Tribute to Sports Pioneers

Mr Ng Ser Miang, Member of the International Olympic Committee and the Singapore National Olympic Council Executive Committee

Mr Richard Seow, Chairman, Sport Singapore

Our Sports Pioneers,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I am very happy to join in this evening's tribute event to our sports pioneers.
   

2. The tribute video that we just saw brought back a lot of memories for me. I remember watching our athletes as I was growing up, and feeling very inspired by their display of sheer determination.
   

3. Tonight, we are honoured by their presence and this tribute event is our way of saying “thank you” for the enormous contributions that they have made to create a sporting Singapore.
   

4. When Singapore gained independence in 1965, our immediate priority was to provide housing, education and employment for the people.
   

5. But thanks to our sports pioneers who knew that sport had the intrinsic ability to unite our people regardless of race, language or religion, they seeded the growth of a sporting culture in Singapore. While they worked hard at making a living in the early days of our independence, they pushed themselves even harder to “live better through sport”.

6. To build that culture, we had to first build public sporting facilities for Singapore's sporting activities.
   

7. The National Stadium Corporation (NSC) was established in 1971 under the chairmanship of Dr B K Sen, who is here with us tonight. Dr Sen took on this mammoth task of building up Singapore's first major sport complex, which included the 55,000-seat National Stadium and other facilities in the Kallang area.
   

8. The Stadium, considered as one of the most modern in Southeast Asia then, was completed just in time for the 1973 South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games. Today, Dr Sen's legacy lives on, as we welcome the completion of our brand new Singapore Sports Hub.
   

9. The Hub has already hosted several large-scale events. It will host its biggest sporting event next year when Singapore hosts the South East Asian (SEA) Games and the ASEAN Para Games. I certainly look forward to welcoming all of you for the Opening Ceremony next year, right here at our new National Stadium.
   

10. Besides infrastructure, we also built up sports excellence to raise the overall standards in Singapore. Our sporting legends led the way in this endeavour.
    

11. One such athlete who displayed an indomitable fighting spirit was Mr Tan Howe Liang (aged 81), well known to all of us as our first Olympic medallist. From a young age, Mr Tan demonstrated a keen passion for sports and played every sport available in school. Shortly after the Second World War, he tried weightlifting “just for the fun of it”. Armed with only a single set of barbells, he started training in earnest by himself, without a coach. 
    

12. Mr Tan eventually went on to dominate the lightweight division in his sport, becoming the only Singaporean to have medalled at all major international games including the Olympics, Commonwealth, Asian and SEAP Games. Mr Tan had to overcome personal and financial hardship to triumph among the best athletes in the world, and his journey to Olympic glory remains an inspiration for generations of athletes to come.
    

13. Likewise Madam Tang Pui Wah is another athlete whom Singaporeans can look up to.
    

14. Madam Tang (aged 81) lived through the challenging Japanese Occupation during her youth, but found a way through sport to transcend her tough start in life. She demonstrated an exceptional gift in athletics and made history as Singapore's first female Olympian at the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games. She was known as the “Helsinki Girl” when she qualified for the 100m sprint and 80m hurdles event at only 19 years of age. She went on to win bronze at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila and would become a torchbearer for many of our future track and field athletes.
    

15. Madam Tang's achievements came at a time when most girls fought shy of sports. It helped that her peers and schools were very supportive.
    

16. For example, when the school canteen lady heard that she did not have time for breakfast due to her early morning training, she would make toast for Madam Tang. Her class-mates would highlight the main points of her school lessons and select exercises for her to practise so she could balance academics with her training. Madam Tang's story not only demonstrates her pioneering spirit, but also shows the importance of the community's support to an athlete.
    

17. Some of our sports pioneers were also instrumental in the development of their sport in Singapore. The brothers Tan Eng Chai, Tan Eng Bock and Dr Tan Eng Liang were their generation's most outstanding swimming and water polo athletes.
    

18. The oldest brother, Tan Eng Chai (aged 80), was a key figure in the development of swimming in Singapore, having been the Chief Coach to the swimming team at the 15th SEA Games and the Director of the Singapore Amateur Swimming Association (now Singapore Swimming Association).
    

19. His younger brothers Tan Eng Bock (aged 78) and Tan Eng Liang (aged 77), together with their uncle Tan Hwee Hock, were part of the waterpolo team that won the gold medal at the 1954 Asian Games in Manila. Later from 1972 to 1995, Tan Eng Bock led our waterpolo team to 12 SEA Games gold medals, cementing Singapore as a regional power house in the sport.
    

20. Dr Tan Eng Liang went on to dedicate his career to the Singapore public service, including a 16-year stint as Chairman of the Singapore Sports Council from 1975 to 1991. Today, Dr Tan Eng Liang still serves as Vice-President of the Singapore National Olympic Council.
    

