Best-performing NSA gets over $3.5 million in government
funding for financial year 2008
DEPTH IN YOUTH: Low Teo Ping, president of SingaporeSailing,
with young national sailors, who have done Singapore proud in
recent Asian and world meets. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
MINUTES
after taking
over the
reins of the
then-Singapore Yachting Association (SYA) in 1999, Low Teo Ping made a
bold pledge - to make it the 'absolute best' national sports association in
the country.
Nearly a decade later, few can argue that the former national sailor has
not realised his dream.
SingaporeSailing, the new name given to the SYA in 2000, will get the
biggest amount in government funding among the 58 national sports
associations (NSAs) for the third straight year.
The amount - over $3.5 million for the financial year 2008 - is about
$400,000 more than last year.
The organisation was also hailed by Senior Parliamentary Secretary
(Community Development, Youth and Sports) Teo Ser Luck as a role
model for other NSAs.
'They worked out a long-term plan with depth in youth development and are now realising their results,' said Mr Teo.
Explained Low: 'We launched a
programme 10 years ago to develop
a broad base of talent, with the
ultimate dream of winning an
Olympic medal in 2008.
'We believe that our lifeline is the
pipeline.
'We have kept true to the vision, with
our sailors having qualified for three
events, the most ever, in Beijing.'
The sailors have consistently been
among Singapore's best performers
in recent multi-sport events like the
Asian and South-east Asia Games.
Victories at international meets like the World Youth and World Optimist
Championships have also propelled the country into the ranks of Asia's, if
not the world's, sailing elite.
'We're happy to get the most money, but it also goes to show we have
displayed a consistently good return on investment over the years,' said
Low.
This value-for-money theme was also emphasised by the Singapore
Sports Council (SSC) at a press conference yesterday to announce the
fund allocation.
Said the SSC's chief executive officer Oon Jin Teik: 'Our aim now is to get
more bang for our buck and help those sports which can really propel
Singapore forward.'
A total of 29 NSAs saw increases in funding. The figure was 19 last year.
Apart from sailing, the list includes badminton, swimming, gymnastics
and shooting.
All did well, for instance, at last year's SEA Games.
The funding remained the same for two associations, which the SSC did
not reveal.
And 27 sports - triple last year's number - will get less.
The 58 NSAs will share a $32.39million pie, up from $31.9million last
year.
The SSC said funding is based on the NSAs' plans for the year and how
they align with the Republic's vision of becoming one of Asia's top-10
sporting nations by 2010.
Three criteria were used: high performance (athletes' performance at
major international events), high participation (broad-based local
competitions) and talent identification (outreach to schools, investing in
youth pipeline).
Exact funding amounts were not revealed, with sports grouped into
bands.
A total of 12 NSAs were grouped in the bottom band, with funding of less
than $50,000.
It includes weiqi, weightlifting and cycling.
ABOVE $3.5 MILLION: Sailing
ABOVE $2.5 MILLION: Swimming
BETWEEN $2 MILLION AND $2.5 MILLION: Badminton, bowling,
shooting, table tennis
BETWEEN $1 MILLION AND $2 MILLION: Athletics, football,
gymnastics, netball, disability sports, silat
