Strengthening system of support for athletes

Speech by Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, at the spexBusiness Network Appreciation Lunch

Introduction

1. A very good afternoon to all of you. Thank you for being here; I think it’s very good that we can come together this afternoon to recognise and show our appreciation to all our business partners who have joined our Sports Excellence (spex) Business Network.
   

   
   spexBusiness Network

2. When we started this last year, we wanted to build a support system for our athletes. They are giving a lot to our nation, and I think it’s right that we support their aspirations in achieving glory for Singapore. So we have the spexScholarships, where we give stipends and allowances to athletes to go on full-time training. This means their financial worries will be addressed.
3. In the course of discussing with the athletes, we also realised that it was not just about the money. A lot of their anxieties and concerns were also about what happens after their sporting careers. Many of the athletes, and many of their parents, are also concerned about whether there would be a career for them after their sporting days are over. We realised we needed to do more than just provide financial support. We needed corporate partners to come onboard, adopt the athletes and provide them with the assurance of jobs after the end of their sporting careers.
   

   
   Network partners

4. That’s why I asked Ser Luck to help me. He in turn asked Yen Yen to chair our spexBusiness Advisory Panel. We started to get companies onboard, progressively. We started with 7, and now we have 20. We thank all our partners, especially Borneo Motors for hosting us today, and for being an employer of some of our athletes. Another supportive partner is Deloitte. They recently joined the network and they have quite a number of Team Singapore athletes in their employment. Derek Wong, our number one badminton player, is in Deloitte. Deloitte gives him a very flexible schedule, so that he can train full-time and work part-time at night. That gave Derek the confidence and time to train for the Commonwealth Games, and he came back with a silver medal! Derek also has the assurance that Deloitte will give him a job offer after he finishes playing badminton for Singapore.
5. Recently, Deloitte also gave a contract to Pin Xiu. Pin Xiu has time to train, and also get the chance to have a job and keep current in the workplace. Many netballers – I have lost count – are in Deloitte too. If you ever play corporate games, you should know that Deloitte is very strong in netball!
   
   

   Benefits of joining the spexBusiness Network

6. We hope that the number of business partners will grow. Our message to corporate Singapore is, “Join us! This is a scheme that benefits companies as well.” As you have heard from the people who have joined us, they have found the athletes to be good employees. They come with a certain mentality - they are well-trained, competitive, disciplined, good team players. So when you come into the network, it’s not like you’re doing national service. You’re getting value from the scheme, because you get the chance to recruit an athlete, and that athlete can add value to your team. And that’s our first appeal to corporate Singapore – come on the scheme and get athletes to join you.

7. From the company point of view, corporate Singapore can contribute to a larger call, and support our athletes. They spend a lot of time and effort to bring glory to the nation. All of us, not just the government, are providing more support for our athletes. Corporate Singapore can also do the same. Together, we can show our recognition and appreciation for our athletes. That’s the second reason why we hope more companies can join our spexBusiness Network.

8. But the third, and very important reason, is that the more athletes you have, the better you do at corporate games! When you have Team Singapore athletes in your team, you’ll have bragging rights, and you’ll always win. I hope companies see that it inspires their staff to lead active lifestyles, and helps them to bond. So I think there is tremendous value for companies to be part of the Network. I really want to thank and appreciate the companies which are already onboard, and encourage even more companies to join us. Together we can form a strong network of support. Not just the government, but with corporate Singapore. We can send a very strong message to our athletes that the whole of Singapore is behind them.

9. Going forward, we want to strengthen our support mechanisms, so that when our athletes come to us, we can guarantee them an interview with a company in our Network. If the athletes are successful, they will be placed in a job. We will improve our job-matching processes so that we can facilitate the matching between the athlete and the company. We will also monitor the progress, because this requires commitment from both parties. We will continue to strengthen our spexBusiness Network so that it will be mutually beneficial, and win-win for all parties involved.

   
   Conclusion

10. On that note, I want to thank all of you again for coming. To the 20 companies in our Network, thank you for being the first movers by joining us. I hope that, in doing so, you have found value. From the video we watched just now, many of you have certainly reaped the benefits of joining the Network. Please join us in spreading the word to all your corporate friends and partners so that more can join our spexBusiness Network. Thank you very much and have a good day ahead!