Pillars Of Community Sports Recognised

08 JUN 2010

Pillars Of Community Sports Recognised

26 Individuals, Coaches And Organisations Emerge Winners Of The POSB Everyday Champions For Sports Award 2010

Singapore, 8 June 2010 - More Singaporeans are stepping up to the plate, not only to embrace a sporting lifestyle themselves, but also to encourage others to be sporty. This evening, exemplary individuals and organisations who take the lead in promoting sports were honoured as winners of the POSB Everyday Champions for Sports Award 2010.

  1. A total of 26 individuals, coaches and organisations received the award from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Mr Teo Chee Hean at a ceremony held at the Singapore Marriott Hotel. The award is Singapore’s top sports inspiration accolade, recognising those who nurture a sporting culture among Singaporeans. The initiative is organised by the Singapore Sports Council and title sponsored by POSB.

  2. “The POSB Everyday Champions for Sports Award is unique. It recognises those who champion sports involvement. The Award is an endorsement of their selfless efforts to shape a sporting culture,” said DPM Teo. “Our Award winners do not seek the glory of winning. They are literally everyday heroes who find joy and fulfilment in spreading their passion for sports and in touching the lives of people through sports.”

  3. DPM Teo cited the example of 47-year-old Gabriel Rao who, after becoming operations manager of a secondary school, set out to form a handball team. He chose boys with disciplinary problems - truants, street fighters and rioters. Through sports, Gabriel instilled discipline and self-esteem in the boys, keeping them away from wayward activities and coaching them to excel in education and sports.

  4. Another winner, 52 year-old Ting Chung Hua, is a Chinese championing a sport played largely by the Malays. In his Pasir Ris neighbourhood, he is either cheering on his teams or recruiting players. He provides equipment, meals and transport, often digging into his own pocket. “Chung Hua is living proof that sport has the power to bridge cultural and ethnic divides. Sport can enable the community to forge common bonds through shared experiences, regardless of race, beliefs and background,” added DPM Teo.

  5. From the coaches’ category, 46-year-old Scott Ng Kim Hwa, spends up to 10 hours each week coaching his team pro bono. The Vice-Chairman of Paya Lebar Constituency Sports Club also believes in building personal relationships with every single one of the 80 active members in his dragonboat club. From sending motivational emails to providing jerseys, Scott sees to every detail to show that he cares for his team’s well-being.

  6. On the organisations front, Tan Tock Seng Hospital was among the winners. New employees are eased through a ‘Learn-A-Sport’ programme, while there are monthly walking adventures to places of interest for all to participate. Staff are encouraged to improve their health, relieve stress levels, and foster inter department bonding through a whole range of activities.

  7. Commenting on the winners, SSC CEO Mr Oon Jin Teik said, “The nine individuals, nine coaches and eight organisations who have won the POSB Everyday Champions for Sports Award 2010 represent what’s best about humanity - our inherent willingness to lend a helping hand to someone in need. They choose sports to make lives better, happier and more fulfilled. The joy and satisfaction of enriching someone else’s life with a sporting experience is all the reward that they need, and the awards is our small way of saying thank you.”

  8. Mr Rajan Raju, Group Executive of Consumer Banking Group, DBS Bank, said “This award recognises the ordinary man in the street, and this resonates well with POSB as we are still affectionately known as Singaporeans’ people’s bank. These winners are our community role models who serve as an inspiration to all Singaporeans. By honouring their contributions, we hope to encourage more of our POSB customers and the public to be more active in sports.”

Winners will each receive a trophy, a certificate and tickets to watch the inaugural Youth Olympic Games with their friends or loved ones.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Connie Ong
The Advocate Group
Office: 6278 7022
Email: connie@theadvocategroup.com.sg

Dominic Tay
Assistant Director
Media and Public Relations
Singapore Sports Council
Office: 6500 5247
Email: dominic_tay@ssc.gov.sg

About 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

About “Let’s Play”
Let’s Play is a nation-wide movement by the Singapore Sports Council to encourage everyone in Singapore to embrace sports as a lifestyle choice. Sports, while also fun, offers health and social benefits. Let’s Play seeks to connect, energise and enrich everyone from all walks of life through the many aspects of sports, be it playing, watching, cheering or volunteering. For more information on Let’s Play, please visit www.singaporesports.sg.

About POSB
A part of the DBS Group, POSB is the largest local bank in Singapore with 4 million customers. Having served generations of Singaporeans for the past 132 years, it is known as the “People’s Bank”, and prides itself in being “neighbours first, bankers second”. With a good understanding of Singaporeans through the years, POSB offers products and services that are relevant to the savings, borrowing, investment and insurance needs of all Singaporeans. With 52 branches conveniently located islandwide, and close to 1,000 ATMs and Cash Acceptance Machines across the island, POSB?s distribution network is the largest in Singapore.

POSB acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in each of its staff. For more information, please visit www.posb.com.sg.