Keeping the costs of organising the Games under control

Question

Assoc Prof Eugene Tan: To ask the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what is the estimated budget for Singapore's hosting of the 28th Southeast Asian Games in June 2015 and what measures are in place to ensure that there will not be budget overruns.

Response

Acting Minister Lawrence Wong: The Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) is still in the process of finalising the budget as several aspects of the plan for 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in Singapore, including the line-up of sports and events, will only be finalised with the SEA Games Federation after the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar. Therefore, it is premature to give an estimation of the budget for the SEA Games. I shall inform this house when the budget is finalised. 

Based on past experiences and looking at other Major Games, the usual causes for budget overruns are changes in specifications between the initial budgeting phase and the actual implementation phase, as well as unforeseen requirements in major areas such as venue construction and upgrading, organisation of the competitions themselves, and information technology. I have asked SINGSOC to keep a tight watch on these areas, and to work closely with the Singapore National Olympic Council and SEA Games Federation to define the appropriate service levels, so as to keep the costs of organising the Games under control. As much as possible, SINGSOC will plan ahead and bring forward the procurements in these areas. It will leverage on SSC's existing sports facilities and services. It will also actively seek corporate sponsorship to defray the costs, while working closely with stakeholders to ensure the success of the Games.