SINGAPORE - Athletes from road cycling, ice hockey, jiu-jitsu, softball and water polo in the high performance Under-18 category feature for the first time in this year's Singapore Olympic Foundation-Peter Lim Scholarship awards.
A total of 289 youth athletes from 32 sports will receive $825,000 this year, the SOF said on Wednesday (May 20).
There are four categories: Primary ($1,000), Secondary ($2,000), Tertiary ($3,000) and high performance U-18 ($5,000) and the money is used to cover school- and sports-related expenses.
Short track speed skater Xu Jing Feng, who won gold in the 3,000m men's relay at last year's SEA Games in the Philippines, said: "Last year, the funds helped defray my competition fees and equipment expenses which were necessary for my SEA Games preparations.
"This year, I'm planning to replace my skating boots which are coming apart after 4½ years, and hope to use the scholarship funds to cover the replacement."
For national footballer Putri Nur Syaliza, an eight-time recipient, the scholarship has been a big help. Her mother, who is a bus driver, is the sole breadwinner in her family of six as her father is unemployed because of health problems.
Putri, 17, said: "The scholarship has really helped me a lot over the years. It was very difficult for me when I needed the money to get good sports equipment."
The fund was started by Singaporean billionaire Lim in 2010 with a $10 million contribution. A total of 2,930 scholarships worth $8 million have been awarded to young athletes across 54 sports.
Past recipients include Olympic champion Joseph Schooling, who received the scholarship in 2012, while many others have gone on to represent the Republic at major competitions: 13 at the Olympics, Asian Games (77), Commonwealth Games (28) and SEA Games (146).
There will not be a physical ceremony this year to mark its 10th anniversary and the cash awards will be deposited directly in recipients' bank accounts. Their certificates will be sent after the circuit breaker measures are lifted.
Lim last year pledged another $10 million from 2021 to 2030 for the scholarship and also committed a separate $20 million to start a new community project focused on helping children from less privileged backgrounds.
SOF chairman Ng Ser Miang said: "Pursuing sports excellence is life changing - it gives inspiration and hope.
"Over the past 10 years, Mr Lim's continued generosity has allowed many young Singapore athletes to pursue and excel in their sporting dreams.
"It stemmed from his simple wish that no young athlete be held back, or have unrealised potential because of financial difficulties."
Toh Boon Yi, chief of Singapore Sports Institute (SSI), welcomed the partnership between his organisation, national agency Sport Singapore and the Scholarship and said they were all working "to build a strong athlete pipeline and support mechanisms within an athlete-centric environment that allows each athlete to fulfil their sporting aspirations, inspiring the Singapore Spirit and uniting the nation."
He added: "We envisage that the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship can continue to play a game-changing role as an integral part of our national high performance system."
