A record number of 373 athletes were awarded scholarships totalling more than $1 million at the Singapore Olympic Foundation (SOF)-Peter Lim Scholarship ceremony at ITE College Central on Monday afternoon.

They included 60 athletes, including swimmer Quah Zheng Wen, shooter Martina Lindsay Veloso and sprinter Shanti Pereira, who will represent Singapore in June's SEA Games on home soil.

Entering its fifth edition, the scholarship has seen almost $4 million disbursed to 1,450 athletes. The scholarship was launched in 2010 when Singaporean billionaire and philanthropist Peter Lim donated $10 million to the SOF.

There was also a record-breaking number of awardees this year after the Singapore Olympic Foundation received 1,170 applications across 51 sports.

"I'm very pleased to receive the Singapore Olympic Foundation-Peter Lim Scholarship, and the support has encouraged me to work harder towards my sporting ambitions," said Zheng Wen, who is hoping to lead Team Singapore's swimming medal charge at next month's SEA Games.

Added SOF's chairman Ng Ser Miang: "We are very grateful to Mr Peter Lim for his generosity, and we hope we can continue to help our local athletes fulfil their sporting dreams."

The ceremony saw Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, present as guest-of-honour.