BEYOND YOG - A BIENNIAL SINGAPORE GAMES

BEYOND YOG - A BIENNIAL SINGAPORE GAMES: 5.59 pm

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Hong Kah): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to propose the motion to introduce a Biennial Singapore Games to sustain the renewed enthusiasm and community support for Sports beyond the Youth Olympic Games and to build a sporting legacy, to develop sporting excellence and a sports culture in Singapore.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, this motion is inspired by the athletes, organisers and volunteers of the recent Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Through the YOG, we saw our young athletes compete well – and who could forget the medal winning performances of Isabelle Li (table tennis),

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Nurul Shafinas (taekwondo), Rainer Ng (swimming) and my personal favourite, the soccer boys. And I am not downplaying the contributions of others who had also made us proud in representing Singapore throughout the Games.

During the Games, I remember the vociferous supporters at the stands during the various competitions, the many volunteers who braved the sun and rain to help us make the events a success and even residents who came down and took leave from work to support us as we ran with the torches in our estates.

This got me thinking – that building a sporting legacy, achieving sporting excellence and developing a sporting culture in Singapore – they may not be a pipe dream after all.

The only question is how? What platform can we use to showcase our local sporting talents and yet achieve broad-based participation across Singapore? How can we bring the community and the families together through sports?

So, the concept of the Biennial Games came up in a discussion and the credit goes to my parliamentary colleagues, Ms Josephine Teo and Minister of State Lee Yi Shyan, for coming up with the idea initially, and I just happened to develop on it later on.

Through the Biennial Singapore Games that is being proposed, we can provide a platform that can bring sporting talents and community sports participation from across Singapore together. This will involve identifying a number of sports, getting the community to participate in a series of competitions and sporting events, culminating in the Singapore Games every two years.

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The Biennial Games is not and should not be an end in itself. It should, over time, develop a sporting culture across Singapore. As we develop mass participation, there is also room to include games for senior citizens and the disabled to keep them active and bond them closer through sports.

Singapore's sporting legacy should be as much about a sporting culture as it is about achieving sporting excellence. And to succeed as a sporting nation (especially given our small population), it has to be development at both ends of the scale. We should have the cake and eat it too.

It is a tough balance for the Government in deciding how and where to put its money and focus on sports: on the one hand, at the pinnacle, we develop sporting talents, push for sporting excellence and aim to win medals; or, on the other hand, do we spend across a broader base to provide more for community participation, given finite resources?

I am mindful of the complexities and logistics implications in organising the Biennial Games taking on a two-pronged approach. So I believe to some extent, we are doing well.

In the former objective, the elite sports infrastructure and the funding for sporting excellence. For the latter objective, I am proposing to develop our local club networks to achieve this and to fill this gap in our sports ecosystem.

There is merit in doing this. If we look at nations with strong sporting cultures who are able to produce world-class teams – in particular, countries whose population sizes are comparable to Singapore such as Finland, Norway and New Zealand. They have some things in common – a sporting culture that spans families, neighbourhoods, schools and that they also have a strong club culture.

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The Singapore Sports Council estimates that there are about 1,600 clubs – ranging from the established Singapore Swimming Club which produces many of our national swimmers to the community-based ones like People's Association's CSCs to the informal clubs and networks such as cycling and soccer and running groups all over Singapore.

Our club networks exist today, but they seem to be fragmented and stronger within the schools and it seems that the networks are a lot stronger within the schools and the elite which are going for medals. So there is a gap in between the two ends of the scale.

There was a recommendation of the Sporting Culture Report in 2008 by MCYS, suggesting that strengthening the clubs to bridge the gap in mass participation. This is an ideal proposition, given the Singapore Games proposal. With the right team in place, combining the SSC, PA, Schools Conveners and the NSAs, there is scope to align the activities, pull together funding and garner sponsorship support to bring better synergies to the clubs and the sporting calendar.

As a start, we can focus on the games featured in the Olympics. If this is too much, we can consider starting with just 10 to 15 sports first and expand as we gain more traction.

By harnessing the synergies between the SSC, NSAs and PA’s CSC, we can organise events for these sports in different formats all year round to cater to different interests. I recall when I played rugby in school, competitions were almost all year around, seven-a-side tournaments early in the year, 15-a-side mid-year and 10-a-side towards the end of the year. So in the same spirit, we could look at different ways to keep the sporting calendar fresh, interesting and engaging.

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We should also find ways to involve participation from the disabled community, taking a leaf out of the Para Olympics and use this opportunity to develop more sporting facilities for them or adapt current infrastructure for their use as well.

