Largest Number of Volunteers Honoured at Team Nila Awards 2026; New Plans to Engage More Volunteers

(From left) Ms Eline Chua, Deputy Chief, ActiveSG, Sport Singapore; Mr Alan Goh, CEO, Sport Singapore; Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Senior Minister of State for Education; and Mr Tan Hock Leong, Chief, ActiveSG, Sport Singapore with Team Nila volunteers and guests at the 2026 Team Nila Awards. (Photo credit: Sport Singapore)

Singapore, 28 March 2026 – Team Nila, Singapore’s national sport volunteerism movement, honoured 633 volunteers at the 2026 Team Nila Awards today – the largest group since the awards began in 2021. A new category, the Team Nila Volunteer Leader Award, was also introduced and presented to three recipients to acknowledge their exceptional contribution in guiding, supporting, and uplifting others.

The annual awards ceremony was attended by Mr. David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Senior Minister of State for Education, who presented the volunteers with certificates for their exceptional commitment.

Team Nila volunteers were given a teaser of new and enhanced initiatives planned for the coming year, designed to further grow and engage the volunteer community while building their capabilities in preparation for the 2029 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and ASEAN Para Games. These include the rollout of ‘Team Nila on the Move’ – a recruitment and engagement initiative that will see Team Nila going to sport centres, community events and schools to share more about the volunteerism movement, and how it serves as a key pillar that drives Singapore’s sporting efforts. These initiatives aim to inspire more to join Team Nila and experience the rewarding journey of sport volunteering.

Award Recipients Embody Spirit of Sport Volunteerism

The annual Team Nila Awards is a platform that acknowledges dependable service, celebrates standout contributions and reinforces pride in the Team Nila identity. The 633 award recipients across Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories^[1] represent almost a 50% increase from 2025 and demonstrate the growing commitment from a volunteer force that continues to support Singapore’s sporting ecosystem. Collectively, these volunteers contributed more than 220,000 volunteering hours in 2025.

Mr Tan Hock Leong, Chief, ActiveSG, Sport Singapore, said, “The Awards is more than a celebration. It reflects how far the sport volunteerism movement has grown, and the role volunteers play in powering a thriving sport ecosystem in Singapore. We are committed to keeping volunteers connected and supported over the long term, through more community-building opportunities and pathways to grow skills and leadership. This will strengthen Team Nila’s readiness as we ramp up towards the 2029 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games Singapore 2029.”

Most of the awardees played vital roles in several key sporting events during Singapore’s milestone SG60 year including the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, Toyota World Para Swimming Championships 2025, HSBC SVNS and Singlife Nations Cup. Team Nila volunteers took on important support roles in areas such as event operations, accreditation, liaison officers, Team Nila Beats and chaperons for Little Team Nila volunteers as they cheered on Team Singapore athletes.

2026 also marks the debut of the Team Nila Volunteer Leader award that recognises leaders who stepped up to take on more significant roles. Nominated by their peers, these Team Nila Volunteer Leaders displayed exemplary behaviour that inspires others, demonstrated a genuine passion for service and the ability to rally their peers.

One such recipient is Ms Patricia Teo, who is also a Gold award recipient. With more than 10 years of volunteering experience with Team Nila, she led a team at the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships in 2025, helping to rally and inspire fellow volunteers while also learning to adapt when working with volunteers with disabilities. She also demonstrated her leadership abilities through other major events in 2025, including serving as second Group-in-Charge during Team Nila’s trip to the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand to support Team Singapore athletes.

New Opportunities for Growth, Engagement and Development

This year, Team Nila will be introducing new initiatives to support its more than 60,000-strong volunteer base by providing more opportunities for volunteers to bond and build their capabilities, and further grow the number of volunteers.

Underpinned by three pillars – ‘Play More’, ‘Support More’ and ‘Jio^[2] More’ – these efforts aim to deepen the public’s understanding of Team Nila, and broaden the various opportunities for individuals to grow their love for sport while contributing to Singapore’s sporting landscape.

‘Play More’ will create more opportunities for volunteers to come together and grow as a Team Nila community, such as through quarterly sports days and more training workshops in first aid, refereeing, sport announcing and leadership.

‘Support More’ will see the introduction of a brand new ‘Home of Team Nila’, a home ground where volunteers can come together casually and regularly to meet, support and bounce ideas off each other, or simply enjoy and appreciate the distinctive Team Nila identity.

‘Jio More’ will be anchored by ‘Team Nila on the Move’, an outreach effort designed to share more about what Team Nila does. Planned to be held across ActiveSG Sport Centres, community events and schools throughout 2026, these events will see Team Nila volunteers and representatives conducting sharing sessions and speaking with potential volunteers interested in joining the sport volunteerism movement. Engagements in schools will target children between the ages of five and 12, with the goal of growing the Little Team Nila programme and nurturing a passion for sport and volunteerism from an early age.

More details on these efforts will be progressively shared throughout the year

For more information on Team Nila, please visit www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/team-nila. Those interested to be a part of Team Nila can visit www.activesgcircle.gov.sg/team-nila/volunteer to sign up.

^[1]  Awards criteria – Gold: 360 hours, Silver: 180 hours, Bronze: 90 hours or more

^[2] A Singaporean colloquialism for the word ‘invite’.