Singapore's sports fraternity came together on 19 June 2009 to honour the nation's top athletes for their outstanding performance in 2008, the highlight being the Olympic silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in the Table Tennis Women's Team Event.
"2008 has been a good year for sports in Singapore. Singapore has come a long way since we first sent athletes to the Olympic Games in 1948. Last year for the Beijing Olympic Games, we had more athletes qualifying than ever before in our history. Overall, Singapore has much to be proud of, and I believe we can look forward to an even brighter future in international sports, thanks to the consistent support of the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports, the Singapore Sports Council, our sponsors, our forward-looking sports policies and the positive attitude of our athletes," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence; and President, SNOC, Mr Teo Chee Hean, the Guest of Honour at the awards ceremony.
Receiving the top honours at the awards ceremony was bowler Jasmine Yeong Nathan, who was named Sportswoman of the year for her stellar performance at the 2008 AMF World Cup, at which she became the first Singaporean to succeed at clinching an AMF World Cup title at a young age of twenty. Some of the high points in 2008 for Jasmine include bringing home the bronze medal at the 10th World Youth Bowling Championship and a team bronze medal at the 20th Asian Tenpin Bowling Championship.
The National Table Tennis Women's Team, comprising Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu, Feng Tianwei and Sun Beibei, was also given special mention this evening as the winner of the Team of the Year (Event) award. The year 2008 proved to be a historic one for the ladies as they brought an end to Singapore's 48-year Olympic medal drought by clinching the silver medal in the Table Tennis Women's Team event at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Also honoured at the event was the Sportsboy of the Year, wushu exponent Yong Yi Xiang. At only sixteen, Yi Xiang is already an exemplary sportsman who brought international recognition to Singapore by garnering a gold medal at the 2nd World Junior Youth Championship. Nineteen-year-old bowler Jazreel Tan once again received the title of Sportsgirl of the Year, following an outstanding medal tally in 2008 from several international and regional competitions, such as the 2008 Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships and the 10th World Youth Bowling Championship.
The 2009 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Trophy "Sport and the Fight against Doping" was awarded to Sports Physician Dr Teh Kong Chuan, for his significant contribution to the local sports scene, pioneering initiatives on doping control for almost three decades. Dr Teh continues to play a leading role in anti-doping today, as the Advisor to the Singapore National Olympic Council Anti-Doping in Sports Commission. He also heads the Doping Control Programme for the 1st Asian Youth Games 2009 and the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
The coveted IOC President's Trophy was presented to Mr Choo Wee Khiang for his dedication and contributions to the development of table tennis in Singapore and in Asia. Mr Choo was the President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association from 1991 to 2008, during which he played an instrumental role in setting up the centre of excellence for the sport, heightening the world ranking for the national women's and men's team to second and tenth respectively.
2008 saw the rise of Singapore's young sporting talents in the international sporting scene. The Singapore Sports Awards 2009 captured the pinnacle of Singapore's sports in 2008, and signalled the beginning of another great journey for the local sports scene as Singapore is set to host two major youth sporting events - the 1st Asian Youth Games Singapore 2009 and the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