For senior citizens, one recent suggestion I think is being considered is to look into new sporting formats so that senior citizens of various abilities can also participate in sports and I like this approach.

Ideas taken from other games such as the Para Olympics, which has wheelchair basketball, may prove to be interesting formats for senior citizens. This will also help provide greater community bonding and outreach to seniors who want to remain active through competitive sports. This unique sporting format can also help them bond and find common games which can bring families, friends together as well as neighbours of all ages to form teams.

As we speak about bringing people together, we should not forget the spirit behind the games as well. The 20,000 odd volunteers and the thousands and thousands of supporters behind us. They made the difference to the success of the YOG and I think we can harness all these energies behind us too.

During the YOG, soccer matches of Team Singapore versus Montenegro and Haiti, I had the pleasure of being ushered by a Mdm Rosminah Ahmad and a Ms Shuheerah Rosli. They were warm, friendly and gave me the impression that they were a mother and daughter team and as Mdm Rosminah was often referred to as "mummy". Only later was I told that Mdm Rosminah was referred to by the younger ones, the younger volunteers as "mummy" because of the maternal mentor role she played with the young volunteers. Now, this exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and community bonding and I agree with Minister Vivian,

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in his speech earlier, that is, it is amazing to the extent that our volunteers go to make everything a success and I hope that games can bring about the Singapore spirit on a sustainable basis and inculcate this Singapore spirit in our young.

The reason for raising this proposal as a motion of adjournment rather than a parliamentary question for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) is that for Singapore to develop a sporting culture, we need to start pooling our efforts across Ministries to make this work.

With such sporting buzz being generated, we should also use this opportunity to maximise the use of sporting facilities in our estates, especially the schools. We can do better to maximise the scheme to use school infrastructure in the estates. I can understand the apprehension of principals and their concerns about safety and maintenance. I think many of these concerns are valid.

But I would like to suggest that MOE re-consider the policy by making the policy an opt-out scheme rather than an opt-in scheme. So schools who feel that they have a strong case against opening up their facilities should explain their case against opening up the facilities rather than if they choose to opt-out because this is important to promote more ground-up initiatives and grassroots sporting activities in the neighbourhood.

I also hope that the MND can also review how we can make sporting facilities more accessible and build more sporting facilities in the neighbourhoods to cater to wider sporting interests of the community. Take the cue from the sports organised in the Singapore Games and and align these facilities to the overall sports road map for Singapore.

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MND should also explore how we can also make existing sports facilities adaptable to senior citizens and the disabled to be more active in sporting activities.

Finally, for MCYS and MTI, as we develop the sporting industry and enable more private sector involvement, we need to ensure that sporting events remain affordable even for low-income earners. My concern with the private-public partnership (PPP arrangement) for projects such as the Sports Hub, it is that sporting events organised should remain affordable and accessible to all.

One more point to think about since the Minister also answered my question earlier, on the MINDEF issue of National Service. There may come a point when we need to review how we balance this because at some point, we may have young athletes who may turn professional before they turn 18, 19. In the US, UK, you might find the likes of Tiger Wood or likes of Wayne Rooney and the Michael Owen going professional before then. How will National Service impact them? How will we manage such situations? We are seeing many of our athletes achieving global standards and I think there may come a time when we will find one or two prodigies in our midst.

Mr Deputy Speaker, in Malay, please.

( In Malay ): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A.] The recent Youth Olympic Games (YOG) was a very valuable event which Singapore hosted. As hosts Singapore has invested wisely for the future of the younger generation. Some of the benefits that were gained can be viewed from a long-term perspective. Firstly, we can see for ourselves the emergence of a young generation of Singaporeans who possess the ability and talent. The fact that they are able to compete with participants from around the world is a source of pride

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and inspiration to Singaporeans, especially the young.

Secondly, the YOG saw the participation of all levels of society, be it volunteers, sponsors or even spectators or supporters. It has widened the common space in which Singapore residents can participate. I feel that we must continue this YOG spirit by providing opportunities for Singaporeans, not only in terms of sport competitiveness and developing young talents but also in public participation. With the presence of an event like the Singapore Games, held maybe once in two years, we can sustain that spirit and community support.

( In English ): Singapore has defied the odds in so many ways and in areas where we never thought were possible. In the YOG, we have shown that we have the talents and are able to garner support from the community to make a dream a reality.

The YOG can and should be more than just a memory in our history books. It has to be more than us saying, "Yes, it was 2010 and we were there to experience it." It would be nice to see the YOG leave a sporting legacy and the YOG being that spark that inspired us to create a sporting nation.

