Support for the sports sector during the COVID-19 pandemic

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good morning to all. As we have just celebrated Hari Raya, please allow me to wish our Muslim friends Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! It is indeed my great pleasure to join you for the inaugural edition of ExPRO Virtual Circuit Breaker Conference. Given the very unusual circumstances that we are in, we are unable to meet in person. But I would like to congratulate FitnessSG for organising a virtual conference where we can still stay connected and learn from each other.

2. We are indeed living in challenging times amidst this global battle against COVID-19. As DPM Heng Swee Keat mentioned in his recent budget speech, “The road is long, uncertain and with more ups and downs. We must have strength amidst this adversity to adapt and to emerge stronger.” Strength amidst adversity. Adapt to emerge stronger. These are his words, and these are the traits that often define us as sportsmen and sportswomen – not giving up, always pushing our limits, and finding ways to do better when faced with setbacks.

3. It is a challenging period for you in the sports and fitness industry. SportSG and MCCY have been engaging the industry since the start of the pandemic, and I thank you for sharing your feedback in wanting to explore ways to work together. Amongst the concerns raised include the loss of revenue, the burden of operating overheads, as well as the need for capability development; and alternative means to reach out to clients when face-to-face interactions cannot take place.

4. Since February 2020, the Government has rolled out the Unity, Resilience and Solidarity Budgets amounting to almost $60 billion to help individuals, self-employed persons and businesses. Just two days ago, DPM Heng announced the Fortitude Budget. These Budgets collectively bring the total financial resources put on battling the COVID-19 pandemic to $100 billion. We have also very quickly put in place other non-financial measures, such the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act that provides legal reprieve to businesses and individuals. I ask for the indulgence of our overseas participants as I go into some details of the schemes for the benefit of the local participants.

5. The latest Fortitude Budget is a $33 billion supplementary budget that will save jobs now and in the future. It will support workers and businesses who are affected by border closures and safe distancing measures. It will also help them to adapt, transform and seize new opportunities to emerge stronger.

6. The Jobs Support Scheme that pays for 75% of wages will be further extended to August 2020 or when the business is allowed to open, whichever is earlier.

7. For those of us concerned with rental, the Fortitude Budget will provide a cash grant to offset the rental costs of SME tenants, with the same being matched by landlords. SME tenants in commercial properties can look forward to a total of four months of rental waivers collectively from the Government and the landlord.

8. There will be a new law to require landlords to grant this rental waiver to their SME tenants who have suffered a significant drop in revenue. It will provide temporary relief from onerous contractual terms such as excessive late payment interest or charges. It will also allow tenants to repay their arrears through instalments.

9. Besides these generic measures, there are sector-specific schemes to help the sports sector because the sector is important to the wellbeing of Singaporeans, and your absence has been sorely missed by many, including myself.

10. For a start, SportSG has created more than 500 temporary jobs for those whose livelihoods have been affected. We have filled about 80% of these vacancies, with roles ranging from sport centre operations to the development of digital content. We have rolled out the Active Enabler Programme, or AEP for short, where sport enterprises and fitness instructors are funded for their projects to get Singaporeans to be physically active through digital platforms. One of the ideas supported by the AEP grant is the “Run for Heroes 2020” - a virtual run organised by Orange Room Pte Ltd where participants run 1km to show support for frontline and healthcare heroes.  We have also approved more than 230 applications under the AEP, with $2 million set aside to fund such projects at this year's GetActive! Singapore festival.

11. Get Active TV, a YouTube channel, is another platform for coaches to develop digital content as part of our efforts to keep Singaporeans active while at home. To accommodate other sports businesses, SportSG has developed the ActiveSG Circle platform for the industry to create content for all things sport and will extend our digital outreach to the community. It is our intention to put the ActiveSG membership of close to 1.8 million onto the social media assets of SportSG.

12. Since the Circle was launched in April 2020, it has garnered more than 10 million views across a wide range of programmes such as talk-shows, online classes, virtual competitions and races, as well as workshops and articles. This growth demonstrates potential for stronger year-round engagement and motivation for sport in both online and offline platforms. In time, we hope to grow these platforms to collect and analyse a rich set of data to allow the industry to ride on market trends and explore business opportunities that will facilitate collaboration and innovation.

13. It is our intention to help our businesses build longer-term capabilities and to be resilient, innovative in adapting to the new normal. This morning, I am pleased to share that SportSG will launch a new $3 million Enterprise Innovation and Capability Grant.

14. This Grant will build capabilities and capacities of sports enterprises to help them take advantage of the growth opportunities in the digital economy. This will include the development and application of digital technologies, promote training and upskilling of sport professionals, as well as build stronger digital capabilities. We hope to support more than 20 enterprises with this grant. More details will be announced soon.

15. We will also expand training opportunities for the sports fraternity. Working with the National Sports Associations (NSAs), the courses will include coaching theory, sports technology and sports science. SportSG intends to roll out more than 3,000 training courses by end-2020, and is currently working to get these courses recognised for SkillsFuture credits, and to allow participants to be eligible for training allowance.

16. All these programmes are in addition to the funding of some $400 million dollars that goes towards our funding for sports; including support for our NSAs, our Academies and Clubs, MOE's support for school coaches, and many other programmes that support the ecosystem.

17. As you can see, together with SportSG, we are doing our best to address your needs and concerns. Rest assured that we will continue to do what we can to support you and your business.

18. As we move into easing some of the circuit breaker measures from 2 June 2020, I am aware that many of you are anxious to resume your business operations as soon as possible. The Government has adopted a cautious and phased approach in the resumption of activities. This will give us the best chance of not only re-opening all businesses, but to keep them open for the long term; while keeping everyone safe.

19. I would like to encourage the fitness industry to take this time to proactively plan and adjust business operations that can keep you, your staff and your clients safe. This includes thinking about what are the new norms and measures to put in place in our facilities and programmes going forward, and how we can organise our operations to be nimble and adaptable to changing market conditions. As an industry, you can come together to develop best practices and guidelines that will help the sector to emerge stronger and regain the confidence of stakeholders and customers.

20. I also encourage you to make full use of this opportunity to tap on available resources to better position yourselves for the future. There are many courses offered by CoachSG and partner institutions, supported by SkillsFuture credits. And more will be offered. Take this time to become stronger, faster, better and more flexible.

21. In closing, the road ahead may be long and uncertain but if we continue to stand united as one, and find the strength within us to keep going, we will overcome this together. We want to see you emerging stronger than before. And as Michael Jordan said, and I quote, “Never say never. Because limits like fears are often just an illusion.”

22. I wish you all the very best and stay safe.