Fun is good

SINGAPORE -- One week down, one to go in the first-ever Youth Olympic Games. Courtesy of the internal Games News Service, here's just some of what they had to say that first week: "I think the Olympic Games are maybe a little bit too serious, there is too much gravitas. To introduce a little bit more of an element of fun would be good."

- International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge on the traditional Summer Games and the Youth Games

"Friendship comes first. Results are secondary."

- China's 69-kilogram weightlifting silver medallist Gong Xinbin

"I am very disappointed I couldn't win a gold medal for India. I am sorry I let India down. Sorry India. Sorry parents. Sorry coach."

- Pooja Dhanda of India, silver medalist in girls' freestyle 60-kilo wrestling

"I knew from the qualifications that my level was good enough for bronze, but I hoped someone would fall so I could have done better."

- Boys' trampoline gymnastics bronze medalist Ginga Munetomo of Japan

"The very top layer of the playing surface had peeled off due to the heat."

- Tennis referee Nitin Kannamwar explaining why the boys' singles match between Venezuela's Ricardo Rodriguez and Argentina's Olivo Renzo had to be moved

"They are probably a little undercooked for London 2012, but have a focus for 2016 [Rio de Janeiro]. What we are asking all athletes [is] to focus on is the long haul and having an intermediary stop on that long haul is essential."

- London 2012 organizing committee chairman Sebastian Coe

"They play sport on computers. We see that kids are not active in sport anymore."

- Sergei Bubka, IOC member and legendary Summer Games pole vault champion from Ukraine

"Many children need to work to help their families, so there isn't much chance to play sport."

- Bangladesh team manager Niaz Choudhury on sports in that nation

"The secret to staying young is exercise. I am healthy and this is a great new experience for me."

- Tennis line judge G Ramanathan, who is 71

"Being an Aussie you always want to win -- even if it's your school spelling bee."

- Australian cyclist Kirsten Dellar

"It shows that females can be just as good as males [in shooting] or even better. So boys have to step it up."

- Australian Emily Esposito on being the only girl on the Australian shooting team

"I want to be a world-class hurdler, the best and most remembered [who] ever lived."

- Jamaican hurdler Megan Simmonds

"This is a completely unpaid, cost-me-a-lot-of-money job."

- New Zealand badminton coach Peter Mundy

"He was focused and I was confused."

- Surinam's badminton player Irfan Djabar on why he lost in three sets to Canadian Henry Pan

"We've both got two arms and two legs, but maybe he prepared a little bit better."

- Ukrainian Olexandr Lytvynov after losing in the boys' 58-kilo gold-medal wrestling match to Urmatbek Amatov of Kyrgystan

"It's always better to dream big than to think you'll come in last."

- Singapore's Travis Joshua Woodward after the boys' cycling time trial finals, in which he finished 25th of 32

"My horse was afraid of something in the audience -- it started to behave very strangely."

- Equestrian Timur Patarov of Kazakhstan on his fall in round one of the jumping event

"I ran straight into someone head first. I couldn't feel anything, I just went numb. It was the end of the regular season, but I missed the play-offs. I wore a neck brace for four weeks and I haven't played contact sports since."

- Sprinter Brandon Sanders of the American team on why he gave up football to run track

"I say, 'I am going to get you, I am going to get you.' "

- Iranian weightlifter Alireza Kazeminejad's announcement to the barbell before going for gold in the boys' +85-kilo category

"I told you so."

- What the 16-year-old Kazeminejad said to the bar after becoming the Youth Games gold medalist