Red Dot Sporting Festival

Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister For Culture, Community And Youth at the Red Dot Sports Carnival 2022

Mr K Tamil Marren, President of the Singapore Indian Association,

Management Committee Members,

Life Members and patrons,

All sportsmen and sportswomen gathered today

1. Thank you for inviting me to be present here today
   1. Start by wishing everyone a very Happy National Day
   2. Very good to see celebrations taking place around Singapore. We have spent two years with the pandemic with a lot more muted celebration.  This year, I think we can come back closer to what we used to do for National Day.
   3. Glad to see that the Indian Association is celebrating our nation’s special day with a sporting carnival - The Red Dot Sporting Festival
   4. Combining National Day celebrations with participation in sport. I think a sport participation is a great way to commemorate the nation’s progress.
2. I am told that a wide range of sporting activities have been held over the past few days,
   1. including traditional sports like Kabaddi and of course football, one of my favourite sports.
   2. as well as popular ones like cricket and hockey which I used to play for school.
   3. Glad to see everyone enjoying the occasion, and the opportunity to take part in sport
3. Whatever the sport, it is about participation, and I am glad to see you all here.
   1. All of you will agree with me that sport is for not just for our physical and mental well-being, but it is also about bringing our community together.
   2. I am sure all of you come from different walks of life, but you are all together on the same pitch, chasing the same ball and fighting for the ball on the same team. This is what makes sport special.
   3. Sport is a great leveller. It does not matter where you come from, who you are, what colour or creed.
   4. These are important qualities for us in Singapore, as we progress as a nation, and also as we face threats  around the world of people who are a lot more inwards, a lot more individualistic, and a lot more “me first” as opposed to we.
   5. Sport breaks those boundaries.
4. It is also an activity that can bring us an affinity and connection with our community.
   1. That is why one of the first things we did, as we began to open up – was to look at how we could bring back sports into the community. I know many were frustrated at having to play 3v2 or 2v3 futsal!
   2. Sport was one of the things that we pushed for an early opening when we were able to do so safely, from opening up more facilities, to encouraging community events and mass participation.
   3. We wanted to create more opportunities for everyone to come together to play sport and get active, as well as opportunities to allow people to build stronger camaraderie and a stronger society which is more cohesive.
   4. That is also why have been amongst the first few countries to push as hard as we can, and we take part in every major game that has gone on since the world reopened again. We began with the Olympics and Paralympics last year, and then we had the SEA Games, Commonwealth Games and we just finished the ASEAN Para Games yesterday.
   5. We make sure that we create a platform and a foundation for athletes to compete internationally as we know the value that sporting success can bring us.
      1. Remember the days when Loh Kean Yew won the championship end of last year, what that did to our country and what it did to our social cohesion.
      2. While our national football team did not win the Suzuki cup, they played so well with their hearts on their sleeves. As I walked out of the stadium, I listened to many fans singing to the national anthem. How many times have we seen that in sport?
   6. Sports can go beyond just physical and mental well-being. It is also something that can bring our country and people together, and build a stronger, cohesive society.
5. So I thank the Singapore Indian Association for organising this RedDot Sports Carnival which puts sport at the centre of National Day celebrations.
   1. This three-day carnival has attracted about 700 participants from across a range of different backgrounds and age groups, to come together and enjoy various sports.
   2. Let’s give a round of applause for the organising committee’s tremendous effort!
   3. I hope the association will continue to provide more opportunities for our community to bond and strengthen relationships through sports.
6. On that note, I want to say a little bit about our sporting facilities. We are going to take back Sports Hub and put sports back in the centre of our community sports.
   1. We want to turn Sports Hub and the area around Sports Hub into one that is for Singapore and power by Singaporeans sporting activities. It is not just for those who play sports at elite level. It is for the grassroots, the community and our junior athletes. Everyone must have a stake at our Sports Hub.
   2. We also as well as our vision to transform the Kallang Alive Precinct into a vibrant sport, entertainment, and lifestyle precinct by 2030.
7. We also want to grow the Kallang Alive area, beyond the current Sports Hub, such as a new tennis centre, a new national football training football tennis centre, and so on. All these are in the pipeline.
   1. We are taking the Sports Hub so that we can make all these plans and integrate them with the Sports Hub.
   2. We will continue to work with everyone, including the community and association, who are part of the broader sporting ecosystem to bring sport to everyone, to use sport as a force for good, and to bring people together like what we have here today.
8. In closing, I wish Singapore Indian Association the very best for their Red Dot Sports Carnival and to all participants – enjoy the games and most importantly, make good memories!
9. Thank you.