One Team Singapore

Introduction – building a sporting culture

1. Madam Chair, let me turn next to sports as an important part of our cultural and social fabric. And with your permission Madam, I would like to show some slides on the screens.

2. Over the years, we’ve continuously invested in sport.  We’ve worked hard to increase accessibility and opportunities for Singaporeans to participate in sport.  This is because there is nothing like sport that can excite people, and bring us together.   

3. Our efforts have yielded results. The weekly sports participation rate has increased from 42% in 2011 to above 60%. 

4. The opening of the Sports Hub last year has been an additional catalyst to developing our sporting scene.  Our athletes now have world-class facilities to train and compete in.

5. Singaporeans too benefit from these facilities. Every day, the indoor halls at the Sports Hub are packed with people playing badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball and table tennis. Some community groups have also become a regular sight at the Sports Hub, like the Shin Zhong Taiji Quan Association, which organises its weekly Taiji sessions at the Sports Hub.

6. Last year, there were more than 60 sports events held at the Sports Hub, with attendances of nearly a quarter million across all the sports venues. This year, we will see an even more vibrant calendar of sporting events.

Rallying together as one Team Singapore

7. But the key highlight of the year will be the 28th SEA Games in June and 8th ASEAN Para Games in Dec.

8. This is the first time we are hosting the SEA Games after 22 long years, and the very first time ever that we are hosting the ASEAN Para Games. So these are two excellent opportunities for all of us to rally together, to put up a good show, and to cheer for our athletes.

9. We will field the largest ever Team Singapore contingent in the history of both Games.  We are looking at close to 700 athletes for the SEA Games, and 100 para athletes for the ASEAN Para Games.

10. Our athletes are not new to major competitions, but this year, the competition will be something special for all of them. This is because they are competing in front of a home crowd, and they are bringing glory to Singapore, right here in Singapore.

11. This is why our athletes are going all out, making tremendous sacrifices, and putting extra effort into their training.

12. Amongst them is 28 year-old Dinah Chan. She participated in the last SEA Games in Myanmar.

13. Three months before her race, her training plans were thrown into disarray because of a car accident. But Dinah bounced back into training within four days of the accident, and she eventually won Singapore’s first cycling gold medal in over 16 years.

14. Till today, whenever Dinah hears the national anthem being played during her school’s assembly session - because she’s a teacher - she says that she will always remember what it was like to be able to stand on the podium in Myanmar, and she hopes to do so again in Singapore.

15. The same can be said of our para athletes, whose stories truly reflect the triumph of the human spirit.

16. Some of you may be familiar with para sailor Jovin Tan, a three-time Paralympian. Born with cerebral palsy, he picked up sailing at the age of 15, even though he cannot swim. Yet he picked up sailing. He used to require assistance to get in and out of his boat. But during a training session, with the help of his coach, he learnt how to crawl from his wheelchair onto his boat all by himself, so that he can be fully independent and he would not need to rely on volunteers. It may seem like a very small thing; this is not about the race, it’s really about getting in and out of his boat. But it shows the tremendous resilience and spirit that our athletes have in wanting to excel in what they do. That’s why Jovin is also training very hard for the upcoming ASEAN Para Games in December.

17. Just as athletes are raising their games, Sport Singapore is also doing everything it can to support them.

18. Take archer Tan Si Lie for example. He’s a student at NTU, but has taken time off to train full-time for the SEA Games.

19. We’re providing him with enhanced training assistance grants to support his full-time training load, and also additional programme support for overseas competitions. This has allowed him to train freely without worrying about the cost of these trips and also his archery equipment.

20. He’s not the only one enjoying such support. Altogether, we have close to 400 athletes on what we call the Final Push Programme – to provide additional resources and support to our athletes, so that they can focus on their preparations for the Games.

21. So the Government is doing its utmost to support our athletes. In fact, if you speak to some of our veteran sport administrators, they will tell you that this is the most comprehensive preparations that we’ve done so far for a major Games.

22. But the biggest support and motivation that our athletes can get is from Singaporeans directly.

23. So I join members like Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Arthur Fong in calling on Singaporeans to rally together and get behind our athletes.

24. There are many ways to show support.  The first, of course, is to come for the Games! Make sure you attend and cheer for our athletes during the competitions. That’s why we’ve ensured that half of the events at the SEA Games are free, and the prices for the ticketed events are kept affordable – as low as $5, with additional concessions for students, senior citizens and full-time National Servicemen.

25. We’ve also reached out to friends and family members of Team Singapore athletes, who have been able to purchase discounted tickets through their respective National Sports Associations. I’m happy to report that the ticket sales so far have been progressing well, so I urge everyone to get their tickets soon, as they may well be sold out before too long.

