National Athletes To Take The Singapore Spirit To The Games

29 SEP 2011

National Athletes To Take The Singapore Spirit To The Games

The SSC Partners NTUC FairPrice to Launch Nationwide Well-Wishing Campaign for Team Singapore

Singapore, 29 September 2011 - The Singapore Sports Council (SSC), in partnership with NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice), has launched a drive to gather well-wishes for Team Singapore by getting the public to share their everyday stories of determination, perseverance and grit. Singaporeans can dedicate the values they feel best represent the Singapore Spirit for the athletes to take to the 26th Southeast Asian Games and the 6th ASEAN Para Games happening in Indonesia this November and December respectively.

  1. Madam Halimah Yacob, Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports who graced the event at FairPrice Xtra @ nex was the first to pen her well-wish, by pledging the value of “Dedication” for Team Singapore to take to the Games. She was joined by Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer, SSC; Mr Gerry Lee, Managing Director (Business Groups), NTUC FairPrice; Mr Ee Tiang Hwee, Chef-de-Mission for the 6th ASEAN Para Games and Mr Antony Lee, Assistant Chef-de-Mission for Team Singapore at the 26th SEA Games. Team Singapore athletes - New Hui Fen (Bowling), Mohammad Afiq Yunos (Football), Lim Heem Wei (Gymnastics), Mohammad Shakir Juanda (Silat) and Mohammad Firdaus Nordin (Wheelchair Racing), were also present at the event.

  2. The SSC hopes that the well-wishes will capture the essence of the Singapore Spirit as told through the stories of every day Singaporeans. “It is our turn to be a source of inspiration for Team Singapore. We want Singaporeans to share their stories, so that our athletes can take the values and fighting spirit of every Singaporean with them to the Games,” said Mr Lim Teck Yin, CEO, SSC. “Our cheers and wishes serve as a reminder that they have the support of the nation behind them. They know that they are not alone in their fight to the podium.”

  3. Continuing its firm support for Team Singapore and the Sporting Singapore, FairPrice has joined SSC in partnership to help Singaporeans dedicate the values which they feel are most representative of the Singapore Spirit on well-wishing cards, made available at 64 selected FairPrice outlets across the island, from 29 September to 22 December 2011.

  4. “FairPrice believes in the ability of sports to strengthen community bonds. As a social enterprise, we are committed to fostering community bonding and we are proud once again to support our athletes by helping to raise awareness, and bring Singaporeans together to root for Team Singapore in the upcoming Games. Let us all do our part as Singaporeans to wish our team well and cheer them on,” said Mr Gerry Lee, Managing Director (Business Groups), NTUC FairPrice.

  5. Over the years, FairPrice and FairPrice Foundation has been supportive of various sports related initiatives. This includes FairPrice Foundation’s sports scholarships for medalists of the Asian Youth Games in 2009 and Youth Olympic Games in 2010 where over $100,000 and $150,000 were donated respectively. In 2010, Cheers, FairPrice’s convenience arm, also organised a massive cheer event to rally support for our youth athletes prior to the Youth Olympic Games last year as well.

  6. Members of the public are also encouraged to send in their well-wishes and share their stories online via Facebook (www.facebook.com/TeamSG) and the Team Singapore website (www.teamsingapore.sg) during the same period.

  7. In addition, a well-wishing showcase in the form of a 3D stadium will be erected outside Mandarin Gallery from 24 October to 6 November 2011, where Singaporeans will be able to wish Team Singapore well before they head off to the Games.

A Chance to Win Team Singapore & FairPrice Prizes

  1. The SSC is also giving away three pairs of “I Love Team Singapore” travel packages to watch Team Singapore live in action at the 26th SEA Games this November. Singaporeans can stand a chance to win these packages by pledging their support through sending in their well-wishes at any of the selected 64 FairPrice outlets and on the Team Singapore Facebook and website. Alternatively, they can also display car decals that will be given away at all FairPrice Xpress and Cheers outlets at Esso petrol stations. Winners will be selected on 17 October, 23 October, and 28 October.

  2. Moreover, Singaporeans who submit well-wishes at the four weekend road shows at FairPrice Xtra stores throughout October beginning with Jurong Point (1 & 2 Oct), Ang Mo Kio Hub (8 & 9 Oct), Hougang Point (15 & 16 Oct) and nex Mall (22 & 23 Oct) will stand a chance to win NTUC FairPrice vouchers and Team Singapore merchandise. All road shows will be happening from 11am to 8pm.

  3. Team Singapore is sending a contingent of more than 400 athletes competing in 37 sports at the 26th SEA Games, held from 11 to 22 November 2011 in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia. The 6th ASEAN Para Games held in Solo, Indonesia from 12 to 22 December 2011 will see 36 Team Singapore athletes competing in four sports.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Lin Kuek
Hill & Knowlton (SEA) Pte Ltd
Email: lin.kuek@hillandknowlton.com.sg

Patricia Yee
Executive, Media Relations
Singapore Sports Council
Email: patricia_yee@ssc.gov.sg

About the Singapore Sports Council
Formed in 1973, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation. The SSC creates opportunities for people to excel in sports; opportunities for people to be engaged in sports as, coaches, officials, volunteers or fans; and opportunities for people to do business in sports as sponsors and investors. The SSC has changed the way Singaporeans view and participate in sports. Through sports, we now have an enhanced national identity thanks to our sports participation programmes; greater national pride as a result of high performance results at international and regional games; and more diversified economic stability through our vibrant sports industry initiatives.

To find out more, visit our website www.sportsingapore.gov.sg
Join SSC on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/singaporesports
Join Singaporesports.sg on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/livebetterthroughsport
For a range of photographs, search for “Singapore Sports Council” on www.flickr.com/photos/ssc-sportsphotography

Under a new initiative called Vision 2030, SSC and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports are engaging people from all walks of life, the business community and the public sector to explore and develop proposals on how sport can best serve Singapore’s future needs. Vision 2030 will look at how sport can be used as strategy to develop individuals, our communities, our economy and our nation. Members of the public who wish to share ideas, experience and information are invited to post on the official website Vision2030.sg.

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, and 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.sg and www.facebook.com/TeamSG.

About NTUC FairPrice
NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd was founded by the labour movement in 1973, with a social mission to moderate the cost of living in Singapore. From one supermarket, it has grown to become Singapore’s largest retailer serving over 350,000 shoppers daily, with a network of more than 250 outlets, comprising FairPrice supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Xpress and Cheers convenience stores. NTUC FairPrice also owns a Fresh Food Distribution Centre and a centralised warehousing and distribution company.

Today, with its multiple retail formats serving the varied needs and interests of people from all walks of life, NTUC FairPrice has kept pace with the changing needs of its customers while remaining committed to its social mission and its aspiration to be Singapore’s leading world-class retailer with a heart. For more information on NTUC FairPrice, visit www.fairprice.com.sg.

About NTUC FairPrice Foundation
NTUC FairPrice cares about our customers and the community. It is committed to donate $50 million by 2018 to NTUC FairPrice Foundation to help achieve its goal. NTUC FairPrice Foundation, a registered charity completely funded by NTUC FairPrice, upholds its mission to “Provide a Better Life for the Community”. NTUC FairPrice Foundation focuses its giving on three strategic thrusts - the poor and needy, nation building and community bonding, and advancing workers’ welfare. Since inception in March 2008, the Foundation has donated over $28 million in cash and gifts-in-kind to various causes. For more information on NTUC FairPrice Foundation, please visit www.fairpricefoundation.org.