Game On For Team Singapore At The 25th SEA Games

Game On For Team Singapore At The 25th SEA Games

National Well-wishing Campaign Evolved to Lend Heightened Support to Team Singapore

Singapore, 9 November 2009 - Team Singapore is all set to fly the Singapore flag high at the 25th South-east Asian (SEA) Games, which will be held in Vientiane, Laos, from 9 to 18 December 2009. Singapore will be fielding a contingent of 195 athletes, who will be taking part in 18 sports at the Games.

2. Experienced sports figure Mrs Jessie Phua, committee member of the Singapore National Olympic Council and President of the Singapore Bowling, will be leading the Team Singapore contingent as the Chef de Mission. She will be assisted by Assistant Chef de Mission Mr Antony Lee, who is also Director (Projects), Singapore National Olympic Council.

3. Guest-of-Honour Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) officially presented the flags to the contingent's flag-bearer, shooter Ong Jun Hong, at the official Flag Presentation Ceremony that was held this evening at the Nanyang Polytechnic. Swimmer Quah Ting Wen then led the contingent in the pledge-taking ceremony. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, was also present to witness the ceremony.

4. "Every athlete who takes part in the Games is competing not just for himself or herself, but for Singapore, and for all those who have helped him or her to get this far. Every athlete is competing not just against the other athletes in the field, but also to better his or her previous best performance. So go out there, do your best, for yourself, all those who have supported and helped you, and also for our country, Singapore," said DPM Teo.

5. Once again, the Team Singapore contingent will feature athletes who will be making their major Games debut. Sports such as Silat, Waterpolo and Wushu are taking the opportunity to inject new blood into their squad for the upcoming Games. Chef de Mission Jessie Phua said, "The SEA Games is a good platform for our young emerging athletes to gain valuable competitive experience and earn their sporting stripes. It is an important first step for them in their development, and we hope they can build on this experience to move ahead and achieve greater success at the Asian and Olympic levels. I am confident that Team Singapore will, once again, give their all and put in their best performance in Laos come December."

An Evolved Campaign for Singapore to Rally In Support of Team Singapore at the 25th SEA Games

6. The event also saw the official launch of the Team Singapore 25th SEA Games Well-wishing Campaign. Deputy Prime Minister Teo became the first Singaporean to register his well-wishes for the contingent via SMS. The campaign centers on the abbreviation 'L.I.V.E.', underscoring the meaning and power of cheers for Team Singapore athletes - 'Lift their Spirit', 'Inspire their Dreams', 'Voice your Support' and 'Encourage them Today'.

7. Evolving from the previous well-wishing campaign approach, the new campaign leverages primarily on new media, allowing Singaporeans to conveniently submit their well-wishes through three avenues: via SMS, online, or simply look out for the Team Singapore Well-wishing Road Shows and get their wishes recorded on the spot.

8. The campaign also features a new and exciting dimension: Singaporeans can now keep track of where the well-wishes are coming from, through the map of Singapore on the Team Singapore website. The map, which is divided into four zones, will reflect the number of well-wishes the residents of those zones have submitted to cheer on Team Singapore. Supporters submitting their well-wishes online or via SMS will stand a chance to win a pair of Support Team Singapore in Laos Package, worth about $2,500, to support Team Singapore 'live' at the 25th SEA Games.

9. The Team Singapore Well-wishing Road Shows will be held at various locations across the island, including Raffles City and Junction 8 over four weekends starting from Friday, 13 November. Supporters will have the chance to record their messages of encouragement and support on video with the help of the Young Team Singapore Ambassadors. The videos will then be uploaded onto the Team Singapore website.

10. The campaign, which will run from 9 November to 18 December, aims to gather at least 100,000 messages in support of Team Singapore.

11. For more information on Team Singapore at the 25th SEA Games and the Team Singapore Well-wishing Campaign, please visit www.teamsingapore.com.sg

Annex
Annex A: Speech by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council
Annex B: Team Singapore Contingent List
Annex C: Flag Bearer and Pledge Taker Profiles
Annex D: Well-Wishing Campaign Fact Sheet
Annex E: Schedule of Team Singapore Well Wishing Campaign Roadshows

About the Singapore National Olympic Council
The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) is the national nonprofit organisation that coordinates the selection of Singaporean athletes for competition at the major games such as the Olympics, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the South East Asian Games. Singapore's involvement in the Games is resolutely anchored in the Olympic ideals that were first espoused by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, in 1894. For more information, please visit www.snoc.org.sg.

About Team Singapore
Originally mooted by the then-Ministry of Community Development and Sports, Team Singapore was launched on 20 April 2001 by then-Deputy Prime Minister Dr Tony Tan, Team Singapore is the united identity of elite athletes, coaches and officials from Singapore that represents the country in major multi-sport Games and identified international competitions.

The three core attributes of Pride, Performance and Perseverance anchor that which is the collective Team Singapore. Underscoring the traits of a winning team, these attributes are the important elements of sportsmanship and excellence that propel the nation forward to succeed on the world's sporting stage.

Team Singapore inspires our nation's athletic talents to continually evolve the level of elite sports in Singapore, while galvanising and connecting the community in support of their sporting endeavours.

For further information, please visit www.teamsingapore.com.sg.

About Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is Singapore's lead agency tasked with developing sports in Singapore. Our vision is to create a Sporting Singapore where Sports is a way of life. The SSC aims to develop sports champions and create enjoyable sporting experiences for Singapore through the three strategic thrusts of cultivating a sporting culture, achieving sports excellence and creating a vibrant sports industry. Formed on 1 October 1973, the SSC is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Please visit the SSC website at www.ssc.gov.sg for more information.