Honouring coaches as inspiring mentors and influencers of sport

Chairman, Sport Singapore, Mr Kon Yin Tong,
Chair of the Safe Sport Commission, Ms Chan Yen San,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning! A very warm welcome to everyone. I am pleased to join you for the third edition of the CoachSG conference. Before I begin, I would like to bid a warm welcome to our overseas speakers and guests, and wish them a pleasant stay in Singapore. It is also nice to see so many familiar faces from the coaching fraternity in Singapore, such as our former Olympian Mr Ang Peng Siong.

Coaches as mentors for the next generation

2. We are here today to discuss how we can shape the future of coaching together.  The conference theme “Coaching Better Every Day – Shaping the Future” gets to the heart of coaching.

3. As coaches, you do much more than just teach the technicalities of the sport or train up your charges physically to win a place on the podium. You are in a privileged position to play a big part in an athlete's life through your interactions with them on the track, on the courts and in the pool - moulding their character and values, shaping their attitudes toward life, inspiring and supporting them to chase their dreams. How you work with them to push beyond their mental boundaries, celebrate victories, come to terms with disappointment – these will in time come to define the individuals that our athletes grow to become. It is my hope to see our coaches imbued with a strong sense of mission as mentors to our athletes, not only in sport but also in life.

Creating a safe and conducive environment for the sporting community

4. Beyond the role of coaches as mentors, coaches are also responsible for creating a safe and conducive environment for our athletes, as they grow and develop to reach their full potential.

5. At last year's CoachSG conference, I announced that Sport Singapore (SportSG) was partnering the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the Singapore Police Force and the Ministry of Education to set-up a structure to address safe sport issues.

6. Later this month, SportSG will be standing up Singapore's Safe Sport Commission, which will serve as an advisory panel for policies relating to education, prevention, risk assessment and report management, to stamp out harassment in sport in Singapore, especially in situations involving sexual misconduct. The Commission will also provide advice on independent inquiries and matters relating to safe sport.

7. Chairing the Commission will be Ms Chan Yen San who brings with her a wealth of experience from her corporate role as partner in KPMG. Yen San has also been a member of the SportSG Board since 2018, and is familiar with the sporting landscape in Singapore. As a mother of young children who are active in sports, I am confident that Yen San understands the concerns of parents and aspiring young athletes when it comes to sports. In fact, she shared earlier in our chat that she was an inspiring hockey player.

8. The work of the Commission will build on other initiatives implemented over the course of the past year, including on-boarding programmes for coaches and officials from the National Sports Associations (NSAs) on safe sport matters, workshops strengthening the Coach's Code of Ethics, as well as the training of more than 36 Safeguarding Officers for sports across NSAs, education institutes and Government agencies.

9. With the formation of the Safe Sport Commission, we look forward to more organisations committing to uphold ethical practices in sport. We want to educate more parents and athletes to become aware of what constitutes appropriate behaviour in the sports domain, and importantly to take a stand and raise a red flag to coaches, organisers and officials, when they observe that things are not quite right. In time to come, we hope to develop a high sense of awareness across the sporting fraternity in Singapore, that we all have a part to play in ensuring a safe and supportive environment in sports, free from sexual harassment and misconduct, so that our athletes can focus on giving their best in the sporting arena and that public trust in the profession is upheld.

10. I would like to wish Ms Chan and the members of the Safe Sport Commission all the best as they carry out this important role as guardians of the sporting fraternity, and urge everyone to give the Commission their full support.

Enabling coaches to coach better every day

11. In addition to mentoring our athletes and upholding a safe environment in sport, it is also important to ensure that our coaches have the opportunity to hone the right skills and techniques to coach better every day. Through CoachSG, SportSG continues to strengthen the reach and quality of the Continuing Coach Education (CCE) programme which supports coaches in upgrading their skills.

12. This year, CoachSG ran the inaugural Coaches Super Week from 7 to 14 September that saw more than 300 coaches attending 13 CCE workshops, including 28 volunteer coaches from the Singapore Disability Sports Council and Special Olympics Singapore who attended a new Community Coaching Course. I am pleased to note that to date, CoachSG has organised 75 workshops benefiting 3,000 coaches.

13. In the area of High Performance Sports, the Singapore Sports Institute (SSI) works closely with coaches to enable our Team Singapore athletes to optimise their performance in competitions. For example, the coaches from the Singapore Swimming Association work with SSI's team of sports scientists to analyse the performance of our national swimmers. This has helped the coaches to better customise the training for athletes based on their respective strengths and areas that need improvement.

14. Our sports scientists have also worked with coaches to implement the Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing and Kinesthetic (VARK) tool which identifies the learning preferences of our athletes. This helps coaches to determine how best to communicate with their athletes to maximise their learning and performance. Recently, the VARK tool was used with our Team Singapore men's water polo team at the FINA Water Polo Challengers Cup. I am very happy to note that the team clinched the Gold medal in the finals match against Austria last night.

15. CoachSG also has a “For Coaches By Coaches” programme that encourages coaches to step forward and give back to their community. Through this programme, swimming coach Lawrence Chew has conducted two workshops on coaching, which were well-received by participants. I encourage more coaches to come onboard this programme, as we look forward to working with you to coach better every day.

Honouring coaches who are an inspiration to the community

16. Today, I am also happy to join you in honouring the recipients of the Singapore Coach Medallion, which recognises the contributions of sport coaches who have gone beyond their call of duty to make a difference in society through sport. We hope that award recipients will be encouraged to continue to raise the profile of the coaching profession, and serve as inspiration and role models for the coaching fraternity.

17. Take for instance, nominee in the Teacher-Coach category Mr Arumugam Kaliappan, an Allied Teacher in Guangyang Secondary School. As teacher-in-charge of the school's football team, Mr Arumugam decided to make the sport more inclusive by setting up a football team for students from challenging family backgrounds. Mr Arumugam dedicates an additional two days a week to train this group of students, over and above his commitments to training the school team. For students in the team who could not afford football boots for training, Mr Arumugam took it upon himself to work with Singapore Premier League Clubs Hougang United and Home United to provide boots for them.

18. Mr Arumugam's efforts have borne fruit as many of his students have made effort to improve themselves. One student, who used to play truant, now enjoys coming to school to be with his friends. Another whose parents are separated, looks to Mr Arumugam for advice on school and personal matters. Today, Mr Arumugam remains a mentor to many of his former students who have successfully graduated from the school.

19. I would like to offer my heartiest congratulations to Mr Arumugam and the other nine coaches receiving the Singapore Coach Medallion this year. I am really touched to see so many coaches who have stepped up to make a difference in the lives of the young. I would also like to applaud the hard work and dedication of the fraternity of sports coaches in Singapore – among whom are many unsung heroes who have nurtured and mentored generations of Singapore's athletes over the years. You are equally deserving of our admiration and respect.

20. Your journeys are testaments that as long as we give the best of ourselves, this can make a difference to those around us, to our communities, and to Singapore. I hope that all of us can draw strength and inspiration from these role models, whilst encouraging and supporting one another along the way.

Conclusion

21. In closing, I would like to end off with a quote that is often cited, “You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.”

22. I wish you all the best as you continue to keep that fire burning in all those under your care.  Thank you and have a pleasant day ahead.