Reaffirming our commitment to sport

Ladies and gentlemen

1. Good evening. It is my great pleasure to join you today at the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund e-Gala dinner.

2. Even though we are not able to get together in person, I am happy to be here today together with my friends from the sports fraternity.

Importance of sports

3. Many of you know that sport is something that is very close to my heart.

   1. Growing up, I have had many fond memories in sports, either as a participant playing football with my schoolmates, or as a spectator cheering on the national team together with thousands of Singaporeans packed into Kallang for the Malaysia Cup, and of course, watching our local swimming hero Mr Ang Peng Siong.

4. Sports can unite us all. It builds resilience, fosters national identity and, of course, a winning spirit in a way which I believe nothing else can. After all, who can forget Peng Siong’s 50m freestyle in 22.69 seconds, more than three decades ago?

5. Each of us here has our own personal story on sports, how it has shaped us as individuals, how it has brought closer to others in the community. 

   1. Mr Chiam See Tong, for instance, was an accomplished swimmer in ACS, swimming the 200 metres freestyle and was part of the ACS relay team of star swimmers. As a swimmer, Mr Chiam trained under the late Mr Ang Teck Bee, one of the finest coaches of that generation. 

   2. Indeed, more than three decades ago, Mr Chiam  said – “Sports builds up courage, character of a person, disciplines him, teaches him to play fair (fair play), his ability to take defeat and get him into the right spirit of cooperation with others.” 

   3. In my mind, I have no doubt that Mr Chiam’s experiences as a sportsman played a big part in shaping his own values, his approach towards life, towards his fellow countrymen, and towards values which entrench Singaporeans to Singapore.

6. Beyond the individual, sport has an important role to play in bringing society and the community together. 

   1. Not only does sport create a common space for us to interact with friends, with neighbours and family, sport is critical to nation-building by creating moments which we can celebrate, and role models whom we can look up to.

We are working from a strong base

7. Our sports ecosystem has developed significantly, since the days of Mr Chiam’s swimming and, of course, my own football days on the old SJI campus at Bras Basah. Our children today are exposed to a far wider range of sports, and they have more opportunities to pursue their sporting ambitions at different levels.

   1. There are multiple avenues to identify and develop sporting talent, from CCAs and the Junior Sports Academies in schools, to programmes run by ActiveSG, the National Sports Associations (NSAs), as well as a series of privately-run clubs and academies. All of these come together to give many options to athletes.

   2. The Singapore Sports School provides aspiring student-athletes with a customised academy programme to develop their talents in sports such as bowling, shooting and table tennis, all in a boarding environment that also supports them holistically in their academic and character development.

   3. The National Youth Sports Institute identifies primary school students for the Junior Sports Academy programmes, where they are given opportunities to develop their skills across a series of sporting disciplines over two years.  

   4. The Government is committed to growing the base of young athletes, supporting each one on their own journey, and giving them their platform to excel in their chosen sport.

8. In the same vein, the Government’s commitment towards our High Performance Sports (HPS) remains strong.

   1. We want our best athletes to realise their potential, and maybe a little bit more than that. To be a little faster than the competition, stronger than the rest of the field, and more cohesive as a team on the court or in the pitch. In short, to be Team Singapore.

   2. We invest about $70 million annually in the HPS system to support the development of our Team Singapore athletes and the NSAs.  

   3. The funding goes into providing well-rounded support for our athletes, such as in coaching, equipment, training grants, sports science and sports medicine support, as well as for our athletes to do overseas training and competition opportunities.  

   4. This includes the spexScholarship for athletes who are at the top of their game, as well as the wider field of national athletes.

   5. But we know that funding alone cannot be enough – and we must, as a sports community, work together, be cohesive, united, and forward-looking. The bonds and synergy between schools, clubs, NSAs, our athletes, our stakeholders and SportSG have to be singular, aligned and strong. My Ministry will support them.

9. I believe that Singapore is now working from a much stronger base than ever before to achieve our sporting goals. 

   1. But at the same time, our competitors have also improved, and young Singaporeans today have many other non-sporting opportunities available to them.

10. For Singapore to achieve our sporting goals, we need a longer term vision. We will also require bold targets, relentless training, some patience, and of course, the confidence and resilience to weather setbacks.

11. Today, we are seeing many young promising athletes in the pipeline.

    1. In shooting, we have spexScholar Martina Veloso who joined the Singapore Sports School through the Learn-To-Shoot programme, and subsequently blossomed into a double Gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

    2. Who can forget Loh Kean Yew in badminton, also a spexScholar? He’s currently ranked 38th in the world. Last year, he made headlines by beating two-time Olympic Gold Medallist Lin Dan at the finals of the Thailand Masters. 

    3. We are tremendously proud of them, and of the many more Team Singapore athletes.

12. I see great potential in the ranks of our Team Singapore athletes, and I am optimistic that we will see even more of our young aspiring athletes reach for greater heights in the years ahead.

13. I am committed to helping them, and other aspiring athletes and champions on their journey.

COVID-19

14. In the immediate term, our priority and the elephant in the room is COVID-19.

    1. COVID-19 has disrupted our training and, of course, the sporting calendar in no small way. But be assured that it has not affected or diminished the Government’s commitment towards our athletes and to achieving sporting excellence in Singapore. 

    2. Over the past few weeks, I have met many of our NSAs and their leaders to reinforce our commitment to support athletes, and also coaches, instructors and others who rely on sports for a living.

    3. The most important thing we can do, is to chart a path towards a safe resumption of activities. This is the best way to support livelihoods, and allow our athletes to do what they do best – train and compete.

    4. Together with SportSG, we have also had discussions on how to bring back many of our favourite sporting experiences, but in a safe way. We have made some moves, and will continue to do so.

15. At the same time, we know that COVID-19 has affected the livelihoods of many members of our sporting fraternity, particularly those who operate as freelance coaches and instructors.

    1. I have also spoken to a number of them over the past weeks to better understand the challenges they are currently facing, the difficulties they see for themselves.  

    2. To help the sport sector tide over COVID-19, we have put together a package of $23 million to spur innovation, create digital content, and of course, provide and protect jobs. 

    3. We are constantly and will continually look at how we can better help them. Over the next few weeks, we will work on some further measures and a package to help preserve the core sporting capabilities and protect livelihoods.

Conclusion

16. Finally, on this occasion, I would like to thank Mr Chiam See Tong, Mrs Lina Chiam, and the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund for their unwavering support towards nurturing the sporting spirit in Singapore.

    1. The Sports Fund is part of Mr Chiam’s legacy for the future generations of Singaporeans.

    2. I hope that youths today will continue to be inspired by the tenacity, the resilience, the leadership, and the sportsmanship which Mr Chiam has demonstrated throughout his life.

17. I wish everyone a good evening, this evening at dinner, even though you can’t be together. I know that each of you share the same desire, the same passion for sports, and I thank you very much for your contribution, for your presence this evening. I hope all of you enjoy the evening tremendously. Thank you very much.