NILA Sets Record Ahead of the 28th SEA Games

NILA Sets Record Ahead of the 28th SEA Games

With 29 days to go till the 28th Southeast Asian Games, the Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) today made it into the Singapore Book of Records (SBOR) with a display of 4,739 NILA plush toys.

NILA, the official mascot of the 28th SEA Games was present to receive the SBOR certificate for “The Largest Display of Handmade Plush Toys” on behalf of SINGSOC and the volunteers involved in the making of the NILA plush toys. The certificate presentation event saw representatives from SBOR; Chief, Community and Corporate Outreach, SINGSOC, Mr Toh Boon Yi; designer of the original NILA, Ms Beatrice Cho; and members of the public who were involved in the Make-a-NILA initiative, coming together for a celebration of this momentous occasion.

Mr Toh said, “We are very heartened by the overwhelming response from the community to the Make-a-NILA initiative. A medallist receiving personalised mascots made by the community is possibly a first at any major Games, and since it is Singapore’s turn to host the Games, we wanted our community to be meaningfully involved in as many ways as they can. Over the past six months, people from all walks of life have come together to show support for the Games. The milestone today is only made possible because of all who have put in time and effort to make this SEA Games a memorable one for the athletes. We are also grateful for the support by NTUC Fairprice for coming onboard as the presenting sponsor for this programme.”

The Make-a-NILA campaign, launched in November last year, has seen people from across Singapore contribute to the Games, and specifically the Victory Ceremony in a meaningful way. Over the past six months, people from different pockets of the community have designed, sewn and personalised NILA plush toys, which will be presented to winning athletes on the podium, along with the victory medals. Each participant who makes a NILA may even have the chance of being part of the victory ceremonies at the Games by presenting his or her creation to a winning athlete.

“I’m counting down to the SEA Games, especially to watch the swimming competition to support my favourite swimmer, Joseph Schooling. I’ve made a NILA for him and hope to be able to pass it to him when he wins,” said Abdul Martin, student of Siglap Secondary School, who participated in the Make-a-NILA campaign.

Aside, 50 NILA plush toys specially designed by celebrities, personalities, athletes and even members of the public have also been selected to be part of a showcase to be exhibited. The roving showcase will travel to malls and the Sports Hub for public viewing. Members of the public can also stand a chance to win exclusive SEA Games memorabilia by taking a photo with their favourite NILA displayed in the showcase and posting it on Instagram with the hashtags #makeanila, #seagames2015 and #SportsHubGetsRedy.