21. Many in the football fraternity will also remember the influence of Mr Majid Ariff (aged 77), the midfield mastermind of the 60s who is regarded by many to be one of the greatest footballers of Singapore.
    

22. Mr Majid is the only Singapore footballer to have played for the Asian All-Stars team in 1966. He first represented Singapore at the 1958 Asian Games, and became a football coach two years later.
    

23. Since then, he has helped the country produce many talented footballers. Amongst them is Mr Majid's most well-known protégé, Fandi Ahmad, who credits Mr Majid for passing on to him the many useful football skills and techniques. Mr Majid and Fandi are the only two Singaporeans to be nominated for the Asia's Footballer of the Century award. Till today, Mr Majid's passion for football lives on, and he continues to devote his time to discovering new talented footballers and passing on to them the tricks of the trade.
    

24. Another pioneer credited with the growth of her sport is Mrs Tan Yoon Yin (aged 85), the founding lady of netball in Singapore. In 1950, Mrs Tan came to Singapore from Taiping, Malaysia to be trained as a teacher at the Teacher's Training College.
    

25. When Mrs Tan founded the Singapore Women's Netball Association, many doubted the association would go far, but Mrs Tan was determined to prove her detractors wrong. She used her own money to buy manuals on how to be an umpire and coach, and effectively played both roles in the association. Mrs Tan and the girls even had to raise their own funds by baking and selling cakes and biscuits to keep the association afloat. But Mrs Tan remained steadfast in her ambition and brought the association through its tumultuous founding years. Today, our netballers have earned their place on the international stage, having recently defended their title at the Asian Netball Championships.
    

26. The growth of disability sports in Singapore can also be traced back to the pioneering spirit of the earlier generation of para athletes.
    

27. Among them tonight is Mr Robert Tan (aged 67), who alongside the late Mr Frankie Thanapal, was the first para athlete to represent Singapore at the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in 1974.
    

28. Frankie returned with a bronze medal for swimming, while Robert was placed fourth for javelin and weightlifting, and fifth for archery. In 1975, the duo again represented Singapore in the first Far East and South Pacific (FESPIC) Games (now the Asian Para Games) held in Japan, where Robert won Gold for weightlifting and Bronze for javelin.
    

29. It is heartening to note that Robert is 67 years old today and actively pursuing Lawn Bowls. He is even participating in the 2nd Asian Para Games in Incheon two weeks from now! I am certain his story will be an inspiration for the younger generation of para athletes looking to do Singapore proud.
    

30. So you can see, the sports ecosystem that we have today did not happen by chance. Our sports pioneers seeded the birth of our sporting nation.
    

31. Back then, the support system and infrastructure for sports was much more limited. The few sporting facilities and sports clubs we had catered only to the privileged few. There was no Sports Institute to speak of, no sports scholarships for the talented to pursue their dreams. But our pioneers persevered against the odds, and blazed the trail for us. They gave it their all during competitions, and flew the Singapore flag proudly. Through their efforts, they inspired many young athletes who now dare to pursue their sporting dreams and passion.
    

32. Tonight we show our appreciation to all our sports pioneers – not just the athletes, but also the officials and coaches who have been a part of Team Singapore at Major Games. You have been role models for Singapore and have inspired our entire nation. As members of the Pioneer Generation, all of you would have received your PG package. But I think we should do something more for our sports pioneers. So I've asked Sport Singapore to offer you free lifetime access to our public swimming pools and gyms. In addition, we will be engaging all of you as part of our ActiveSG national movement for sports. We will get in touch with you and invite you to our major sporting events and programmes. We want you to remain actively involved in the sporting scene, and serve as role models for our younger Team Singapore members.
    

33. Sport Singapore will provide more details on these incentives in due course. Whatever we do, it cannot fully reflect the contributions that our sports pioneers have made. But it is a way for us to say “thank you for inspiring the nation”. Ultimately, the best way for us to honour our pioneers is to live up to their spirit and ideals. So I hope that our Team Singapore athletes today will continue to uphold the never-say-die spirit of our sport pioneers, and put in their best efforts to scale even greater heights of sporting achievements, especially when we host the SEA Games on home soil next year.
    

34. Later this evening, the Singapore Youth Olympic Museum and Singapore Sports Museum will also officially open its doors to the public, where Singaporeans will get to learn about the achievements of our sports pioneers and the growth of Singapore's sporting culture. I hope you will find time later to pay the museums a visit.

35. Finally, to our sports pioneers, I salute you for bringing glory and pride to Singapore, and for establishing a sporting legacy through your selfless contributions. With the foundations you've laid, I am confident our new generation of sportsmen and women will be able to emulate your efforts and continue to fly the Singapore flag high. Thank you very much and I wish everyone a pleasant evening ahead.