GetActive Singapore returns to add more sports activities to National Day celebrations

GetActive Singapore returns to add more sports activities to National Day celebrations

In its second edition from 29th July to 9th August 2017, the annual “GetActive! Singapore” week will offer people from all walks of life varied opportunities to participate, organise, share and enjoy the celebration of our nation’s birthday through sport, fitness and wellness activities. Drawing from the response to the inaugural event last year, this year’s edition will continue to feature competitions, active enabler programmes and sports festivals.

Speaking at the side lines of the Get Active @ Sentosa event on Sunday, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Grace Fu, hoped that GetActive! Singapore would become a tradition where Singaporeans and residents come together to cherish the celebration of National Day. “Singaporeans of all abilities and ages will be able to come together through sport with GetActive! Singapore 2017. There will be more sporting opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as competitive sports for Corporates, Youth and Seniors. Sport has no barriers; it celebrates diversity and binds us closer together. Let’s get active again, and celebrate our National Day through sport!”

Participants at Get Active @ Sentosa had a taste at Palawan Beach and Palawan Green of what’s to come. There, the HPB-ActiveSG Active Family Programmes featured sports competitions like Ultimate Frisbee, Beach Volleyball, Athletics, Football and an Outdoor Adventure Race under the Sentosa Development Corporation’s (SDC) month-long Thrillogy at Sentosa event.

For this year’s edition, we are delighted that Sentosa will be a venue partner for GetActive! Singapore to add its unique offerings and vibrant atmosphere to the celebrations.

Mr Quek Swee Kuan, Chief Executive Officer, Sentosa Development Corporation said: “We are very excited to be hosting GetActive! Singapore for the first time in Sentosa later this year. GetActive! Singapore’s call on everyone to be active and have fun, resonates with what Sentosa - The State of Fun is all about. With the abundance of space at our golden sandy beaches and Palawan Green, Sentosa offers the perfect playground for community sporting events to be organised. We are delighted that we have been able to introduce some of these activities on the island this March as part of our Thrillogy at Sentosa event which offers guests an exciting line-up of thrill and chill experiences, from day to night. We look forward to welcoming more Singaporeans as they take part in the sports challenges in Sentosa!”

GetActive! Singapore Competitions

In 2016, the biennial Singapore National Games (SNG) was organised under GetActive! Singapore banner for people to play sports at competitive level. It saw over 10,000 participants in 21 sports, including six para sports. SNG will return in 2018’s edition of GetActive! Singapore. This year, to continue to offer a competitive platform for our people, the organisers will organise up to 24 sports competitions, including six para sports (see the list of sports below) for three specific groups under the banner of the National Corporate Games, National Masters Games and National Youth Games. This format enables the young and young-at-heart to come together in different ways to enjoy the company of friends, families and colleagues at work. In particular, the organisers hope that companies can also use the National Corporate Games to build a tradition of celebrating National Day together with other partners in corporate Singapore.

Some new sports introduced this year are – Cycling & Para Cycling, Ultimate Frisbee, Petanque, and Pickleball. Registration will open from mid-May 2017 onwards. Upon the close of registration, and depending on the response for each sport in each category, the final list of the competitions will be firmed up.

Active Enabler Programme

Last year the Active Enabler Programme supported over 240 ground-up applications that provided platforms for over 95,000 people to gather and have fun through sport.

While the selection criteria, type of support and funding cap per project or mass event grant would remain largely the same this year, support this year would also extend to securing venues or spaces for applicants. The organisers look forward to even more creative and unique ideas, and would like to encourage the community to submit their proposals to reach out to Singaporeans and residents beyond their normal social circles. Interested parties can submit their proposals from 27th March to 5th May 2017. Successful applicants will be informed by early June 2017.

Sports Festivals

The Sports Festivals in 2016 reached out to over 350,000 people through fun activities in the open spaces in the heartlands, ActiveSG Sports Centres and schools. For 2017, the sporting fun and games will be spreading to Sentosa Island too, where the island will host some of the Sports Festivals, Active Enabler Programmes and sports competitions.

In summary, Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Sport Singapore said, “We want everyone to enjoy an active lifestyle and build shared memories through sport. As GetActive! Singapore becomes an integral part of our National Day celebrations, our natural instincts to play and make friends will enrich the shared experiences that strengthen our sense of togetherness and community in Singapore. We encourage all to be part of GetActive! Singapore, have fun and be proud of our community and country.”