Strengthening National Sports Associations’ capabilities

1164. Mr Lee Hong Chuang: To ask the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth how does the Ministry encourage the Singapore National Olympic Council to actively assist National Sport Associations (NSAs), which are mainly run by volunteers, in achieving excellence beyond administrative, funding and policy-making support but also in areas such as strengthening NSAs’ capabilities in athlete development, coaching and community engagement.

Response:

1. The Government recognises the vital role that National Sport Associations (NSAs) play in Singapore's sporting ecosystem.

2. SportSG and SNOC collaborate through several key initiatives to develop NSAs' capabilities.

   • First, in governance and professionalisation. Since 2021, SNOC's affiliation criteria require NSAs to adopt governance principles recommended by SportSG. SportSG and SNOC have also worked arrangements with select NSAs, whereby both agencies second personnel to these NSAs to support capability building in governance and administration.

   • Second, in athlete development. SportSG offers NSAs access to the High Performance Sport Institute's expertise, such as sport science support, and world-class training facilities. SNOC complements this with their Major Games preparation programmes, setting qualifying standards and coordinating specialised training to further enhance our athletes’ sporting performance. Through the SNOC Athletes' Commission, NSAs are encouraged to appoint athlete representatives to help NSAs create more athlete-centric policies.

   • Third, in coaching excellence, CoachSG, set up by SportSG, conducts coach development programmes such as SG-Coach, and administers the National Registry of Coaches to raise coaching standards and professionalism. With funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), SNOC complements SportSG’s efforts by running Olympic Solidarity Programmes to provide annual training and upgrading seminars for coaches and officials.

   • Fourth, in community engagement, SNOC runs the Singapore Olympic Academy which delivers Olympic education programmes to schools, helping NSAs connect with youth and educational institutions. SNOC also organises the annual Singapore Sports Awards to recognise outstanding NSA athletes, coaches and officials, raising the profile of sports within the community.

3. I encourage NSAs to tap on these avenues of support offered by SportSG and SNOC. Together, we can build a stronger, professional sporting ecosystem where NSAs have the capabilities to develop athletes, engage communities, and achieve sporting excellence.