A towering flame was lit in the heart of Singapore on Saturday, signaling the start of the inaugural Youth Olympics.

IOC President Jacque Rogge said the event would inspire young people around the world to take up sport but also teach them the importance of fair play, teamwork and living healthy lives.

A jubilant crowd of 27,000 packed a stadium overlooking Singapore’s Marina Bay to cheer on the 3,600 athletes from 204 countries as they made their way across a huge outdoor stage.

The ceremony was filled with fireworks, towering puppets and colorful dance performances that emphasized the youthful theme of the games while showcasing Singapore’s transformation from a dreary trading port to a modern metropolis.

The Youth Olympics officially starts Sunday with the women’s triathlon. It will continue for 12 days and feature athletes ages 14 to 18 competing in 26 sports.

Rogge said the Youth Olympics would become an integral part of the Olympic movement, inspire young people to play more sports and provide athletes with something more than competition — including the chance to be mentored by seasoned athletes such as Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. It will also teach about the perils of doping and adjusting to life after sports.

Addressing the athletes, Rogge said the Games would help them “learn the difference between winning and being a champion”.

“To win, you merely have to cross the finish line,” he said.

“To be a champion, you have to inspire admiration for your character, as well as for your physical talent.”

Rogge also said he hoped there would be plenty of lessons to come out of the Games, including changing the format of some sports. Three-on-three basketball, a smaller, quick-shooting version, will be played here amid expectations that it could become part of the Summer Olympics.

There is also the emergence of female athletes at the Youth Olympics from conservative Islamic countries, which could signal a change among some governments toward allowing female athletes to compete at international level. Several nations, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, did not send female athletes to the2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Jihan El Midany, for example, is set to make history as the first Egyptian woman to carry the delegation flag at an Olympic event. And if the 18-year-old pentathlete finishes in the top three, she would also be the first woman from her country to win a medal at any Olympics.

Qatar is sending girls to an Olympic competition for the first time, while Iran agreed to send a girls’ soccer team after reaching a compromise that would allow them to wear specially-designed hats rather than the FIFA-banned headscarves during matches.

The Games run from August 14 – 26th.

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