Distinguished guests, Ladies and gentlemen.
| 1. |
It is an honour to be here at the Singapore Sports
Awards to present these awards in recognition of the nation's
elite athletes. This evening, we pay tribute to the crème
de la crème of Singapore sport. Whether you are the winners
or the nominees, we are proud of every one of you. |
| 2. |
Sportsman of the Year, Mark Chay, looks set to take over the
reign from our swimming stalwart, Ang Peng Siong. This 19-year
old's three gold medal win at the last South-east Asian Games
speaks volumes for his determination and fighting spirit, and
perhaps, gives us a hint of what is to come at the upcoming
Asian Games in Pusan, Korea. Taking a leaf out of senior Jing
Junhong's book is yet another young prodigy - table-tennis player
and Sportswoman of the Year, Li Jiawei. Jiawei not only took
home all four titles at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships,
but bagged a SEA Games gold as well. |
| 3. |
Teo Wee Chin, sailor and Sportsboy of the Year, dominated
the local sailing scene in 2001 by winning almost all the regattas
that he had participated in. Wee Chin also impressed us by finishing
fifth out of 208 entries at the World Optimist Championships
in Beijing, China. Sixteen-year old swimmer and Sportsgirl of
the Year, Nicolette Teo, also showed great potential by winning
an individual gold and silver medals at the 21st SEA Games in
Kuala Lumpur last year. With these young athletes' drive and
commitment, I am confident that they will continue to do well
in their sport. |
| Giving recognition to outstanding athletes |
| 4. |
The Singapore Sports Awards is an acknowledgement of our sporting
talents. As we remake Singapore, the search for local icons
becomes an important aspect of our efforts to strengthen national
pride. Our sporting talents have that potential to become symbols
of excellence that all Singaporeans can identify with. The sporting
talents we are recognising tonight can serve as role models
for the nation. Through their grit and determination to excel,
they inspire us and spur others on, especially our younger athletes,
to achieve sporting glory for the country. They bring home the
idea of excellence and make it a living reality. |
| 5. |
Tonight’s ceremony is in line with the Committee on
Sporting Singapore's recommendation to give recognition to our
nation’s outstanding athletes. The awards represent more
than just monetary rewards. They pay tribute to the sacrifices
and efforts that the athletes have made for their sports. |
| Three-pronged approach to support sports excellence |
| 6. |
Recognition must go together with actual support. In this
regard, the government has started a three-pronged approach
to support sports excellence in Singapore. These are: nurture
our young athletes; strengthen our National Sports Associations
(NSAs) and provide greater assistance to our high-performance
athletes. |
| 7. |
First, we recognise that it is critical for us to identify
and nurture our young athletes so that more will be motivated
to take up sport seriously and more will be able to develop
their talent fully in sport. The Singapore Sports School, charged
with the mission of developing Singapore's promising sportsmen
and sportswomen to their full potential, will be a key initiative.
In the coming months, it will be exploring with NSAs on a more
systematic approach towards identifying and selecting talented
young athletes for the school. It will put in place a high level
sports training programme for its students. And together with
the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), it will draw up career and
training paths for its graduates so as to ensure that the athletes
are able to transit smoothly into the next stage of their sporting
and academic lives. |
| 8. |
However, the Singapore Sports School alone cannot deliver
all our high performance athletes. Many of our promising young
athletes will still be in the mainstream schools. It is important
that we work closely with the schools to ensure that such talented
athletes are identified early, given the proper training and
allowed to bloom in the mainstream schools. We must clear the
path for such athletes to make it to the elite level if they
have the talent. |
| 9. |
Second, we recognise the key roles played by the NSAs and
the need to strengthen them. SSC has recently announced increased
financial support to the NSAs. This will allow the NSAs to undertake
many new programmes, such as upgrading its staff and coaches,
setting up better training programmes for its athletes and expanding
its youth development efforts. However, with increased financial
backing from the government, the NSAs must be prepared to be
even more accountable to the sporting fraternity. I urge the
NSAs to set clear directions and goals for themselves. I would
encourage all the NSAs, especially the leadership, to see this
as a challenge to lead your sport and its development to the
highest possible level in Singapore. I hope you will take up
this challenge and make us proud. |
| 10. |
Third, we want to provide greater direct support and assistance
to the high-performance athlete. SSC has put in place a wide
array of assistance schemes such as training grants, grants
for loss of wages, insurance coverage and study grants. This
will continue. More recently, SSC has introduced the Athlete
Career and Training scheme, which will see enhanced and customised
support given to our top athletes. This will allow our top athletes
to concentrate on their training and not be distracted by other
issues. |
| Team Singapore |
| 11. |
The three-pronged approach that I have just outlined is a
pragmatic one from the perspective of the government. For Singapore
to achieve its objective of being a top 10 sporting nation in
Asia by 2010, we will need more than that. We will need the
entire sporting fraternity to work together as Team Singapore.
All the stakeholders - the NSAs, officials, coaches, athletes,
families, friends, public, corporations and the media - will
need to work together for the greater good of Sporting Singapore.
|
| 12. |
The concept of Team Singapore was first introduced last year
in the run-up to SEA Games 2001. I am glad that it has started
to take root as a rallying call to galvanise support for our
athletes and teams. However, it should not stop there. Team
Singapore should go beyond sport. It is about Singaporeans staying
united as one people in good and bad times, despite whatever
external influences. Team Singapore can and will serve as a
channel for community bonding, inter-racial and inter-religious
understanding and harmony, as well as give Singaporeans a sense
of identity and pride. |
| Conclusion |
| 13. |
In conclusion, I would like to stress that the awardees of
the Singapore Sports Awards are the beacons of hope for Singapore's
sporting future, and are role models for the nation. Therefore,
I urge you to train hard and do us proud. The rest of us will
not be bystanders. The nation is behind you, and hopefully,
this support will spur you on to excel at the upcoming Commonwealth
Games in Manchester and the Asian Games in Pusan. |
