Team Nila Awards 2026

Team Nila Volunteers,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1. Good afternoon, everyone.

2. It is my pleasure to join you this afternoon for the Team Nila Awards to recognise and honour your fantastic work for the sporting community, and for Singapore.

Achievements in 2025

3. 2025 has been an incredible year for Team Nila. As Singapore celebrated SG60, we also hosted key large-scale, international sporting events.

4. We made history as the first country to host both the World Aquatics Championships and the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships in the same year.

   1. Team Nila played a crucial role in making sure that all of these events were a great success.

   2. Many of you helped us across different roles – from assisting with accreditation, ushering, supporting media operations, and ensuring that athletes and officials moved smoothly between venues. Because of your dedication, athletes and visitors experienced Singapore’s warm hospitality.

5. Team Nila also supported major international sporting events such as the HSBC SVNS, FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup and community sporting events like Play Inclusive and Pesta Sukan.

6. I am very glad that I had the privilege to meet many of you at these events, whether in Singapore or overseas such as during the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games. In particular, one of these examples was when we were together at the very tightly contested netball match between Singapore and Malaysia in the SEA Games group match. Team Nila, with all your energy and spirit, was the key eighth member that helped our team gain victory. Local or overseas, you always make a key difference for all our athletes.

7. Your strong spirit of support and volunteerism is something we want to encourage and pass on to the next generation. We launched the Little Team Nila programme last year, to nurture values such as teamwork, resilience, and volunteerism in our young ones.

   1. Today, we are very happy to say that we have more than 3,000 students across 66 pre-schools who are part of Little Team Nila, cheering together with Team Nila Beats at competitions, and supporting Team Singapore regardless of whether we win or we lose.

   2. We will continue to expand this programme across more schools, so that more young Singaporeans can join us and more Singaporeans will want to grow up to be like all of you.

Recognising the Awardees

8. This year, we also recognise the largest group of Team Nila awardees yet. A total of 633 dedicated Team Nila volunteers – including 116 Gold, 162 Silver and 355 Bronze awardees.

9. Together, you have volunteered for more than 220,000 hours. Please join me in a big round of applause for all the volunteers for all your hard work.

10. Among our recipients today is Mr Velappakutty Gagan.

    1. Gagan first volunteered with Team Nila when we hosted the SEA Games in 2015. That positive experience ignited a passion for volunteering, and he has since continued to support our athletes at subsequent SEA Games, and most recently in 2025 in Thailand.

    2. For Gagan, volunteering with Team Nila is a meaningful way to stay active and to contribute back to the community.

11. We also have Ms Tasha Liow.

    1. For Tasha, being part of Team Nila gives her a sense of belonging and connection with like-minded youths who share the same passion for sport and service.

    2. Volunteering at the World Aquatics Championships was a highlight for her too, where she contributed to event operations and bonded with fellow volunteer leaders from all walks of life. As an avid swimmer, she was thrilled to contribute to the successful organisation of both Championships. Thanks Tasha for helping at both Championships!

12. Mr Nor Huzairee Bin Nordin is a member of Team Nila Beats and the OneTeamSG NDP Marching Contingent.

    1. Huzairee has always been a big NDP fan and he has been part of the marching contingent for three years and counting.

    2. He enjoys watching the Lions play and he joined Team Nila Beats after seeing them cheer at a football match. Today, he rallies fellow fans during matches and cherishes the supportive community that he is now a member of.

13. This year, we are also introducing a new category – the Team Nila Volunteer Leader Award. This award recognises leaders who inspire, showcase exceptional passion, rally other volunteers, and these are leaders who are nominated by you, all of our volunteers.

    1. Among the recipients is Ms Patricia Teo, who has been volunteering since the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

    2. During the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships, Patricia rallied together volunteers and helped everyone make meaningful contributions.

    3. Patricia also supported Team Singapore at the SEA Games in Thailand last December, during her first overseas volunteering experience.

14. The stories of Gagan, Tasha, Huzairee and Patricia are just a few examples of all your individual stories, and how you stepped forward to make a difference for Team Singapore. You reflect the “We First” values that define our nation, and show all of us what we can achieve when we all step forward and work together as a community. This spirit of collective service strengthens our sporting events and helps us build a united community and a much better Singapore.

Growing Sport Volunteerism in 2026 and beyond

15. Today, Team Nila has grown to more than 60,000 volunteers. Looking ahead, we want to continue to grow sport volunteerism in Singapore. To do so, we will focus on three key areas: “Play More”, “Support More”, and “Jio – or invite – More”.

16. Team Nila is more than a team. It is a family. So we will create more opportunities to “Play More” as a Team Nila family.

    1. You can look forward to quarterly sports days to play more,

    2. And more opportunities to gain new skills such as first aid, refereeing and leadership.

17. A family supports one another. So we will make sure we support Team Nila more.

    1. We will set up “Home of Team Nila”, a dedicated space where this family can come together, share ideas, and enjoy the company of Team Nila family members. More details will be shared later this year.

18. And a great family invites and involves one another. We will “Jio More” and grow the Team Nila movement by inviting new volunteers to join us.

    1. We will hold more recruitment drives at our ActiveSG Sport Centres, community events and schools to introduce more Singaporeans to your work, attract new volunteers and cultivate a love for sport and volunteerism among Singaporeans.

    2. We will also invite more students to get involved in sport and volunteerism through having you share your stories and experiences, and how you have impacted lives. We aim to partner 15 schools and reach 3,000 students this year.

19. 2026 will be an exciting year as Team Nila plays more, supports more, and jios more. Our efforts will grow our volunteers as Singapore prepares to host the SEA Games and the ASEAN Para Games in 2029.

20. If 2025 has showed us anything, it is that we can count on Team Nila to take sports to a new level, whether hosting major sporting events locally or cheering our athletes on overseas. Team Nila is always our secret weapon, and it is always the key Team Singapore athlete that is on the bench.

Conclusion

21. Congratulations to all the award recipients and thank you for all that you do. Your contributions have made Team Nila an integral part of Singapore’s sporting ecosystem.

22. Let us continue to grow more, support more, and jio more of your friends and family to be part of this wonderful Team Nila family.

23. Thank you and I wish you a great afternoon.