August 16 , 2010

Pamela Ware, Aaron Dziver, and Marc Sabourin-Germain (Photo: Diane Sabourin)

OTTAWA – The inaugural Youth Olympic Games were launched amid much fanfare on Saturday at the Opening Ceremonies in Singapore. Divers Pamela Ware (Otterburn Park, QC) and Marc Sabourin-Germain (Mascouche, QC) accompanied by their coach, Aaron Dziver (Terrebonne, QC), will represent Canada in the diving events scheduled for August 21st through 24th.

First class treament since day one
According to Aaron Dziver, the local organizing committee has everything taken care of: « We were received the day we arrived by a reception at a very classy hotel downtown. The High Commissioner of Canada was on hand to welcome and encourage the athletes, coaches, and judges. Many Canadians who live in Singapore were also there to show support. It was a great experience for the team ».

From the divers' vantage point, their new home at the Olympic Villiage is outstanding: « There are tons of people everywhere, and we can sense the competitive energy amongst each country » says Marc Sabourin-Germain. With the Youth Olympic Games being a cultural and education experience as well, the participants are invited to discover the rest of the world through a different lens: « In the main building, there is a lot of information about each country. It has been really nice to interact with people from all walks of life. I love it » added Sabourin-Germain.

Priority Number One: Adaptation
Seeing that each diving event is taking place at an outdoor facility, a great deal of adaptation is required from the Canadians: « Pamela and Marc are not used to an environment like this. There is a significant learning curve for them to figure out how to compete with things like rain, natural sunlight, differentiating between the blue sky and blue water while spinning in the air, and how to determine when to best kick out of a rotation in their dive » commented Aaron Dziver.

In addition to the adaptation required on the diving boards, Marc Sabourin-Germain tells that adapting to the daily routine is also a challenge for the team: « The first two days were tough because of the twelve hour time difference, but we managed. Here it can get fairly hot and humid, we have to drink lots of water, the beds are a bit firm, and the nights can be surprisingly cold. But the people have been great and very welcoming to us. »

A once in a lifetime experience
Despite Pamela Ware, Marc Sabourin-Germain, and Aaron Dziver being potential candidates for eventual Olympic Games in 2012 or 2016, the experience they are having at the Youth Olympics in Singapore will remain something very special to them: « I will remember Singapore for a long time. For example, just the natural surroundings here are incredible. You get the feeling that you are in the jungle. It's amazing » remarked Sabourin-Germain, who was visibly captivated by the start of his Youth Olympic experience.

Schedule

Day and time	Event	Diver
Saturday - August 21st 13h30	Prelim 10 m – Women	Pamela Ware (CAMO)
Saturday - August 21st 20h30	Finals 10 m – Women	Pamela Ware (CAMO)
Sunday - August 22nd 13h30	Prelim 3 m – Men	Marc Sabourin-Germain (CAMO)
Sunday - August 22nd 20h30	Finals 3 m – Men	Marc Sabourin-Germain (CAMO)
Monday - August 23rd 13h30	Prelim 3 m – Women	Pamela Ware (CAMO)
Monday - August 23rd 20h30	Finals 3 m – Women	Pamela Ware (CAMO)
Tuesday - August 24th 13h30	Prelim 10 m – Men	Marc Sabourin-Germain (CAMO)
Tuesday - August 24th 20h30	Finals 10 m – Men	Marc Sabourin-Germain (CAMO)

About Youth Olympic Games (YOG)
The inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Game is being held in Singapore, from August 14th to 26th, 2010. The Youth Olympic Games strives to assemble the most talented youth athletes – between the ages of 14 and 18 – from all over the world. Additionally, non-sport participants such as youth ambassadors and young reporters participate in the event. This first edition of the Games includes approximately 3,600 athletes and 1450 officials from 26 different sports. The event will be run on a quadrennial cycle with Summer Games taking place in 2010, 2014, 2018 etc…

About Diving Plongeon Canada
Diving Plongeon Canada (DPC) was established in 1967 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the growth and awareness of the sport in this country. As a member of FINA, the world's governing body of aquatic sports, DPC contributes to the development of globally accepted standards of excellence in diving and supports the rules and regulations of international competition. Representing nine provincial diving associations, 67 local diving clubs and close to 4,000 high performance athletes, DPC shares a national commitment to advance the art and sport of diving and to position Canada as the number one diving nation of the world. For information, visit www.diving.ca.

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