SINGAPORE ATHLETES

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SINGAPORE ATHLETES

36.

Mr Ng Ser Miang asked the Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports in view of the outstanding performances of our athletes, in particular Li Jiawei, who reached the top four positions (semi-finals), Zhang Xueling and Ronald Susilo, who reached the top 8 (quarter-finals) in their respective sports at the Athens Olympic Games, (a) what actions will the Government take to recognise their achievements and support their future efforts; and (b) whether Government will also increase funding towards sports excellence so that more champions can be raised and serve as inspirations to Singaporeans.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: a) What actions will the Government take to recognise their achievements and support their future efforts?

Li Jiawei, Zhang Xueling and Ronald Susilo have done very well at the Athens Olympic Games. They have kept the Singapore flag flying high, and rallied Singaporeans from all walks of life. As the Prime Minister said at the National Day Rally, while Singapore may be small, we have high hopes and big dreams. Athletes like Jiawei, Xueling and Ronald epitomise a "never say die" attitude and demonstrate our ability to punch above our weight. They as part of Team Singapore have done us proud.

The Government has in place several award schemes to recognise outstanding sporting achievements. These include the Singapore Sports Council's Singapore Sports Awards, as well as the National Youth Council's National Youth Awards for Sports and Adventure.

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Our table tennis and badminton players have won these awards on various past occasions. For instance, Jiawei won the SSC's Sportswoman of the Year Award for 2003 and 2004, while Xueling and Ronald received SSC's Meritorious Sports Award in 2004 for their individual achievements. In addition, Jiawei, Xueling and the rest of the women's table tennis team were named SSC's Team of the Year for 2004.

Certainly, Jiawei, Xueling and Ronald's fine performances at the Athens games will be taken into consideration for the relevant awards in the coming year.

b) Whether Government will also increase funding towards sports excellence so that more champions can be raised and serve as inspirations to Singaporeans.

The Government has over the years been supporting sports excellence in Singapore, as the achievements and spirited efforts of our sports champions inspire our people and help pull us together as a nation.

The current sports excellence programmes include schemes to support our athletes' training and development, grants to the National Sports Associations, sports medicine and sports science programmes, as well as supporting the Singapore Sports School.

Going forward, the Government will continue to support and fund sports excellence programmes, particularly for sports that have done well and show promise of greater achievements. My Ministry will work closely with the Singapore Sports Council and other key stakeholders to regularly review our sports development plans and ensure that our potential sports champions are given the support that they need, to help them, and Singapore, realise our dreams.