Countdown to the 28th SEA Games

A very good afternoon to all.

In a few days’ time, we will be counting down exactly 50 days to the start of the 28th South East Asian (SEA) Games. And today’s event marks the start of an exciting series of community events that will bring together different groups of Singaporeans to join in this countdown initiative.

This is going to be a historic SEA Games. This is the first time in more than twenty years that we are hosting the SEA Games in Singapore, and it is going to be the only time that the SEA Games is happening at the same year as our 50th birthday.

So for all of us here, I hope you have bought tickets to the Games. I hope you are coming, and you are cheering for our Team Singapore athletes, and be part of the Games. Be part of this historic, once-in-a-lifetime experience to do something special for Singapore, and for our athletes.

 We are going to start preparations and going to gear up to do lots of things in the community, to prepare for the Games. You will see banners and posters of our athletes. You will see the SEA Games torch going out to the community. But one thing that we decided to do this time was to do a 50 days countdown to the SEA Games. So we got organisations to adopt one day from 50-day onward, and each time you do a formation. Then we will showcase the formation from 50, 49, 48 all the way until the actual day of the Games. In a few days time it will be the 50th day, and the first organisation to do the 50 Day countdown is? [Audience replied: NYP!] You guys are amazing. I think you have set the bar very high for the other organisations!

We will have the formation later, and then we will film and video it. It will be showcased on the 50th day. I hope all of you will encourage your friends to participate and continuing all the involvement as we get closer to the SEA Games. Cheering on as One Team Singapore!

It is going to be very important for us because we will have home ground advantage for this year’s SEA Games. If you talk to our athletes, all of them will tell you that they are training very hard. They are putting in extra effort. But the one thing that really motivates them during the competition, is the home ground support. Can you imagine if there is a competition here, and you are a Singaporean athlete competing against all the regional countries, and you have fans like all of you now cheering for the athlete! I think the athlete will be motivated to give it an extra push, and will try his or her very best.

We have some Team Singapore athletes here with us today. Incidentally, some of them are from NYP. I think there are more than 10 athletes who are either current or former students of NYP – there is one in particular, you will never miss him, the tallest guy in this room, Delvin, our basketball player. The dragon boat girls are also from NYP.

You talk to them, they look very cool, they look very chill. But you know, they are training very hard. Every day, day in day out, they are training their guts out to bring glory to Singapore. So let’s give them our best support.

It is going to be an exciting time as we approach closer to the Games. Let’s all come together. I really hope all of you will be at the Games. Find the game you want to support, and make the effort to come with your friends and cheer for our athletes. All the other neighbouring countries, they are bringing their fan clubs to Singapore to cheer for their athletes as well. I think it will be very sad for myself, the athletes and everyone if the cheer is louder for other countries than for Singapore when we are in home ground.

So let’s not give up this home ground advantage. Let’s all come together, make all our sporting venues exciting like this environment we have today – full of energy, full of people wearing red. You can have your own cheer, and we all come together as One Team Singapore. Make this SEA Games truly an extraordinary one.

Finally, let’s put our hands together for the organising committee for putting this together. Thank you everyone.