Celebrating Singapore's Oscars For Sporting Inspiration

Celebrating Singapore’s Oscars For Sporting Inspiration

The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) today gave out awards to 13 individuals and 29 organisations for their exemplary passion and dedication in sports promotion. The awards are organised by the SSC to recognise individuals and organisations for fostering greater participation in sports among friends, colleagues, the community at large and at the workplace.

“We are very encouraged to see the sharp increase in the number of nominations for SSIA 2007, doubling from 289 last year to 565 this year.” said Mr Oon Jin Teik, Chief Executive Officer of the SSC. “The heartening thing is that not only do we see more nominations, but the quality of the nominees has also gone up a notch. There are many in our community who inspire others with their heartfelt passion for sports as the means to a healthy lifestyle. All our winners today have gone the extra mile to bring about a Sporting Singapore. They are our beacon of sporting spirit and inspire the community to grow in our sporting culture.” added Mr Oon. The individuals who share the spotlight range from 20-year-old students to a 61-year-old company director, while schools, banks and hospitals are among those honoured at the organisational level.

Among the 13 individuals honoured is 30-year-old lawyer Wang Shao Ing who spends an average of 16 hours a week running, swimming and playing sports like badminton, rugby, netball and basketball despite her hectic work schedule. Always the avid sportswoman, Shao Ing doesn’t just stop there. She also finds the time to groom young talents to become future rugby stars by volunteering as a coach at St. Andrew’s Primary, and also conducts regular rugby clinics for the girls at the Andrew and Grace Home, a shelter for troubled teens. Through sports participation, she enhances their self-esteem and confidence. This Gold Winner shows that there’s always a time and place for inspiring sports participation.

Interestingly, this year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in the youth category all come from the same institution - Temasek Polytechnic. This is a testament to the school’s sporting culture and its commitment to creating a conducive and stimulating environment for the holistic development of students. The Gold Winner, Chia Yi Liang, has completed his studies at Temasek Polytechnic, but he has left an indelible mark with his endeavour in promoting sports during his three years there. He is not contented simply with his own participation in swimming, cycling, kayaking, basketball and dragon boating. As Captain of the Temasek Polytechnic dragon boat team, he infused great camaraderie and team spirit, building bonds of friendship, which translated into excellence in performance.

As a Gold Winner in the category of educational institutions, Raffles Junior College also demonstrates a deep passion for sports development. A stream of coaches and teachers provide the inspiration for students to take up sports. Besides the usual team and individual sports programmes, the school also offers a wide variety of non-conventional sports elective programmes such as padded weaponry, inline skating and ice climbing among others. A great way to build bonding and camaraderie, students are given the opportunity to participate in at least three major sporting carnivals each year, involving not just present but past students from the alumnus.

Another winner from the organisation category is Sports Advocate, Singapore Power Club where the employees with Singapore Power and its subsidiaries unite to play sports. Representing the club for internal and external competitions, these members are involved in a range of sports, from snooker and bowling to sepak takraw and golf. Boasting a strong membership of more than 1,800, it has organised as many as 37 sports activities in 2006, including In-House Tournaments and the Sports for Life Walk/Run.

One outstanding organisation that has garnered two awards in the organisation category is RHB Bank. The bank aims to bring the standards of Singapore football to greater heights as it believes that sports is the ideal way to build bonds with customers and the community. The bank has also made a strong name for itself as the title sponsor of RHB SINGAPORE CUP. This year, RHB Bank is awarded in the categories of Sports Partners and Sports Business.