26. I also want to call on employers, be it in the public or private sectors; employers, please grant your staff time-off to attend the Games, so that you can show your support too! In the words of our national sprinter Calvin Kang, “Support from Singaporeans is important, because this is home, and home is where the heart belongs.” So the Games will be a rare opportunity for Singaporeans to show that we are part of One Team Singapore. And I will call on everyone, to show their support wholeheartedly.

27. We had a glimpse of what it means to have strong home-ground support last weekend – when 40,000 people came together to mark the 90-day countdown to the SEA Games, and we unfurled the largest ever Team Singapore flag on Orchard Road.

28. Our SEA Games merchandise store has been well received and very popular; the items, more importantly, have been created with a social cause, as was suggested by Ms Penny Low. Amongst them are acrylic paintings and tote bags produced and packaged by trainees from MINDS (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) and SCORE (Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises). And there are also Braille gel bracelets produced to help raise awareness for the visually-impaired. And I’m glad that part of the sales proceeds will go to the SportCares Foundation and the Straits Times Pocket Money Fund, so they will be supporting a good cause.

29. Over the coming weeks, we will be stepping up our engagement activities all over Singapore.  We will dress up our housing estates and key buildings with Team Singapore banners. The Games torches will be travelling to the communities and schools as part of our engagement effort to create even more awareness and excitement.

30. One activity which has proven to be quite popular is the Make-a-NILA initiative. NILA is the mascot for the Games. In every Games, there will be a mascot, and podium finishers will get a stuffed toy representing the mascot. Usually, these are factory-produced, in all the Games we have seen.

31. For the SEA Games, we’ve decided to do something special, because these mascots are personally sewn by Singaporeans. And these hand-made NILAs, together with personalised messages of well wishes, will then be presented to the winning athletes. So that’s an activity you can engage in the communities, and it’s been very popular.

32. In all our engagements, we aim to link our athletes with the schools and communities they come from, in order to strengthen that sense of connection with our athletes.

33. So when Singaporeans cheer for a Team Singapore athlete, it’s not someone distant we read about in the newspapers or watch on TV, but it will be a person we can all connect with – someone who has gone to the same school as us, or someone who lives with us in our neighbourhoods.

34. In short, we are celebrating our own hometown sporting heroes. So let’s say you are living in Marine Parade, you may soon see billboards like this, showing support, basically saying that Marine Parade cheers for our hometown heroes, and showing support for Team Singapore athletes in the same estate, like swimmer Joseph Schooling and sailor Jodie Lai. And we’re doing this in all our HDB estates and HDB towns.

35. We hope Singaporeans will join us in all of these activities. Some may wish to do more, and have done so. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of our volunteers, whom we call Team Nila.

36. We started this call for volunteers two years ago, and the response has been overwhelming; it has far exceeded our targets.  We now have about 17,000 volunteers for the SEA Games and 6,000 performers for the Opening Ceremony of the Games. They come from all walks of life, and they are committed to giving their time, energy and passion for a successful Games.

37. One of the volunteers is Mr Tang Chun Tuck. In fact, he’s one the rare volunteers who has been involved in all editions of the Games hosted in Singapore – 1973, 1983, 1993 and now, this year. He was a first-aider at the 1973 and 1983 Games; he helped to coordinate the work of the Red Cross in 1993.

38. This year, instead of donning his Red Cross uniform, he has decided to take on the role of a media relations officer, putting the skills he has honed in over 30 years with the civil service to good use. And I can attest to the skills that he has, because in fact, I met him when I was a very young officer, working in the Ministry of Finance. He was my colleague, and I think he would certainly make a lot of contributions to the Games. With the dedication and passion of volunteers like him, I am confident we can ensure a positive experience for all Singaporeans and our friends from the region.

A sporting legacy from the games

39. Madam Chair, the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games will no doubt be the highlight of our sporting calendar this year. But at the end of the day, when the crowds leave and we bid farewell to our regional neighbours, it is what we leave behind that matters more.
    
    Sports as a lifestyle habit

40. So what is the legacy we want to leave behind? One important legacy is to further strengthen the culture of sports among Singaporeans. I’m sure the SEA Games will spark people’s interest in sports – we’ll have more people coming together to cheer for Team Singapore, more students and volunteers getting involved, and also more people participating in sports.

41. But all this should not be just a short-lived, temporary phenomenon. How do we sustain the momentum?

42. I think the best way is to step up our initiatives and programmes under ActiveSG.

43. We started ActiveSG as our national movement for sports, and provided a $100 credit to all new members. So far, more than 700,000 have signed up for ActiveSG, and about 3 in 5 members have used their free credits to book facilities and join sports programmes.

44. Through ActiveSG, we’ve enhanced our sports facilities and introduced new and innovative programmes at our sports centres. The utilisation rates at our gyms, pools and sports halls have increased by about 30%. It’s encouraging to see not just existing members, but also new converts to sports.