With this, Deputy Speaker, I end my proposal and leave the motion for the House to consider.

*Cols. 1175-1176.

6.09 pm

Mr Michael Palmer (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, August saw Singapore host the inaugural YOG. I believe that we did well. It brought our nation together and brought out the best in our people. From the point of view of logistics, organisation and administration, ie, the hardware, I do not think that there was any doubt that we could do it but I think it was our people that made all the

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difference. Our volunteers performed above and beyond the call of duty. The volunteers were always gracious and never once lost their composure nor did they crumble under pressure and then there were athletes who did us proud by winning more medals than expected. They showed grit and determination in the face of stiff competition from some of the best sporting talent and they showed courage in the face of defeat. Last but certainly not least, there were the supporters. I witnessed the expressions of national pride which I have not seen or heard since the days of the Malaysia Cup and even when we lost, the support was unrelenting. And that is really what sports is about. It is about cultivating and bringing out the best in people, be they athletes participating in the Games, supporters cheering them on or volunteers helping with the Games. And so I rise in support of the Motion tabled by the Member, Mr Zaqy Mohamad. There is no point hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games if we are not going to follow up on it and develop on it. We need to keep the momentum going. We must open up opportunities for both mass participation and sports within the community as well as develop our sporting talents.

Many talents shone during the games. We cannot and must not lose them but sustained participation in sport cannot be without a goal, without something to look forward to, without something to try and win and, therefore, I agree with Mr Zaqy Mohamad when he says that through the Biennial Singapore Games, we can provide a platform that can bring sporting talents and community sports participation from across Singapore together. I also believe that with a Biennial Singapore Games, the progress made by the Youth Sport Development Committee will not go to waste. Five satellite centres have been established and another 21 will soon be established. These centres will give the community an opportunity to try their hand at the 26 Olympic sports, the

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immediate goal being mass participation. The long-term or underlying goal being to identify the sporting talent within the community. If we hosted a Biennial Games, those who have had a chance to try out the various sports in the satellite centres and who have decided to develop their skills, in particular, sports, will have an avenue to test those skills. As for the rest of Singapore, it will give us a chance to watch our sporting talents up close and personal and to cheer them on. This, instead of having to wait for the occasional World Championship for Asian Games or Commonwealth Games which may get some airing on local television and a news snippet or an article in the sports section of the local press. As an added incentive, we might also consider inviting certain international athletes to participate in the Games. This will give our local athletes some exposure to international competition and an idea of what they can expect to be up against if they compete on an international platform. These international athletes need not be of the top tier but even mid-level or young international athletes will provide healthy competition for our local talent.

Sir, a vibrant sporting environment will enhance our social cohesion and national identity and the Biennial Singapore Games will certainly facilitate that.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with that, I support the motion.

6.12 pm

Ms Irene Ng Phek Hoong: Sir, the YOG showed how Team Singapore can deliver an Olympic-class sports event at a high level within a short time.

Having reached this level, how do we sustain the momentum so that Singapore can indeed be a sporting nation – a nation

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in which everyone, young and old, can discover and develop their own sporting experience, increase their participation and improve performances in sports?

Sir, one of the lasting legacies of the YOG is our upgraded sports venues. Before I proceed, I would like to declare my interest as Patron of the Singapore Amateur Cycling Association (SACA) and, as you know, Tampines is Singapore's first cycling town. But had it not been for the YOG, the Tampines Bike Park would not have had the Olympic-standard mountain bike trail and the BMX track or the 1,000 seats. I watched some races during the YOG and the stalls were packed and the atmosphere was just great but how do we keep that passion alive and make sure sports venues are well used and well maintained? The hills and mounds of the BMX race track need regular maintenance, especially in our tropical weather.

How do we make sure the venues benefit not only elite athletes but also the community at large? The Tampines Bike Park provides an ideal training ground for top athletes and sports enthusiasts alike. It can be home to the Singapore Amateur Cycling Association (SACA) and a wide array of cycling events which will lift our sports scene and develop Singapore into a premier cycling venue in the region.

And while it works to develop the skills and talent of our national squads, the bike park can also offer a range of courses for individuals, community sports clubs and schools and run throughout the year. This can include bike proficiency courses for beginners to the advanced, and safe cycling courses for both young and old. Residents will especially benefit from having such a venue at their doorstep. They can picnic in the park, they can ride a bicycle, take part in one of the many courses or watch world-class sporting events. This is just a glimmer of the vast potential of this venue. Sir, to

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realise its full value, the Government needs to commit the necessary resources.

