ASSISTANCE TO ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES

ASSISTANCE TO ATHLETES WITH DISABILITIES: 10.

Mr Michael Palmer asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports whether his Ministry intends to assist athletes with disabilities to raise their profile and improve their performance and, if so, what measures will be introduced.

Mr Teo Ser Luck (for the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports): Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore's disabled athletes have consistently performed well over the last few years and broken several records in the process. At the recent Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC) in 2006, which is the equivalent of the Asian Games, our disabled athletes returned with seven golds, five silvers and five bronzes. This was an improvement over the previous FESPIC in 2001 when they won three golds, two silvers and four bronzes. We also have a potential

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Paralympics medallist in Theresa Goh, who recently claimed a world champion title in the 200 metres Individual Medley at the 2006 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Swimming Championships.

The Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) is the national agency that champions disabled sports. MCYS and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) support the SDSC in its drive to promote sports excellence among the disabled. Our various sports excellence strategies and support schemes are open to both able-bodied and disabled athletes. For instance, swimmer Theresa Goh is able to balance her career and sports training at Standard Chartered Bank due to SSC's Programme for Elite Athletes Career (PEAC). PEAC helps athletes integrate into the workplace by assisting in the planning, organisation and management of an athlete’s career in collaboration with corporate organisations, National Sports Associations (NSAs) and SSC. So we do not just take care of the sports but the after-sports career as well.

Some of you may also recall the front page news in the Straits Times on 12th January reporting that the Sports School has admitted its first disabled student Khristine Quek and has provisions to take in more disabled students. This is in line with my Ministry's philosophy of inclusiveness and opportunities for all.

Going forward, we aim to build on our success at FESPIC and better our achievement at the Paralympics. We will also continue to explore new ways to highlight the achievements of our athletes, so that they can inspire their fellow Singaporeans and serve as role models for our youth.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, I am gratified to learn from the Parliamentary Secretary

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that the Government supports both able-bodied and disabled athletes equally. My question to the Parliamentary Secretary is whether the financial incentives that they give are also equal and in the way we reward them.

Mr Teo Ser Luck: Mr Speaker, Sir, if we are comparing the award for the disabled athletes with those of the Multi-million dollar Award Programme (MAP), and those are supported by the Singapore Tote Board and also the private sector (APP), I believe that SDSC has also approached similar organisations and has also gotten support. The level of competition and the intensity may be different but we still want to recognise the efforts and hard work of these disabled athletes regardless, because they have performed, they have trained hard and they are passionate individuals, and we want to support them. So, there will be award and they have been able to seek funding, and the funding has been given to them. I hope that will actually spur the disabled athletes to scale greater heights.

Mr Michael Palmer: Given that the Parliamentary Secretary has indicated the quality of treatment, do the awards given to the disabled athletes match the awards given to the other able-bodied athletes?

Mr Teo Ser Luck: For the able-bodied athletes, the MAP award is actually a project initiated by SNOC and it is funded by the Singapore Tote Board and APP, as I have mentioned. So there was no direct funding from the Government, although we support it, we recognise the athletes. It will be the same for the disabled athletes. And we recognise their efforts, we continue to want them to be featured, to inspire others, and they have gotten funding from the same organisations.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, would the Government be prepared to demonstrate the same level of commitment that they have shown with the able-bodied athletes by pressing private sector organisations,

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be it the Tote Board or APB, to narrow the difference in the financial incentives that they give to successful athletes, whether able-bodied or disabled?

Mr Teo Ser Luck: First, we must also look at whether narrowing the incentives will also equate to narrowing the level of competition that each of the able and disabled athletes faces as well. But what we should identify is that they are all passionate individuals, leaders of their sports and they are out to inspire others. As far as the Ministry's position is concerned, we recognise their efforts. In terms of narrowing the gaps, I think this is where the athletes and the associations have to work together and see what kind of support they can get from the private sector and from Tote Board and the other organisations that have been sponsoring the able-bodied athletes so far.

I hope SDSC, whatever support they need, whether it is within the sports training or after-sports career, as a Ministry, we fully support and recognise it. It is not just dollars and cents. It is what you can provide for the athletes and how you can give them the recognition. For a champion in sports, it goes beyond just monetary achievements. It is about achieving the best that they can and that in itself, we must give the recognition.