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