An Inclusive Sports Festival That Bonded Communities

An Inclusive Sports Festival That Bonded Communities

The Inaugural Singapore National Games Came To A Close With A Bang As More Than 5,000 Participants Celebrated The Friendships Built During The Games

Singapore, 9 September 2012 - After nine days of excitement filled Game days, the first-ever national multi-sport event, Singapore National Games (SNG), closed to an exuberant crowd comprising community athletes, volunteers, game officials, participants and members of the public at a Closing Ceremony held this evening at Bishan Stadium. The event, officiated by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, highlighted the friendships that were built between athletes and communities during the inaugural SNG.

2. Held from 1 to 9 September 2012, the inaugural SNG brought together more than 5,000 community athletes, officials and volunteers who played an integral role in making the Games a success. Singapore residents also turned out and cheered on their family members, friends and neighbours as spectators and cheerleaders at venues across the island.

3. "We would like to thank all the community athletes, supporters, participants, volunteers and sponsors for their help in making the first-ever SNG such a roaring success. We encourage more people to step out and be part of our next SNG and we look forward to welcoming you all in 2014," said Minister Lim Swee Say, Deputy Chairman of People's Association (PA).

4. The high-spirited crowd at Bishan Stadium was treated to a video montage of the Games' highlights over the last nine days. President Tony Tan, who was officiating the event, also presented the Sports Challenge Shield to the top three clusters, which recognised the top three clusters for their sports performance and their community athletes' exemplary participation in the Games. First place winner, Chua Chu Kang, also walked away with the Sports Challenge Trophy.

5. In addition, the Community Challenge Shield was also announced and presented at the Closing Ceremony to the top three clusters for their exemplary engagement efforts to bond residents in the Community Games and the SNG. Clusters were judged for how well they decorated their competition venues, excellence in cheerleading groups to enliven the Games and how well they had reached out to involve their residents as supporters for their clusters' teams during the Games, as well as their volunteers' active involvement to contribute to making the Games a success.

6. Commenting on the Games, Mr Lim Teck Yin, Co-Chairman of the SNG Organising Committee and Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Sports Council (SSC) remarked: "We are really delighted by the community's participation in the SNG. People from different walks of life came out as athletes, officials and volunteers to make this a truly memorable experience for all involved. With the experience of this inaugural Games, we hope to make the 2014 edition even better and look forward to seeing all our participants again and new ones too."

7. Mr Yam Ah Mee, Co-Chairman of the SNG Organising Committee and Chief Executive Director of PA, agreed: "We are very heartened to see the community coming together to support their athletes at all the venues for the 10 participating sports. Their enthusiasm and passion cheering on the community athletes, and the camaraderie among the athletes that we had witnessed during the Games, show that the SNG is a perfect platform to forge the bond within the community."

8. Over the nine Game days, a total of 212 gold medals were presented, with Ang Mo Kio leading the medal tally with 34 gold, 16 silver and 16 bronze medals. Following closely behind is Chua Chu Kang with a total number of 68 medals (30 gold, 22 silver and 16 bronze) and Bishan-Toa Payoh with a total number of 45 medals (19 gold, 14 silver and 12 bronze).

9. Expressing his delight of being part of the inaugural SNG, Mr Hong Wei Jian, Captain of Jurong Green, Basketball team from Jurong Cluster and former Singapore Slingers, commented: "The standard for SNG was quite high, thus I feel that it allowed everyone, not just national athletes, to have a feel of a spirited competition. Also, I feel that the organisers had done a really good job. The set-up and logistics were great. They even sent me a reminder SMS to come for the game; I was really impressed. I believe SNG will continue to grow and I look forward to participating in future Games."

10. Mr Poon Choong Meng, Badminton player for Toa Payoh East CSC, Bishan - Toa Payoh Cluster agreed: "Our members have been playing together for years and jumped at the opportunity to participate together as a team for the SNG. It has since become a community gathering for us and we have become great friends."

11. The SNG is jointly organised by the SSC, the PA and its grassroots organisations, the community sports clubs, as well as the National Sports Associations of the 10 participating sports, namely Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Dragon Boat, Football, Netball, Sepak Takraw, Swimming and Table Tennis. The SNG aims to bridge communities in Singapore, where people of all ages, races and estates can participate and bond through competitive sports.

Annex A: Winners of the Sports Challenge Shield and Community Challenge Shield and selection criteria for both accolades

Winners of the Sports Challenge Shield
1st Place: Chua Chu Kang (3153 points)
1st Runner-Up: Ang Mo Kio (3078 points)
2nd Runner-Up: Sembawang (2376 points)

Winners of Community Challenge Shield
1st Place: Sembawang
1st Runner-Up: Chua Chu Kang
2nd Runner-Up: Jurong

Sports Challenge Shield
The Sports Challenge Shields are awarded to recognise the top 3 Clusters for their sports performance and participation in the Singapore National Games.

Points will be awarded based on 2 components - Excellence and Participation:

(a) Excellence
*Constitutes 70% of the total points

Clusters in the top eight positions of every sports competition event will be given points.

For team events, the points will be multiplied by the number of athletes participating in the event. These bonus points are awarded to recognise the Cluster's effort in forming and playing as a team.

