SINGAPORE — Budgeting issues that hit the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) will not happen for the 2015 South-east Asian (SEA) Games.

According to Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) Executive Chairman Lim Teck Yin, the experience of organising the inaugural Youth Olympics will help prevent another budgeting controversy at the 2015 SEA Games, which Singapore will host from June 5 to 16 that year.

“I’m confident the budget will not go beyond (the limit). We know what we’re going to get for each dollar. Without the benefit of the YOG, we may not be clear on that,” said Lim at the Singapore Sports Council Spex House yesterday.

He added: “The YOG was a new property with many unknowns. It meant you had to adjust at the last minute, and that drove costs up.

“If we’re going to start systems integration (for the 2015 SEA Games) by the middle of next year, a lot of our procurement (for service providers) would have to be completed by then, and that allows us to control costs by not being pushed to the wall.”

Although Lim declined to reveal the budget for the 2015 SEA Games — the first that Singapore will host since 1993 and which coincides with the Republic’s 50th anniversary celebrations — it is believed to be less than the sum spent for the YOG which ballooned from an initial US$75 million (then S$104 million) to S$387 million.

This after the Government “under-estimated” costs for areas such as technology — it accounted for the biggest jump (S$97 million) — renovation of sports facilities and logistics, which drew public flak.

Drawing on the YOG experience, Lim said accommodation, medical and health coverage, security and technology have strong potential to cause budgeting problems.

Apart from the S$1.33 billion Sports Hub in Kallang, the Games’ main venue, no new venues will be built for the 12-day event.

Athletes will be housed in hotels — or hostels if rates are unsuitable — around the city area near the Sports Hub.

Said Lim: “One of the strategies to manage our budget is to come out with the procurement early enough, so if we need to look for alternatives that are more cost effective, we will be able to do so.”