Singapore, May 24, 2008 ANNOUNCEMENT OF TOP THREE McDONALD’S CHAMPION KIDS CHOSEN TO REPRESENT SINGAPORE AS ‘YOUNG JOURNALISTS’ AT BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES McDonald’s today announced the THREE WINNERS of the McDonald’s Champion Kids programme to represent Singapore as ‘Young Journalists’ at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The final announcement today brought to a close the long-awaited results of the programme which launched on March 14, and attracted close to 300 entries amongst children aged 7-12 years.

The three McDonald’s Champion Kids received winners’ medals this morning at a presentation ceremony held at the Singapore Management University, at which Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports, was the Guest-of-Honour.

Receiving enthusiastic applause from their families and schoolmates were the winning trio:

• Codee Ong (CHIJ - Kellock)
• Vicknes Vijayarengan (CHIJ - Our Lady of the Nativity)
• Megan Foo (Singapore Chinese Girls’ School)

Their final scores were accumulated through short message service (sms) votes (50%) and judges’ decision (50%). All finalists were assessed on articulation, presentation skills and spontaneity by a panel of judges comprising Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), MediaCorp TV and McDonald’s Restaurants.

They will join more than 200 other children from over 30 countries also participating in this McDonald’s Champion Kids inaugural programme in Beijing. They will get the golden opportunity to see the Games first hand, meet with world-class athletes, visit the Olympic Village, experience cultural sights such as The Great Wall, and get to file their first-person news reports for audiences back home in Singapore. Before their departure for Beijing, they will undergo intensive media reporting skills training led by official media partners, MediaCorp and SPH.

On the keenly-fought national competition, Kenneth Chan, Managing Director of McDonald’s Restaurants said that McDonald’s believes in the spirit of the Games and their unique ability to engage the world in a way that is constructive, positive and inspirational.

He said, “We are thrilled by the strong response amongst our young children. This goes to show that we have talented and passionate children who dare to dream the Olympic dream of representing Singapore at the Olympic Games in Beijing. We believe that every child has the potential to be a ‘champion’ in his or her own way. We want to continue to encourage them to keep aflame this winning spirit, while pursuing their favourite sports, and to share their Olympic stories with the rest of Singapore."

“This is the first time that McDonald’s is involving young people in Singapore in the Olympics. We hope that the McDonald’s Champion Kids programme will serve as a catalyst for the sports movement among our youths in the lead-up to the Youth Olympic Games 2010," added Mr Chan.

The Singapore winners will be chaperoned on their Olympic trip by either a parent or guardian, as well as by McDonald’s support staff.

For the first time, McDonald’s Singapore will also send five Olympic Champion Crew to serve at the Olympic Village at Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
McDonald’s has been a proud supporter of the Olympic Movement for 40 years. The McDonald’s Champion Kids Programme was launched to provide an opportunity for children from all over the world to personally experience the Olympic excitement, and to be inspired by the winning spirit of the Games in ways that connect to the Olympic ideals of teamwork, excellence and being your best; the McDonald’s initiative mirrors the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) commitment to health through sport which is aligned to McDonald’s own commitment to furthering children’s well-being, and their active interest in sports.