It would not be realistic to expect such high maintenance venues to be operated by the National Sports Associations on the basis of "economic sustainability", especially given the community use and the need to keep it affordable. The Government should lend its full support especially in the initial years. It would seem to me, given our land and financial constraints, that we should focus our resources on creating and sustaining sports venues which will benefit the majority of Singaporeans directly.

Like the Tampines Bike Park, the Sports Hub, which will provide integrated sports facilities to the public, falls into this category. I am not sure, however, about the proposed Changi Motorsports hub.

The venue for hard core racing, which will cost $330 million, is slated to be built on the prime seafront land in Changi and its ambition is to be Asia’s premier motorsports destination.

I am not entirely convinced why we should want to be pouring scarce resources into this venture. Should we not try to be more focused on the sports we want to excel at, and which we want Singaporeans to take part in and make a part of their lifestyle?

This brings me to my final point on the trends in sports participation in Singapore. It climbs significantly when individuals are in school, but steadily decreases as they enter adulthood. More men than women are active in sports.

Sir, we should have more sports competitions and programmes targeted at the middle-aged and the seniors, with categories for men and women. Right now, the impression is that the sports venues, the plans and programmes are mostly aimed at the youth and at sports excellence, as with the Youth Olympic

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Games. But more efforts should be directed towards encouraging a wider range of Singaporeans to take part in sports to make sports a part of their lifestyle so that we can create indeed a sporting nation and a sporting culture. And these biennial Singapore Games can indeed be a step towards this.

With that, I support the motion.

6.16 pm

Mr Teo Ser Luck: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would, first, like to thank all the Members especially the Member Mr Zagy Mohamad for tabling this motion to propose a Biennial Games.

I think it is quite timely, especially when the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) has just concluded and probably many people would be wondering how we are going to fully utilise some of our facilities; not forgetting that for the YOG, we did not build many new facilities, maybe only the Bike Park trail at Tampines as well as equestrian which will be utilised for some of the plans that we have already put in place.

For the YOG, there were many moments that were memorable, especially those of our athletes with their great fighting spirit. For the three Members – Mr Zagy Mohamad, Mr Michael Palmer and Ms Irene Ng – some of you joined me at the football game, especially between Singapore and Montenegro and Haiti; and also at the two games that they played against the same opponents. The athletes showed the fighting spirit and the football boys at 15 years of age showed that they were gentlemen on and off the field. I think that is great fighting spirit.

I would say for the first time for awhile, I have not heard the Singapore National Anthem sang so passionately. Maybe the only other time is at National Day, but it was really passionate before the Games started. At the same time, I

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have not seen so much of cheering; brought back memories of the Kallang Roar! So, I think, sports really is an activity that can bond Singaporeans, galvanise our nation together. This proposal of the Singapore Biennial Games is very timely because we have to figure out what it is that will develop our Singapore culture more deeply as well as keep the Singapore sporting scene vibrant; and also to encourage the community and all Singaporeans to make sports a part of their lifestyle and part of their family activities.

I might not be able to address all of the concerns, but I think one thing is for sure. All the points that were brought up by the Members are relevant and are the critical success factors for Singapore as a sporting nation moving forward.

We have to figure out how to utilise all the hardware. That was one of the main questions. Today in Singapore, compared to other countries we have our stadiums, swimming pools, indoor sports halls, even schools facilities, that are open for dual use in the heartlands and in the city area. Compared to the other nations, we actually have a greater number of facilities per citizen; and I would say that we have a sports culture that is waiting to blossom and it is waiting to be displayed more comprehensively and more completely. Maybe this Singapore Biennial Games will, in some way or other, help us to show that Singaporeans are actually sportsmen in nature and at heart.

We have put in some consideration about the Biennial Games that was proposed – the form, shape and size that it can take. At this point in time, the sporting calendar, as Members know, is quite full. Every single weekend we have at least one or two major sporting events, and that is not counting those that take place in the heartlands or organised by the

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Members' own constituency sports clubs. But the Singapore Biennial Games is an idea which we thought is feasible and possible. It is something that may be able to bring Singaporeans from all walks of life and different ages to come forward. I have this vision, this plan, this concept that I would like to share with Members of the House.

We can have the Singapore Biennial Games and, once in two years, we can include the Olympic sports. There are 26 Olympic sports. I agree with the Member, Mr Zagy Mohamad, that not all 26 sports will be well taken up or you probably would not as many participants as you wish. There are some sports events, some sports that are not mainstream and not exactly very popular or well followed in Singapore yet. Maybe in time to come, we can incorporate those. Maybe starting off with 10, 12 or even 15 different sports events. Who are the participants? That is the most important question. The participants would be Singaporeans of different age groups: from the youth to the young adults, to the working adults, to the middle-aged, to the seniors and to the, well, older than the seniors.

