Launch of the 2014 Singapore Sports Institute Annual Symposium

Launch of the 2014 Singapore Sports Institute Annual Symposium

1. Good morning. On behalf of Sport Singapore it’s my pleasure to bid you a warm welcome to all our delegates, speakers and participants to the 2014 Singapore Sports Institute Annual Symposium.

2. Each year, one of our objectives of this symposium is to grow in relevance and reputation. Enthusiasm in the industry is starting to grow and industry practitioners are looking to be involved. I am delighted to see the symposium grow since its inaugural edition in 2012.

3. The theme for this year’s symposium is “New Frontiers in Elite Sports Performance”.

4. In many ways, the theme captures clearly what most of us in this room are striving for in our respective areas of expertise. We are all constantly searching for the new frontier in sports science and medicine, trying to give our athletes that additional boost, that extra push to reach the top of their sport.

5. We are searching for innovation, not just in the areas of science and technology, but also in our mindsets, in how we think about elite sports.

6. The area of sports science is a vibrant one these days for all of us. And forums such as these are useful in that respect as we catch up with global trends and innovations, while reinforcing our ties with our partners.

7. For the first time at our symposium, we have speakers here who are experts in fields from outside the traditional domains of sport. These are not just sports science and medicine practitioners but also multi-disciplinary domain experts.

8. For example, we have an expert in material engineering, which is traditionally confined to the automotive and aerospace industries.

9. For the first time too, we will be having a Science & Technology Innovation Exhibition being held alongside the symposium which will showcase the latest sports science, medicine and technological innovations.

10. This is an exciting time for the Singapore Sports Institute or the SSI. We have just moved to our new premises within the Singapore Sports Hub and are gearing up to host the 28th SEA Games next June.

11. In fact, it’s been a busy year for the SSI since our last symposium last year. They have provided support for our athletes at several Major Games, including the Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympic Games and Asian Games this year.

12. The SSI has also launched the Singapore Sports Excellence Scholarship or Spex Scholarship, funding full-time athletes in Team Singapore. We have about 60 athlete scholars in our first year and will be introducing a second batch of scholars early next month.

13. Earlier this year, the SSI has also launched an academic scholarship as well as a grant to fund research and development projects.

14. In a few moments, we will be hearing from our keynote speaker, Dr. Iñigo Mujika. It is an absolute privilege that Dr Mujika is able to join us for the symposium. He’s an expert in the area of applied sports science and has done research and worked with professional teams and athletes in sports from cycling, swimming, running, rowing, tennis, football and water polo.

15. Apart from speaking at the symposium, he is also taking time off his busy schedule to consult with our coaching department and conducting workshops with our High Performance staff and scientists for the rest of this week.

16. In closing, I would like to express our appreciation to everyone for taking your time to share your knowledge and expertise, and to the organising committee for your hard work to make this symposium possible.

17. Have a great symposium and stay in Singapore.