45. Take the example of Mr Sujimy Mohd and his family. Like many Singaporeans, their typical weekends may be spent on watching movies, going out to eat, or shopping at a mall. That is before ActiveSG. As he puts it: “In Singapore, it's very easy to just go out and 'makan', or check out the latest mall. You need to consciously tell yourself that you need to do something different”.

46. With the improvements we’ve made through ActiveSG, Mr Sujimy and his wife now bring their children to the Jurong West swimming complex every weekend, and they are enjoying a more active, healthier and, may I say, happier, lifestyle.

47. Mr David Ong asked how ActiveSG can complement the school sports ecosystem to nurture the sporting habit from young. This is indeed a key area of focus in the coming year.

48. ActiveSG’s partnership with schools involves programming at several levels. First, we will continue to ramp up our School Holiday Sports Programme. These holiday sessions expose students to a variety of new sports, including archery, floorball, futsal, inline skating and ultimate frisbee.

49. When we first piloted this programme, we weren’t sure about the response, especially for sessions in the September holidays when it was close to the year-end examinations. But we were pleasantly surprised because many of the programmes ended up being over-subscribed, not just by the children, but also their parents who participated alongside their kids. So we will build on this, and also the strong interest among the schools that are partnering us for the SEA Games, to roll out even more programmes in the coming year.

50. Second, ActiveSG also works closely with some schools to broaden the opportunities for their students to participate in sports.

51. You hear feedback from time to time that students do not get a chance to play the sports they like unless they make it to the school team. I should say that this is not new, because this was so even when I was in primary school in the late 70s and early 80s. I remember I wanted to play football, but was not good enough for the school team, so I couldn’t sign up for football as a CCA (I think they call it ECA then). Our schools are better equipped today, but I can appreciate that it’s not easy for them to accommodate every request for involvement in sports.

52. So what we are doing in ActiveSG is to complement the school offerings and provide even more opportunities for young people to get involved in sports. For example, in Serangoon Secondary School, with the support of ActiveSG, the students now have a chance to play floorball, even though it’s not offered as a CCA.

53. At Cedar Girls’ Secondary School, the athletics team now uses the training facility at the Kallang Practice Track.  ActiveSG also provides coaching expertise and programming assistance to the school, so that students who are not on the school team can now also participate in track and field activities.

54. ActiveSG will also look at starting more competitive leagues among the schools. For example, we recently partnered the Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) to organise a developmental league. This was for the teams that did not qualify for the National Round of the B Division Inter-School Basketball Championships. Each team could also field more players than usual - they can field 15 instead of 12. So again, those who do not make it to the school team also get a chance to play and can compete with one another at about the same skill level.

55. This is what we are trying to achieve through ActiveSG – to provide maximum opportunities for our youths to participate in sports, so that they start this from young and get to develop a lifelong interest in sports.

56. Besides better programming, we are also improving our infrastructure under the Sports Facilities Master Plan, which Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mr Arthur Fong asked about.

57. As members are aware, we’ve started work on several major projects in the Master Plan – the Regional Sports Centre in Tampines and Punggol, as well as the new sports centre in Sembawang, and the redevelopment of the Ang Mo Kio Swimming Complex.

58. The other developments will be done at a later phase, probably after 2020. This is part of a broader phasing of public sector infrastructure projects due to the constraints we face, especially in terms of foreign workers.  But in the interim, before the new centres are ready, we will step up our programming efforts in these areas. We will do so in Yishun and other estates as well.

59. Our investments in new sports facilities are also necessary for another critical goal, which is to break down the barriers that often prevent people with disabilities from participating in sport. Minister of State Sam Tan spoke about this just now.

60. As Ms Penny Low rightly noted, the ASEAN Para Games offers a unique opportunity for us to leave behind a real legacy for disability sport in Singapore. That is why we formed the Committee for Disability Sports, chaired by MOS, which will tackle the longer-term issues needed to raise participation in disability sports, for more to get involved. We want sports to be inclusive, so that all Singaporeans can experience the benefits of an active and healthy lifestyle.

61. Another legacy for the Games is to have a robust High Performance Sports (HPS) system to support the aspirations of our sporting talents, something which several members spoke about as well.

62. We’re doing a lot to prepare our athletes for this year’s Games. But again, it should not be one-off, just because we’re the host this year. Our investment in High Performance Sports also will be sustained – they are part of a broader plan to systematically build up and strengthen our high-performance sporting system.

63. For example, under the spexScholarship scheme, athletes with the potential to excel at the Asian Games, World Championships or Olympic Games level can enjoy significant financial and programme support.

64. Fencer Lim Wei Wen is one such athlete who is benefitting from the scheme. He had difficult family circumstances and was raised by his grandparents. He took to fencing in ITE, but almost had to give it up because he needed to find a job to support the family.

