Call For Singaporeans To Go Red In Support Of National Athletes

Call For Singaporeans To Go Red In Support Of National Athletes

Giordano the first to say "I AM RED" with the launch of limited edition Team Singapore tees

Singapore, 27 November 2013 - An "I AM RED" drive to encourage Singaporeans to wear their support for our national athletes kicked off today, with Giordano dressing its 8,000 square metres Suntec City flagship store in red merchandise - including a brand new collection of limited edition Giordano X Team Singapore tees.

2. "I AM RED" delivers a simple and clear message that public support is paramount in spurring our athletes on. It seeks to unify Team Singapore - be it athletes, coaches, officials or supporters - through the act of wearing red. The launch of an apparel range provides the opportunity for Team Singapore to further strengthen its united identity, and for Singaporeans to express their support for our national athletes more explicitly. Starting today, Singaporeans will also be able to pledge their support by declaring "I AM RED" with their Facebook profiles.

3. The limited edition Giordano X Team Singapore tees retail at S$19 each, and will hit 20 Giordano outlets from 27 November 2013 to 22 December 2013. The collection includes eight designs for the adult range and four for the junior range.

4. In true sporting spirit, four Team Singapore athletes, namely Olympic gymnast Lim Heem Wei; Paralympic swimmer Yip Pin Xiu; netballer Shelby Koh; and basketballer Michael Wong took to the catwalk to present the collection today. The athletes then paired up and went head-to-head to promote the "I AM RED" drive and limited edition Team Singapore tees to shoppers at the Giordano flagship store.

5. Netballer Shelby Koh, who paired up with gymnast Lim Heem Wei in the friendly challenge, commented on her stint: "It is fun to be able to do something like this once in a while, outside of training and competitions. It was a chance for me and likewise, the other athletes to meet and bond with some of our supporters. Donning the national colours during competitions motivates us to strive for the best for Singapore, so I believe getting others to also wear red will heighten spirits and give us that extra boost of confidence."

6. Mr Toh Boon Yi, Chief of Strategic Development and Marketing Group, SSC also added that he hopes for more companies to go red, especially as Singapore gears up to host the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. He said: "'I AM RED' is a movement we hope to build that will encourage Singaporeans to wear red whenever our national athletes compete on the world stage. It is a simple gesture that will go a long way in building solidarity and giving our athletes that extra boost to excel at major sports competitions. Singaporeans can buy the specially designed red tee that we are launching today with Giordano and don it whenever we make a clarion call to support our athletes. We are very happy that Giordano is backing this initiative and we hope that more companies will come on board too to show their support."

Giordano supports SportCares

7. As part of the collaboration, Giordano is donating 3% of proceeds from every tee sold to the SportCares Foundation. The foundation, which was rolled out as part of Vision 2030: Live Better through Sports, activates sport as a force for social good by linking needy beneficiaries, passionate volunteers and community-spirited donors through great sports programming to improve lives. One of its many initiatives includes partnering grassroots to change lives of vulnerable, underprivileged and at-risk youths through sports clinics.

8. Summing up the Giordano's support for Team Singapore and sports for the greater good, Mr Patrick Yeo, Director of South East Asia Operations, said: "Giordano is thrilled about this first ever sports collaboration with SSC. We would like to pledge our support for Team Singapore on their journey to bring glory to our nation through the launch of 'I AM RED' range of limited edition tees and our contribution to the SportCares Foundation. We would hence like to urge all Singaporeans to buy one of these tees and join us in creating a red wave of support for Team Singapore."