at Balewadi Stadium.
A total of 71 nations sent teams to the 2008 Youth Games. Some of the major teams include Australia fielding 102 athleteshttp://www.thesportscampus.com/20081004133/2008-pune-youth-games/team-australia, England with 80http://www.thesportscampus.com/20081007140/2008-pune-youth-games/team-england, Canada fielding 59http://www.thesportscampus.com/20081004132/2008-pune-youth-games/team-canada & Scotland with 44http://www.thesportscampus.com/20081004134/2008-pune-youth-games/team-scotland. Some of the other major teams include South Africa, the hosts India, Malaysia and Singapore.
In alphabetical order, the list of participating nations is as follows:
. These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silvers is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically.
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, a city in the state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. They were the third Commonwealth Youth Games
Commonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:...
, which are held every four years; they were the first Commonwealth Youth Games
Commonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:...
to be held in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
The III Commonwealth Youth Games were conducted from 12th to 18 October 2008. Over 1,300 athletes and 350 officials from 71 countries participated in these games.
The III Commonwealth Youth Games is unique for its green theme, which permeates all aspects of the Games. A special drive is being conducted by the game organisers to create a "save the tigers" campaign to promote awareness of the critical state of the Indian tiger.
Sports
There were nine sports on the programme for the 2008 CYG.Each sport has a unique pictogram to represent it. The pictograms are designed to be, like the 2008 CYG logo, a balance between the cultural heritage of India and the modern India. The pictograms have been derived from the tribal art form of Warli.
-
Athletics -
BadmintonBadmintonBadminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their... -
BoxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
-
ShootingShootingShooting is the act or process of firing rifles, shotguns or other projectile weapons such as bows or crossbows. Even the firing of artillery, rockets and missiles can be called shooting. A person who specializes in shooting is a marksman... -
SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native... -
Table TennisTable tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
-
TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... -
WeightliftingPowerliftingPowerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman... -
WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Opening Ceremony
The spectacular Opening Ceremony included several performances showcasing Indian culture and tradition. There was also a unique show set up by the Indian Air ForceIndian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
. Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Singh Bindra is an Indian shooter from Zirakpur, Mohali, Punjab and is the current World and Olympic champion in the 10 m Air Rifle event...
, India's gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, was the final Youth Baton Runner, who poured the water collected from different countries into a kalash. The "Fountain of Youth" was later formed from this water. Veteran actress Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
performed a beautiful prayer dance. Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actor Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the late former Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters: Saba Ali Khan and actress Soha Ali Khan....
also performed during the event. Singers Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs....
and Shankar Mahadevan
Shankar Mahadevan
Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:...
sang the theme song. There was also a performance by the Indian actress Urmila Matondkar
Urmila Matondkar
Urmila Matondkar is an Indian film actress.Matondkar, who made her screen debut as a child artist in the 1980 film Kalyug, debuted as an adult in Narasimha...
. The President of India, Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Patil
Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the 12th President of the Republic of India and first woman to hold the office. She was sworn in as President of India on 25 July 2007, succeeding Dr. A.P.J...
, declared the Games open. The entire event was choreographed by Shiamak Davar
Shiamak Davar
DIL CHAHE-External links:* * * http://www.google.co.in/music/album?n=Dil-Chahe-Shiamak&id=20100520190954_2d1d03si4m47m* http://www.google.co.in/music/album?n=Mohabbat-Kar-Le-Shiamak&id=20100520134546_lj2mmwol474i...
. Various schools from Pune participated in the event.
Closing Ceremony
The Closing Ceremony of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games included the presence of several dignitaries and BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
stars. The ceremonies began with a special dog show organised by the military of India. This was followed by the official ceremony, when the Secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation declared the Games closed. The cultural part included musical performances by some of the finest singers from India, such as Shaan
Shaan (singer)
Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
, Kunal Ganjawala
Kunal Ganjawala
Kunal Ganjawala is popularly known as Bollywood playback singer. But he also did a very well contribution to Kanada film industry as well. Kunal began his career by singing jingles. He came to limelight with the song 'Bheege Honth Tere' form film Murder in 2004. It was his first biggest hit...
, and Shiamak Davar
Shiamak Davar
DIL CHAHE-External links:* * * http://www.google.co.in/music/album?n=Dil-Chahe-Shiamak&id=20100520190954_2d1d03si4m47m* http://www.google.co.in/music/album?n=Mohabbat-Kar-Le-Shiamak&id=20100520134546_lj2mmwol474i...
