Cash reward schemes managed by Singapore National Olympic Council and Singapore National Paralympic Council

Response to parliamentary questions on the cash rewards for the Olympics and Paralympics

Questions

Mr Raj Joshua Thomas: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what are the steps taken by the Government to encourage more private sector contributions to the Singapore National Paralympic Council such that Paralympic medal winners can get the same quantum of cash rewards as Olympic medal winners.

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) what are the parameters that determine the cash incentive amounts offered under the Major Games Award Programme of the Singapore National Olympic Council; and (b) why is there a distinction between the Olympics and Paralympics/Special Olympics given that these all occur at comparable international levels and are recognised by the International Olympic Committee.

Response

Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law:

1. MCCY focuses on building a structured, and comprehensive system to provide sustained support for Team Singapore athletes of all abilities to pursue their sporting aspirations and achieve their potential.
2. The Major Games Awards Programme and Athletes’ Achievement Awards are private award schemes managed by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Singapore Paralympic Council (SNPC) respectively.
3. We congratulate all our athletes who represented Singapore at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, who have made us all proud with their commitment to excellence and their fighting spirit.
4. MCCY and Sport Singapore value all our Team Singapore athletes tremendously. We will continue to work with SNOC and SNPC on opportunities to engage corporate entities and members of the public to celebrate our athletes’ achievements.