AltitudeX invests over $1 million to promote indoor skydiving in S’pore
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Team Singapore indoor skydiver Kai Minejima-Lee hopes to keep bringing in medals after a standout 2025.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
Follow topic:
- Kai Minejima-Lee, named Sportsboy of the Year after winning multiple international skydiving golds in 2025, aims for continued success.
- AltitudeX commits over $1 million to Singapore indoor skydiving, dedicating $600,000 to athlete training and $450,000 for underprivileged groups with SG Enable.
- The sponsorship will increase accessibility to skydiving, allowing athletes more training time and boosting the community, says champion Kyra Poh.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – After a standout year, Singaporean indoor skydiver Kai Minejima-Lee is setting his sights on scaling even greater heights.
The 16-year-old’s successes on the international stage in 2025 include two gold medals at August’s Australian championships, a dynamic four-way gold at the World Indoor Skydiving Championships in April and a clean sweep of four golds at the Polish Open
On top of these triumphs, he was also named Sportsboy of the Year at the Singapore Sports Awards in June.
For Kai, the award was especially meaningful, as it was just the second time that skydiving athletes picked up one of the main accolades at the annual event, after Choo Yi Xuan and Kyra Poh snagged the Sportsboy/Sportsgirl Team of the Year (Event) in 2019.
“Being named Sportsboy of the Year for 2025 was one of the greatest achievements in my sporting career, and it means so much to me because of the representation I feel the sport is getting in,” said the teenager, who is pursuing an International Baccalaureate diploma at Eastwood Global Online School.
“Just knowing I can be a part of bringing the sport into the spotlight is something I’m really proud of... I hope to keep bringing in medals for Singapore and continuing with good performances in 2026.”
Kai and his other teammates received a boost on Dec 12, when AltitudeX – formerly known as iFly Singapore – announced a sponsorship commitment of more than $1 million over the next three years to grow the indoor skydiving ecosystem and expand access to flight experiences for less privileged communities.
The announcement was made at the launch of AltitudeX at its Sentosa facility. As part of the commitment, $600,000 worth of flight time will be dedicated to identifying, training and supporting the next generation of Singapore indoor skydiving athletes.
In addition, $450,000 will be used in partnership with SG Enable, Singapore’s focal agency for disability and inclusion, to provide flight time for underprivileged children and youth with disabilities.
Kai welcomed the support, noting that access to the wind tunnel is crucial for indoor skydivers to hone their routines.
He said: “With this investment and support from AltitudeX, it makes it much more accessible and affordable for anyone to pick up the sport.
“It gives athletes extra time in the tunnel to further perfect our skills, to have those skills that we need to compete alongside the strongest athletes in the world.”
Poh, who has multiple titles on the world stage, believes such backing can help to grow the sport in Singapore.
She noted that there was a lack of awareness of the sport in her early days, but its profile has grown over the years.
Team Singapore indoor skydiver Kyra Poh believes that the backing from AltitudeX will be crucial in growing the sport here.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
The 23-year-old undergraduate at Essec Business School said: “It definitely makes it way more accessible. People definitely think indoor skydiving is a niche sport and we’re trying to gain more exposure and help people come and join us, so it really builds the community.
“I’m excited to see how the younger kids can grow, join us and fly together. A lot of people don’t know how rigorous it is for us to train... we’re training here almost every single day but that’s just how athletes like us work and I’m just excited.”
AltitudeX, which rebranded in November following the expiration of the iFly licence, is also looking to broaden its offerings beyond indoor skydiving, by introducing attractions such as flying theatres for a more immersive experience.
Its chief executive Lawrence Koh said: “Personally, it’s very important to give back to society. That is one key thing that’s always part of my consideration for the past 14 years of doing this.
“With the new brand, we want to do more and this is why we announced the $1 million sponsorship of the flight vouchers to develop the sport and for charity.”
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo, who was the guest of honour at the event, said: “We are heartened by this collective effort to make Singapore a truly inclusive society by bringing sports to persons of all abilities and backgrounds.
“And in some sense, that is what it means to be Forward Singapore – to build a Singapore that everyone counts, everyone is valued and everyone can move forward purposefully together.”
