Speech By Mr Bob Gambardella at The Closing Ceremony Of The 4th International Youth Sports Challenge

Speech By Mr Bob Gambardella, Chief Of Sports Development Group, Singapore Sports Council At The Closing Ceremony Of The 4th International Youth Sports Challenge

SPEECH BY MR BOB GAMBARDELLA, CHIEF OF SPORTS DEVELOPMENT GROUP, SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE 4th INTERNATIONAL YOUTH SPORTS CHALLENGE 03 DECEMBER 2011, 7.25PM AT THE SINGAPORE SPORTS SCHOOL

Mr Chua Choon Seng, Director of Corporate Services, Singapore Sports School,

Mr Bernard Tan Leng Joo, Chairman, 4th IYSC Organising Committee,

Mr Gobinathan Nair, Co-Chairman, 4th IYSC Organising Committee,

Visiting and Participating Nations,

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

1 I want to say thank you to the Singapore Sports School for inviting me to be with you here today at the closing ceremony for the 4th International Youth Sports Challenge (IYSC). This is the 3rd time that I have had the pleasure of joining you for the festivities.

2 It has been an exciting week, and congratulations to all the athletes. You have played rain or shine, and you have played against a wide range of competitors - which means you probably won some and you lost some. Most important, you learned some things about yourself as a player, a competitor and a teammate. And you learned some things about the new friends you have made. 3 When you think about it, it is remarkable how much you have accomplished in a short period of time. You come from different countries. You speak different languages. But you understand the language of sport. You understand how to play by the rules. You respect fair play. And a ball well-played. In fact, tonight, you celebrate how well everyone played the game.

4 I want you to take a look around the room tonight. Commit to memory the faces of the friends you have made. I am sure you are going to meet each other, again. Maybe next year in Singapore. Maybe in Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games but remember: your friendships began at these games.

5 Sport develops our competitive spirit, but it also grows good values. You learn to rely on the strength of your teammates. To carry out the plays from your coach. You learn how to lead a team. Sport builds your self-esteem. It gives you the confidence to communicate and make new friends of your competitors. And your stories from Singapore can inspire your school mates at home. Through sport, you can be the pride of your school, your community and your nation.

6 No one wins all the time - but all of you can be winners. Learn from this experience. Go home, rethink and replay. I have no doubt that you will come back stronger and smarter.

7 To all our international friends, thank you for bringing your best game to this year’s challenge. To the sponsors of the IYSC, thank you for your deep commitment to youth sport.

8 Let me also thank the match officials, volunteers and the Singapore Sports School for hosting a very successful 4th International Youth Sports Challenge. With your support, we develop our future generations of sporting icons and heroes.

9 Thank you