Sports safety for all

Mr Adam Nakhoda, State Coroner, State Courts

Dr Benedict Tan, Head, SingHealth Duke-NUS Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre

Distinguished guests, Media representatives

Ladies and gentlemen

1. A very good afternoon to all gathered for the official and virtual launch of Singapore Standard Code of Practice for Sport Safety, also known as the SS 681.
   
   Importance of Sport Safety
   

2. Being deeply invested in the sports sector, I believe most of us here at this webinar today understand first-hand the benefits of sport – whether at the individual level in enhancing physical and mental wellbeing, or at the broader level in forging and strengthening community bonds.
   

3. However, the positive impact of sport can only come about when it is done safely. Coupled with the evolving sporting trends towards extreme, ultra-endurance and combat sport, enhancing standards to ensure the safety of all while enjoying sport, should always be our foremost consideration.
   
   Launch of Singapore Standard Code of Practice for Sport Safety

4. Hence, I am delighted to launch the first-ever Singapore Standard Code of Practice, or COP, for Sport Safety this afternoon.
   

5. Led by Sport Singapore, the COP was developed by a Working Group appointed by the Singapore Standards Council (SSC), which is overseen by Enterprise Singapore. Serving as a national guide and reference for sport, the COP aims to raise sport safety standards in Singapore, and over time, ensure a consistent safe sport practice.
   

6. Allow me to share three key aspects of the COP, which adopts a preventive approach in managing sports-related risks.

   1. First, it is designed to be broadly applicable for all sport practitioners – from facilities managers, event organisers, schools, the everyday sport enthusiast and the high performance athlete.

   2. Second, it covers a wide range of settings from recreation and fitness activities to competitive and school sports; 

   3. Third, it also provides recommendations through practical guidelines and sharing of international best practices that will help us all improve sport safety. This is done with an emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of all different stakeholders, including participants, within the sport ecosystem.
      

7. Now, allow me to share some of the specific recommendations from the COP in three minutes or less, which is the target response time for administering first-aid treatment via the automated external defibrillator (AED) to a cardiac arrest victim. 
   

8. A key recommendation is for our facilities to be equipped with the necessary medical equipment to manage medical emergencies. This is something close to my heart, given my past time as a lifesaver. The COP stipulates that sport operators, institutions and event organisers should have one or more well-maintained and easily accessible AEDs on their grounds.
   

9. Another key recommendation relies on individual responsibility which plays a large part too in saving lives – athletes and sport participants alike should be educated on early warning symptoms and signs of sport related Sudden Cardiac Arrest so as to make timely and informed decisions to disengage from the activity. Sport participants, coaches, and parents should ideally be equipped with Standard First Aid and Citizens First Responder Program life saving techniques.
   

10. Third, to enhance water safety for individuals, especially the young ones, the COP also outlines fundamental safe practices in aquatic facilities. These include constant adult supervision of children in and around swimming pools and other water bodies as well as water safety training and awareness programmes for individuals, facility owners and operators.
    

11. The team of experts, present in today’s webinar will be sharing further on the technical aspects and benefits of the COP, and how you and your organisations can adopt the COP.
    
    Conclusion

12. My conclusion, sports safety is not only about the structural soundness of sports facilities, but also very much about our individual and organisational consciousness and mindsets towards safety. It is my hope that the adoption of the SS 681 COP will instill in us the habit of enjoying sports activities safely and guide our decisions and actions in keeping one another safe when engaging in sport.
    

13. Safety is everyone’s responsibility – and I urge all of us to take action towards building a safer sport practice in Singapore.
    

14. On that note, I thank all for your attention and I wish everyone a fruitful session learning from our SS681 COP panel. Thank you.