The Straits Times a Singapore Press Holdings Website reporter Chan U-Gene highlighted the Bermuda Youth Olympic Team after they arrived in Singapore.
Soon after a 24-hour flight via New York and Frankfurt and arriving at Changi Airport at 6.30am yesterday, the Bermuda Youth Olympic team were whisked away to a full day of activities.
But the bunch from the British overseas territory, off the east coast of the United States, showed no signs of fatigue as they went through their introductory tours and equipment checks with zest.
'We didn't see Monday, as we were on the plane throughout,' quipped Xavier James, 34, the team coach of Bermuda, which has a population of about 68,000 and is about 11 hours behind Singapore. 'We are trying to stay awake to acclimatize.'
Their first stop was the Youth Olympic Village at the Nanyang Technological University where their chef de mission Patty Petty, who arrived a day earlier, awaited.
The team of four athletes - two track and field runners, one sailor and one triathlete - were then shown their rooms before taking a short tour of the village.
After lunch, the team gathered at Petty's room where they were handed team pins and given a talk on the responsibilities of being a YOG athlete.
Said Petty: 'We talked about representing the country not just in sports, but also outside of it. They are a good bunch of kids.'
Next, they headed for the National Sailing Centre (NSC). In the bus, the team chatted merrily and fiddled with their newly-issued handphones. Said James, as he showed the multiple functions on his new toy: 'These are really cool. I can check schedules and timings and everything else. You should get one.'
Every athlete and key team official of the YOG will be issued an OmniaLITE mobile phone, courtesy of Samsung.
At the NSC, sailor Owen Siese, checked on his competition boat the Byte CII one-person dinghy. He said: 'I wanted to make sure the control lines work smoothly, that the mast bends, and the blades are straight. Everything's in order.'
Triathlete Ryan Gunn, headed to the triathlon competition area at East Coast Park to set-up his bike, which was shipped from his home in Southampton, Bermuda. Ten minutes later, he took his US$6,000 (S$8,400) full-carbon bike for a short test run.
Next, James led Gunn to the official tent where they surveyed the course map and plotted their strategy. James then told Gunn: 'It's a straight course. You could fly, man. Go get them.'
With Seise and Gunn satisfied with their equipment checks, the team caught the bus back to the village.
Finally, 11 hours after touchdown, the day's activities took their toll as one by one they nodded off on the 45-minute bus ride.
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