For special Athletics and Swimming relay events known as the All CARE (Channels, Age, Race, Estate) relays, points will be doubled to reward the Clusters for fielding a mixed team comprising different gender, age groups and races.

(b) Participation
*Constitutes 30% of the total points

Each Cluster will be awarded points based on the total number of sports participants registered during the Community Games and Singapore National Games. This is to encourage and recognise the contribution of every athlete from each Cluster.

The top 3 Clusters with the highest points accumulated from the Excellence and Participation components shall be declared Winners of the Sports Challenge Shields.

Community Challenge Shield
The Community Challenge Shield is an Overall Award accorded to recognise the Cluster for their best engagement outcomes/efforts to engage and bond their residents in the Community Games (CG) and Singapore National Games (SNG).

The Overall Award comprises four categories, they are as follows:

(a) Best Decorated Cluster - Clusters which have done well in decorating their competition venues i.e. Community Clubs;

(b) Best Cheerleading Cluster - Clusters which have done well in organising cheerleading groups to enliven the Games;

(c) Best Supporter Cluster - Clusters which have done well in reaching out and involving their residents as supporters for their clusters' teams during the Games; and

(d) Best Volunteer Group - Volunteer groups' active involvement and their contributions to the Games.

The winners of the four categories will be given points based on a points system, where the cluster with the highest accumulative points won from the four categories will be declared the Overall Winner of the Community Challenge Shield.

Annex B: SNG Sports Points System for Sports Challenge Shield and Community Challenge Shield

1. Objectives

• Implement a fair and competitive scoring system

• Recognise and reward Clusters/participants' excellence in sports

• Encourage and recognise participation among the Clusters

2. Overview

• The overall winning Cluster for each sport will be based on the total points derived from two components, Excellence and Participation. The diagram below shows the weightage for each component.

2.1 Points System for Excellence Component (70%) Points will be awarded to the top eight positions in every event (individual and team) for all sports to reward Clusters for athletes' performance. Points will be doubled for teams that managed to form an All CARE team. The total points scored will constitute 70% of the total score for each sport. The table below shows how the points will be computed.

Notes:

• If there is no 3rd position play-off, losing semi-finalists will be awarded seven points each

• If quarter-finals are to be played, losing quarter-finalists will be awarded five points each

The following table shows the sports events that would constitute to individual and team points.

2.2 Points System for Participation Component (30%) Each cluster will be awarded points based on the total number of participants registered during the Community Games and Singapore National Games 2012 for each sport. The total points scored will constitute to 30% of the total score for each sport. The table below shows how the points will be computed.

Notes: In the event of a tie, teams will be awarded the higher of the position points. E.g. If three teams are tied for 3rd position, all three teams will be awarded 900 points.

Annex C: Fact Sheet on SNG

The Singapore National Games 2012 (SNG) is a new biennial multi-sports festival that bridges community participation and sports excellence, and will offer residents of all ages, races and from different estates the opportunity to be part of Singapore's exciting sporting landscape. From the Sunday sports enthusiast, the arm-chair commentator, to the serious athlete, all can now play, compete, support and volunteer.

The inaugural SNG saw community teams pitting against each other in ten sports. The SNG was jointly organised by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), People's Association (PA) and its grassroots organisations, the Community Sports Clubs, as well as the National Sports Associations (NSAs) of the ten sports. It aims to be a meaningful and memorable sporting festival that ignites passion, builds character, and connects people and bonds Singaporeans.

The Community Games (CG), which is organised annually, will serve as the qualifying round for the SNG in the years when it is held. For 2012, CG was held from April to July and the SNG was held from 1 to 9 September.

The ten sports featured in 2012 were: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Dragon Boat, Football, Netball, Sepak Takraw, Swimming and Table Tennis. To bring the competitions to the heart of the community, the 2012 Games was held at various venues around Singapore, including Sports & Recreation Centres, Community Clubs, schools, the Bedok Reservoir and the Singapore Sports School. Teams were formed according to geographical clusters. Winners were each awarded a medal, with trophies being awarded to the winning teams.

Participation was opened to Singapore Citizens as well as non-Citizens, including Singapore Permanent Residents. National athletes were also eligible to compete. However in general, National athletes and non-citizens made up at most 20% of the team size, or one member of the team, whichever was higher. In order to encourage wide participation from all age groups and races, as well as residents living in both public and private estates, team composition for all sports had been formulated through discussion with the respective NSAs. With various team mix requirements, it was intended that more enthusiasts with different abilities would be able to be part of this nation-wide competition.

Earlier this year, close to 10,000 residents took part in the annual Community Games, which served as the qualifying round for seven out of the 10 participating sports for the SNG in the years when it is held. More than 300 teams made up of Singaporeans, permanent residents and expatriates who reside in Singapore had qualified to compete in the Games. From 1 to 9 September, we saw more than 5,000 community athletes competing in the SNG.

Annex D: Fact Sheet on Clusters and Teams

The Singapore National Games saw more than 5,000 community athletes from 15 clusters competing across 10 sports from 1 to 9 September 2012. Each cluster was led by the respective Head of Delegation.