More help on the way to protect livelihoods: Tong

Basketballer Ng Han Bin (left) and powerlifter Matthias Yap (right) delivering meals to donors at the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund "Live For Sports" virtual fundraising dinner.
Basketballer Ng Han Bin (left) and powerlifter Matthias Yap (right) delivering meals to donors at the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund "Live For Sports" virtual fundraising dinner. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHIAM SEE TONG SPORTS FUND

Recognising how the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the local sporting fraternity, Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), has revealed his team is working on more relief measures for the sports sector.

Speaking at the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund "Live For Sports" virtual fundraising dinner, which collected more than the targeted $125,000 for under-resourced athletes yesterday, Mr Tong, who was the guest of honour, said: "Over the next few weeks, we will work on further measures and a package to help preserve the core sporting capabilities and protect livelihoods."

While more details will be announced later this month, this new package will be on top of Sport Singapore's package of measures worth about $23 million announced in June, which included the Enterprise Innovation & Capability Grant, Active Enabler Programme, creation of temporary jobs, ActiveSG Circle, and other digital content initiatives and training opportunities.

Since taking over the MCCY portfolio in July, Mr Tong, who is also Second Minister for Law, has gathered feedback from coaches and others who rely on sports for a living. He also assured national sports associations (NSAs) of the ministry's continued support.

He added: "The most important thing we can do is to chart a path towards a safe resumption of activities. This is the best way to support livelihoods, and allow our athletes to do what they do best - train and compete. Together with SportSG, we have also had discussions on how to bring back many of our favourite sporting experiences, but in a safe way. We have made some moves, and will continue to do so."

He took encouragement from being able to work from a strong base in terms of youth development and high performance. In terms of youth development, the National Youth Sports Institute identifies primary school students for the Junior Sports Academy programmes, while there is also the Singapore Sports School as well as academies run by ActiveSG, NSAs and private clubs that widen the talent pool.

Meanwhile, the Government invests about $70 million annually in the High Performance Sports system, which includes the spexScholarship, to support the development of national athletes and NSAs.

Mr Tong added: "For Singapore to achieve our sporting goals, we need a longer term vision. We will also require bold targets, relentless training, some patience, and the... resilience to weather setbacks.

"We know that funding alone cannot be enough... The bonds and synergy between schools, clubs, NSAs, athletes, stakeholders and SportSG have to be singular, aligned and strong. My ministry will support them."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 03, 2020, with the headline More help on the way to protect livelihoods: Tong. Subscribe