Opening Remarks By Mr Lim Teck Yin at The Sports Science And Medicine Network

Opening Remarks By Mr Lim Teck Yin, CEO, Singapore Sports Council At The Sports Science And Medicine Network

OPENING REMARKS BY MR LIM TECK YIN, CEO, SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL AT THE SPORTS SCIENCE & MEDICINE NETWORK THURSDAY, 23 FEBRUARY 2012, 3.30PM AT SPEX HOUSE

Mr Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports

Mr Richard Seow, Chairman, Singapore Sports Council,

Mr TK Udairam, CEO, Changi General Hospital,

Dr Wong Moh Sim, Deputy Chairman Medical Board, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital,

Adjunct Assistant Professor Ganesan Naidu, Head of Orthopaedic Department, Tan Tock Seng Hopsital,

Dr Benedict Tan, Chairman, Olympic Pathways Programme, Sub-committee for Sports Science and Medicine,

Members of the media,

Good Afternoon.

1 The Singapore Sports Medicine Network is the first partnership to be announced under the Vision 2030 mantle. It is an important one for the Singapore Sports Institute and for the 1,152 carded National Team athletes who are the public faces of our sports excellence programme.

2 When we released the Vision 2030 preliminary recommendations on 13 Feb, we promised a seamless long-term athlete development (LTAD) pathway for competitive athletes. With its science-based LTAD programmes, the Singapore Sports Institute (SSI) is the best vehicle to drive performance enhancement throughout an athlete's competitive lifetime.

3 LTAD means more than providing increased opportunities to train and compete. It means better access to structured, customised development models. Models with the latest technologies and programmes to develop strength and conditioning, speed, agility, mental well-being of an athlete, to name only a few of the ingredients of an effective LTAD plan.

4 During training, for example, sports scientists and medicine specialists can monitor stamina levels and can change strategies as necessary to improve an athlete's chances of winning - at London 2012, Rio 2016 and beyond.

5 Sport is driven by heroes and icons. Through their triumphs, our athletes can inspire a love of country and bring families and communities closer together. With Vision 2030, we want to provide more opportunities for our athletes to scale new heights. We want to see a nation ignited and united through sport. Under the direction of SSI, we will ensure that our athletes are ready, in every sense of the word, when they carry our national flag in international competitions.

6 Through the SSI Sports Medicine Network, our athletes will be able to get urgent medical care, preemptive advice and necessary physiotherapy on a faster basis without sacrificing the quality of care. As the competitive bar is lifted higher, athletes will be under even more pressure to keep pace. Thus, to better serve the National Team athletes, we will be sharing knowledge and best practices with the private sector clinics operating out of the public hospitals.

7 The care that will be offered through the network sets an important precedent of how business can work with government to better serve our national interests.

8 On that note, I want to thank our new partners for joining forces with us to serve our national athletes:

• Changi General Hospital

• Khoo Teck Phuat Hospital

• Tan Tock Seng Hospital

9 Our partnership here today embodies SSI's commitment to provide a holistic development pathway for all our athletes. From our youth athletes to elite sport, and finally into retirement, the SSI has identified three strategic directions to ensure that our athletes can pursue their sporting aspiration in the most conducive environment. In a few moments, our Executive Director of SSI, Dr. Fabian Lim, will share with you a more detailed insight into these strategies.

10 I am confident that the Sports Medicine Network will improve and extend the competitive lives of our athletes.

The strategies mapped out by SSI over the next five years will certainly provide a more scientific approach to training and development and, with a little bit of luck, it will lead to more national records and podium finishes.

11 Thank you.