65. But when the Singapore Fencing Association heard about the new scholarship scheme, they put up his name, and he received the award in 2013. Since then, he has gone on to win Singapore’s first ever fencing medal at the recent Incheon Asian Games. This is not just Southeast Asia, it is at the Asia level. He has medalled and is aiming even higher.

66. We now have 70 top athletes who are focussing on full-time training with support under the spexScholarship. After the SEA Games and Para Games, if there are more athletes who demonstrate excellent performance and wish to go on to higher levels, then the support will be there for them.

67. Our high performance sports system will also support male athletes with National Service obligations. We will help them secure time-off to train and represent Singapore at major games. We will support and track the athletes with exceptional talent. If they meet the performance benchmarks, which means having the potential to medal at a top-level international sports competitions like the Olympic Games, then we will support them in applying deferment from full-time National Service.

68. Besides supporting our top performing athletes, we’re also engaging our various stakeholders, including the National Sports Associations, employers and schools.

69. We have moved NSAs to a baseline block funding approach, so that they can have more certainty in their plans for multi-years.

70. This fiscal year, almost all NSAs will get a higher baseline funding. NSAs can also tap on flexible programme funding to develop new initiatives and focus areas. These could include training and competitions locally and abroad with sporting clubs. Overall, funding for NSAs will increase by close to 10% in FY15 compared to the previous year.

71. The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) is one such NSA that will, benefit from all the investment that we are putting in. Mr Muhamad Faisal asked about this. There is a taskforce is looking at setting up the goals and strategic directions for Singapore football in the coming years. They are hard at work, and I would say that their initial thinking is very much in line with some of the suggestions raised by the members, which is to focus on youth development. They would be sharing the taskforce recommendations very soon in the coming months.

72. To help athletes balance their pursuit of high performance sports with their career aspirations, we’ve also introduced a new spexCareer Scheme.

73. Under this scheme, we have 21 partner companies. They are committed to emplacing athletes on internships, apprenticeships, part-time or full-time employment. That is because they see the value of employing an athlete. They feel that an athlete embodies a winning spirit, embodies the right values of teamwork, resilience and they want to employ and recruit athletes.

74. For example, part-time judo coach and athlete Ang Xuan Yi (26 years old) is one who benefits from the scheme. Through the matching and this new scheme, we have helped her to land a full-time position with Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group (MSIG). MSIG agreed to hold the place for her so that she can train for the SEA Games, and even offered her an opportunity to head to their Japan head office’s Judo Training Centre for an exchange programme.

75. These are companies we have in our network and we will grow the network, so that we can offer more such opportunities for our athletes.

76. Madam, the Government alone cannot ensure the viability of a career in sports. This remains a personal decision and commitment that an individual has to make.

77. But what we have done and will continue to do is to put in place a support system for those with sporting aspirations and the desire to fully realise their potential.
    
    Strengthening youth athlete development

78. To further strengthen the youth athlete ecosystem, we’ve set up a committee to review the Singapore Sports School. The Committee has been seeking input from various groups, and studying the approaches and models in other countries.

79. One area the Committee is studying is how to extend the development pathway for student athletes, so that they can continue to benefit from a supportive environment that would enable them to study, train and develop as an athlete, beyond their secondary school years. These post-secondary years are particularly critical as athlete development often spans late adolescence and early adulthood.

80. One idea is for the Sports School to offer predominantly 6+ years through-train programmes within the school, and to strengthen linkages with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), including local and overseas universities, so that there will be a wider range of athlete-friendly post-secondary pathways.

81. The Committee will be finalising its report after further consultation, and the full report will be released later this year.

Concluding remarks

82. Madam Chair, in conclusion, there are few things in life that rally our emotions and fire up the Singapore spirit like sports. And there has never been a better opportunity for Singaporeans to come together. As I said, it is the first time in 22 years that we are hosting SEA Games. This is the only time that we will have the SEA Games together with the 50th birthday of Singapore. So this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

83. The last time we hosted the SEA Games in 1993, we saw sporting heroes like Joscelin Yeo, Fandi Ahmad in action. We saw bowler Grace Young who, some of you may remember, was the one who lit the cauldron during the Games.

84. Grace won a gold medal in the women’s bowling doubles event, and she said “That medal was not just for me, my team or my federation. That medal was also for the retired uncle who bowled just a few lanes away when I was training; the cleaning lady who stood behind smiling every time I looked up from my routine; the taxi driver who asked me for tips on what wrist guard was best for him. That medal was for every Singaporean.”

85. So when the SEA Games comes in June and the ASEAN Para Games in December, the spotlight is not just on our athletes; it will be on all of us coming together as One Team Singapore. So let’s all do our part to celebrate this sporting milestone, and make our Golden Jubilee a truly meaningful and exciting one. Thank you.