The event, which kicked off a series of similar draws in other sports, threw up some intriguing match-ups as a dozen participating nations discovered their fate.
While the senior Olympic Football Tournaments comprise 28 male and female teams, the junior competitions, which are to run from 12 to 25 August at Singapore’s Jalan Besar Stadium and will involve players born between 1 January and 31 December 1995, consist of two six-team tournaments for both boys and girls. The six sides in each tournament are divided into two groups, with the top two finishers from each advancing to the semi-finals. Ten of the teams involved were nominated by their confederation while the UEFA duo qualified through a mini-tournament.
Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea were selected for the men’s and women’s competitions respectively after an endorsement by OFC under the guidelines by FIFA that nominees should ‘have never, or rarely, had the opportunity to participate in Olympic Games or World Cups.’
Vanuatu was selected for the boy’s side following the establishment of a youth academy as part of the FIFA Goal Football Programme while Papua New Guinea were chosen for the girl’s draw on the back of strong performances over the past couple of years including a gold medal at the XIII South Pacific Games Samoa 2007 – a competition that is part of the Olympic movement.
On the girls’ side, Papua New Guinea have been drawn with Iran and Turkey in Group A, while Group B features Chile, Equatorial Guinea and Trinidad and Tobago, the hosts of September’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Iranians take on Turkey in the curtain-raiser, while Trinidad and Tobago kick off Group B against Chile seeking to make a name for themselves on the international stage.
GIRLS’ DRAW:
Group A: Turkey, Iran, Papua New Guinea
Group B: Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Equatorial Guinea
The boys’ draw pits hosts Singapore against Zimbabwe and Montenegro in Group D, while Vanuatu, Bolivia and an as yet undecided CONCACAF representative have been placed together in Group C. With unprecedented support expected from the home crowds, Singapore will be eager to showcase their progress at the youth level in front of a watching world but will be wary of rivals who will arrive as unknown, and potentially dangerous, quantities.
BOYS’ DRAW:
Group C: Vanuatu, Bolivia, CONCACAF representative
Group D: Singapore, Zimbabwe, Montenegro