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In a few weeks, our athletes will be doing battle in the Asian sporting arena. 134 athletes will be in Doha from 1 to 15 December for the 15th Asian Games while another 39 athletes will be in Kuala Lumpur from 25 November to 1 December for the 9th Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, also known as the FESPIC Games.
The FESPIC Games will be renamed the “Asian Para Games” and will be incorporated into the Asian Games in 2010. |
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| 2. |
Four years have passed since the last Asian Games in Busan in 2002 where we had our best ever performance at an Asian Games winning 5 gold, 2 silver and 10 bronze medals.
In gold medals we equaled our previous best record of 5 gold medals achieved at the 1st Asian Games in New Delhi. |
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| 3. |
We competed in Busan with 92 athletes in 13 disciplines.
In Doha we will be represented by 134 athletes in 16 disciplines, namely; fencing, golf, gymnastics, karate, football, swimming, athletics, badminton, table tennis, bowling, rowing, bodybuilding, cuesports, sailing, shooting and wushu.
We competed in 11 of these disciplines in the Busan Games 2002. This time, not only has the number of athletes and disciplines we are competing in increased, support for the athletes has also gone up with more secretariat support, sports medicine sports science staff as well as Team Singapore supporters.
In all, we are sending a 215 strong team of athletes and officials to this year’s Asian Games – the largest contingent by far that Singapore has ever sent to the Asian Games. |
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It is perhaps appropriate for me to also add here that while we have achieved improved medal performances at the recent South East Asia Games and have recorded consistently better performance at the last Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, our aspiration is to win medals at the highest level – the Olympic Games.
We have come close in both Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, but have not yet been able to win an Olympic Medal since Tan Howe Liang’s silver medal in the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. |
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We need to see how to help our athletes who have the best potential to reach beyond the Commonwealth and Asian Games; how to help them develop that extra spurt.
This will not be easy.
The number of athletes who can make it is very small.
The standard of competition and the performance needed is much higher when we try to attain this next level.
We need to learn what needs to be done to reach this apex.
Towards this objective the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports, the Singapore National Olympic Council and the Singapore Sports Council will be working together to see how we can provide our top athletes with the best possible chances of doing well in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
It may require us to hothouse them, and give them customized and enhanced support like many other countries are already doing.
We cannot be sure of success, but we intend to learn from this process.
By then, many of our key infrastructure and systems would already have been in place to enable us to make a sustained push and ensure that it is not a one-off fluke.
If we succeed in 2008 or 2012, it will be cause for joyous celebration. If not, we will learn from our mistakes and look towards the subsequent Olympic Games to make our mark. |
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While the Asian Games athletes have overcome demanding trials to earn their place in Doha, let us not forget another group of elite sportsmen and sportswomen who will be representing Singapore at the FESPIC Games, an equivalent to the Asian Games. |
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| 7. |
Singapore is sending a contingent of 39 athletes and 31 officials to participate in the 9th FESPIC Games held in Kuala Lumpur.
At this equally prominent international competition, our very own local athletes with disabilities such as wheelchair racer Mohd Firdaus Bin Nordin and swimmer Lim Keng Joo will compete against world record holders from all over the Asia Pacific and Oceania region. |
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| 8. |
At the last FESPIC Games in Busan 2002, the Singapore contingent which comprised 10 athletes and 7 officials participated in 2 sports: swimming and athletics and brought home 3 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.
This year, Singapore will be competing in six sports: lawn bowls, boccia, bowling, athletics, sailing and swimming.
The growth of disability sports has been encouraging and I am confident that all will do Singapore proud. |
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| 9. |
As you can see, come November and December, our athletes will be competing at different Games in the Asian sporting arena and we shall all stand under the Team Singapore flag to cheer our contingent to victory. |
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| 10. |
The support from our people is just as crucial as it gives our athletes that cutting edge when they fight the battle in the competition.
Singaporeans who are not able to travel to the Games venue to support our Team Singapore athletes can now show their support through other ways.
I am proud to announce that, for the first time, Singaporeans will be able to get SMS alerts on updates of both the Asian and FESPIC Games as they happen and have the opportunity to send their good wishes to the teams by SMS or MMS which will be flashed across the Team Singapore website.
Our athletes will be able to see the good wishes on the website and be encouraged to perform their best, knowing all Singaporeans are behind them, and cheering them on. |
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| 11. |
At this juncture I want to thank the sponsors of Team Singapore. |
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| 12. |
For the Doha Asian Games:
Our thanks go to The Singapore Totalisator Board; Singapore Pools, for sponsoring the team; Sunrise & Co. – for the team’s Yonex apparel; NTUC Fairprice for being our partner in sports; SingTel for sponsoring the SMS/MMS well-wishing campaign and Singapore Post who will issue special stamps of our medal-winning athletes. |
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| 13. |
For the Kuala Lumpur FESPIC Games:
we would like to thank JPMorgan Chase Bank, Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) and Lee Foundation for sponsoring the team; Adidas for sponsoring the team’s sports apparel and kits; Hivelocity for sports nutrition supplements, RISIS for the team’s gifts for the host country as well as Mr Hayden Ng for designing the new official attire for the FESPIC Games contingent. |
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We also want to thank the ITE College East, the principal, its staff and students for their support and in extending a helping hand to host and organize this Flag Presentation Ceremony on their premises. |
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| 15 |
15On this note, let me wish Chef-de-Mission Annabel Pennefather and the Team to the 15th Asian Games and Chef-de-Mission Nancy Chia and the Team to the 9th FESPIC Games the very best in their respective Games.
And to my fellow countrymen, I urge you to join me as we cheer on Team Singapore as they carry the Singapore flag high and proud. |
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| Let the games begin! |
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