, the choreographer of the event. A few select schools were selected to perform in the closing ceremony, like Kamalnayan Bajaj and St. Ursula's. These dances were also choreographed by Shiamak Davar's group. Various indigenous cultures from Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western India were shown by Diya Mirza, Neha Dhupia
Neha Dhupia
Neha Dhupia is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She is a former beauty queen and winner of Femina Miss India 2002.-Early life:...
, and Malaika Arora. Bollywood actor Ritesh Deshmukh also performed with them during the event. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty is an Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar , she has appeared in nearly 40 Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag. Although she has been through years of decline during her career, Shetty has been...
also performed during the event. The "Fountain of Youth" which was created during the Opening Ceremony was slowly lowered and a "Garden of Youth" was formed. The "Garden of Youth" will remain outside the stadium as a part of the legacy. The hand over ceremony included a seven-minute show from the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, who will host the games in 2011. The official mascot of the 2008 Games, Jiggr said good bye to the competitors of the youth Games, after which the mascot for the Delhi 2010 Games, Sheru, welcomed all to Delhi. The closing ceremonies were ended with fireworks.
Marketing
Logo
The logo of the games reflect the heritage of Pune and MaharashtraMaharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. The seal features the city's name 'Pune' in both English script and Devanagari/Sanskrit script. The seal itself is derived from the Maratha seal of Shivaji Maharaj. It is a fusion of the traditional Pune culture and modernity.
Mascot
The name of the official mascot of the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games is "Jigrr". The mascot is a tiger, the national animal of India. Jigrr is the younger brother of 'Shera', the mascot of 2010 Commonwealth Games2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
.
Jigrr the name, is an amalgam of the word "Jigar
Jigar
Jigar is a Bollywood 1992 Indian film directed by Farogh Siddique. It was inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster Bloodsport. Jigar was released in Diwali weekend and proved to be successful.-Storyline:...
", which implies courage in Hindi language and also the sound of tiger roar 'grrr...'
Youth Baton Relay
For the Youth Games 2008, a new concept called the "Youth Baton Relay" (based on the Queen's Baton Relay) has been created by the organizers. For the event, a baton will be carried through nine Indian states, carrying water from around the country.The Youth Baton Relay will begin at New Delhi University North Campus and proceed to India Gate on 1 August, 2008, at a large cultural festival. The Baton will then travel through nine states, and cover over 8000 km. Six thousand athletes have been selected to carry the Baton; an additional 7500 volunteers will help the Baton through 199 cities, towns and villages. Additionally, approximately 80 crew, 25 vehicles and guests, media and VIP’s will escort the baton on its trip.
In keeping with the "green games" theme for both the 2008 Youth Games and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, the relay will be in support of the ‘save the tiger’ campaign. The collected water is to symbolize the conservation of natural resources, and will be used at the opening ceremony to create a "fountain of Youth". A "garden of youth" will also be created by the 71 participating nations at Balewadi Stadium.
Participating nations
In alphabetical order, the list of participating nations is as follows:
Medal Count
This is the full table of the medal count of the Commonwealth Youth GamesCommonwealth Youth Games
The Commonwealth Youth Games are a small-scale version of the Commonwealth Games, designed for the youth of the 71 Commonwealth countries.-History:...
. These rankings sort by the number of gold medals earned by a country. The number of silvers is taken into consideration next and then the number of bronze. If, after the above, countries are still tied, equal ranking is given and they are listed alphabetically.
| 1 |  India (host) |
33 | 26 | 17 | 76 |
| 2 |  Australia |
24 | 18 | 23 | 65 |
| 3 |  Kingdom of England |
18 | 9 | 14 | 41 |
| 4 |  South Africa |
7 | 14 | 9 | 30 |
| 5 |  Canada |
6 | 11 | 9 | 26 |
| 6 |  Wales |
5 | 5 | 6 | 16 |
| 7 |  Malaysia |
3 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| 8 |  Kingdom of Scotland |
3 | 3 | 12 | 18 |
| 9 |  New Zealand |
3 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| 10 |  Kenya |
3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 |  Sri Lanka |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 |  Singapore |
2 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 13 |  Uganda |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 14 |  Samoa |
1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 15 |  Zambia |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 16 |  Fiji |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 17= |  Barbados |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17= |  Grenada |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17= |  Guernsey |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  Northern Ireland |
0 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 21 |  Pakistan |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 22 |  Nigeria |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 23= |  Botswana |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 23= |  Cameroon |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 25= |  Cyprus |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25= |  Guyana |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25= |  Malta |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25= |  Namibia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25= |  The Gambia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 30= |  Bangladesh |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30= |  Nauru |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30= |  Saint Kitts and Nevis |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30= |  Tanzania |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 117 | 116 | 124 | 357 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|