Team Singapore Athletes Recognised For Outstanding Achievements at 24th SEA Games MAP Award
Team Singapore Athletes Recognised For Outstanding Achievements at 24th SEA Games MAP Award
Singapore, 31 January 2008 - Athletes, coaches, officials, partners and sponsors came together this evening for the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP) and Team Singapore (TS) Appreciation Dinner, held at St James Power House. The event was held in recognition of Team Singapore’s best gold medal showing in an away SEA Games and attaining the fifth position in medal standings, an improvement from the sixth placing in the 2005 Manila SEA Games.
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Gold medalists from 11 sports were rewarded with cash awards in recognition for their exceptional performance at the Games. Guest-of-Honour Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), presented a total of $520,000 in cash awards at the event.
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At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand from 1-15 December 2007, Singapore garnered a total of 127 medals (43 gold, 43 silver and 41 bronze). At the same time, Team Singapore also broke a total of four Games records and twelve national records in Thailand.
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“Youth athletes were key contributors to the medal tally, with 47 out of the 78 athletes aged 18 years old and below bringing home a medal from the Games. I encourage our young athletes to start preparing now for the Youth Olympic Games. I also urge the NSAs and the Sports School to work together with the Singapore Sports Council to schedule our young athletes for regular competitions at high quality meets so as to raise the standards of our young athletes and help them to qualify for the Youth Olympics. With our collective effort, winning our first Olympic Youth medal may not be just a dream,” said Minister Teo.
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“Our athletes in Thailand managed a very handsome haul of 43 gold medals. This stands today as our best gold medal showing in an away SEA Games. My congratulations to the Chef de Mission and his team of athletes and officials.” he added.
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At the event, appreciation plaques were given out to sponsors and supporters of Team Singapore to thank them for their unstinting support during the 24th SEA Games. They included Singapore Totalisator Board, Singapore Pools Pte Ltd, Yonex-Sunrise, NTUC Fairprice and Nestle Singapore Pte Ltd.
Team Singapore Sports Idols 2007 Unveiled
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The top 21 Team Singapore Sports Idol 2007 were also unveiled this evening as part of the MAP Award Presentation and Team Singapore Appreciation Dinner. The campaign, which started in September 2007 saw some 400 Team Singapore athletes vying for the top honours. During the two-month long campaign, Singaporeans voted for their favourite sports personalities via sms and the website. Over 150,000 votes were received.
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Held biennially, the Team Singapore Sports Idols contest aims to raise the awareness of Team Singapore and rally Singaporeans to support them at major games. Making it to the Top 21 Sports Idols list includes MAP Award recipients such as Li Jiawei, Bryan Tay, Mok Ying Ren, Sarah Ng, Remy Ong and Roy Tay.
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For more information on Team Singapore at the 24th SEA Games, please refer to www.teamsingapore.com.sg.
Enclosures
Speech by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence & President of SNOC
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Hazwani Hasni
Executive, Group Communications
Singapore Sports Council
DID: 6500 5246
HP: 9272 0112
E-mail: hazwani_hasni@ssc.gov.sg
Ms Gayle Wong
Assistant Director, Group Communications
Singapore Sports Council
DID: 6500 5162
HP: 9753 3273
E-mail: gayle_wong@ssc.gov.sg
About 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 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. 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, 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.
About Team Singapore
Team Singapore is a concept mooted by Ministry of Community Development and Sports and launched by Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Tony Tan on April 20, 2001. At the heart of Team Singapore lies three core values: Fighting Spirit, National Pride and Teamwork. Team Singapore is an approach that is taken to make sports a winner in Singapore. While Sporting Singapore is the vision, Team Singapore is the way to get there. Team Singapore is about Singaporeans striving together for sporting excellence for Singapore. At the core of Team Singapore is the notion that by working together, the whole can be much greater than the sum of its parts. Team Singapore is a collaborative effort of all stakeholders/agencies represented by six key groups of public; namely, the athletes, officials and coaches, families & friends, corporations and members of the media. More information about Team Singapore can be found at www.teamsingapore.com.sg