What are our objectives? We set a few objectives. First, is to be able to use sports to bond the community, get the community active again. If Members remember, when the National Stadium was first built, what was the objective? It was to build a rugged society to make sure that Singaporeans are kept healthy through sports. That was our objective. If we organise a Biennial Games, that has to be the main objective – to bond the community, make sure that we inculcate right sports culture for a healthy lifestyle.

Secondly, it is for participation. We want to increase participation and make sure all the sports events and the competition categories are accessible to all. We want to make sure that we encourage participation.

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Thirdly, would be the competition. Mainly there will be some form of competition so that people will prepare for it all the way through, to look to the Biennial Games and participate in it and come together as a team. We do not want them to participate individually. We can have a Singapore Biennial Games broken down in a competition format of different age groups – from youth to the seniors and the very seniors, working adults included.

They can also come in as clubs which means that they come in under the banner of clubs. These could be informal clubs such as alumni groups, or they could be country clubs or they could be constituency sports clubs. So, the club culture can be developed. Mr Zagy Mohamad was correct that many other countries – sporting nations – have a very strong club culture. And it starts from the club culture. Some clubs do better than the rest and produce elite athletes. Naturally that is a way to bring everyone together and to be able to play together on a regular basis; have that kind of sports activities organised by the clubs and for the club members. We are not talking about expensive clubs but clubs that are accessible; that you can form yourself. Personally, I have also set up a club that today is a few thousand strong and we continue to train together for the sports that we love. Those are possibilities. Alumni groups are a way that the clubs can come through. Maybe MPs can form a club. I am heartened by the fact that so many of the Members are supporting sports and I am not surprised that the MP soccer team has also a track record of winning matches. I am glad to know that. We can form that soccer club and maybe participate in this Biennial Games in future. Using this club culture, we can actually build it up and create vibrancy.

And we do it every two years. Why every two years? Because the Biennial

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Games has to be organised. While I would say that it may not be of the scale of an Olympic Games but it must be of a reasonable celebration of sorts so that people would enjoy the whole experience and it could be over a period of time, not as short as two weeks, but could be over a period of time like a season. We were thinking that if, let us say, it is held once every two years, what would happen during the lull period? It could possibly be mini leagues which means that while you form your clubs, you can have participation in the leagues in those alternate years in preparation for the big Games. Those leagues are different leagues of different sports events and you participate in those leagues. Thereafter you participate in the Biennial Games for the real competition. That is to keep everyone going and to keep up the sporting lifestyle. If we can put this plan in place and execute it, that means that the sporting calendar would have to change. Currently, the sporting calendar has so many events – international events, local events. One of the key events that is close to what Members have proposed is actually the Intercon Games.

The Intercon Games would likely have to take a different form, shape and size from the way that is being organised. Maybe in future it will take a different form, so much so that there may not be a Intercon Games because it could be part of the Biennial Games. We would have to see how we can align with the other competitions to get this Biennial Games going.

When do we think it will happen? I am answering the questions you have not asked yet. I am pre-empting the questions so that I can give Members the assurance that we are in support of it and we have some plans. We are serious about the YOG legacy because we believe that this is one of the ways to preserve it. So

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when do we think that could actually get these Games going? This takes effort. It takes different stakeholders to come together to organise the Games. It is not going to be easy. It needs the support of every Member in the House, it needs the support of schools because of the facilities, and it needs the support of community groups.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Teo, there is one more minute for you to make the rest of your announcement.

Mr Teo Ser Luck: Thank you for the reminder. The Singapore Sports Council will take the lead to organise the Games including the leagues, and People's Association will help to co-organise this because People's Association will have links to the sports clubs and the network. At the same time, we have to figure out

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how to align with the Intercon Games. We feel that to achieve this, for the Singapore Biennial Games to take off, we think we can set the target for the year of 2012 to have the first Biennial Games. In 2011, we can have the mini-leagues for youths, younger adults, working adults, seniors and all, to encourage every one of all age groups to come and participate.

With that, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support the motion.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. The time allowed for the debate has expired.

The Question having been proposed at one minute to Six o'clock pm and the Debate on the motion having continued for half an hour, Mr Deputy Speaker adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

_Adjourned accordingly at
Twenty-nine minutes past Six o'clock pm. _