Asian Youth Games: Tan Yuan Song

Name: Tan Yuan Song
CG: 17/09
Sports Covered: Table-Tennis
Venue: Toa Payoh Stadium



I am glad to be able to have this opportunity to be an AYG reporter. It was a fun and enriching 6 days reporting on table tennis events. I saw how a large scale competition is carried out and discovered more about the routines of a reporter.



I had to cope with the pressure of coming up with a report on time and it had to be of standard. Besides noting down key moments of the match, I had to come up with specific questions with regards to the match to ask the athletes. I also learned more about teamwork, where the photographers and reporters have to work together to get things done faster and produce better articles. Teammates have to trust each other to do their best in order to come up with articles good enough to be put up on the official AYG website. It is also important to know key players before the competition so that I will know who will be the main ones to cover on.



This experience also gave me an insight on what it is like to be a sports reporter. Since I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, I may consider doing it as a career in the future, or at least something sports related. I changed my perceptions about work, where previously I felt I just had to work for the money and it does not matter if I like the job or not. Now, I value the joy at work because then I would be enjoying a large part of my life and wealth does not necessarily equate to happiness. If I can earn enough money to get by and enjoy my work, I would definitely go for it.



I also feel honoured to be part of the first AYG and especially since it is held in Singapore, I feel happy to be able to contribute to its success. It also made me realize how much Singaporeans actually support their own athletes, with high ticket sales whenever our local paddlers are playing. It would definitely boost the level of play amongst local athletes since this is a good exposure for them and they know that Singaporeans will always be supporting them.



I also made many friends who are also reporters for table tennis. They were willing to help and as a whole, we managed to work well as a team. We also sought each other for help in our reports and to translate what athletes have said.

This competition has motivated me to train harder for my CCA as I saw how much determination those paddlers have and how much they actually want to win. They definitely put in a lot of effort and time in trainings and if I want to achieve good results too, I have to train even harder and move out of my comfort zone.

Overall, it was a very fun-filled and enriching experience that I will never forget.