SPEECH ON TEAM SINGAPORE’S OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC ACHIEVEMENTS

By Denise Phua

Sir, I stand in full support of MCCY Minister Edwin Tong's Parliamentary Motion. It gives me great joy to come together to celebrate the incredible achievements of Team Singapore at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 33 athletes who represented our nation have demonstrated the spirit of resilience, resolve and excellence, carrying our Singapore flag high on the world state. Thank you so much and congratulations to Team Singapore. 

On the Paralympic front, we witnessed the legendary Yip Pin Xiu, our champion swimmer, who made history by clinching two gold medals this time. With these victories, Pin Xiu now holds a staggering total of seven Paralympic gold medals and a silver, cementing her status as Singapore's most decorated Paralympian. 

Pin Xiu, serves with me in the Purple Parade movement, which sees thousands of Singaporeans coming together each year to show their support for the cause of inclusion and for the disability community. We sat in many meetings together and what impresses me most is her humility, authenticity and her willingness to constantly learn, not just in swimming, but in other things, in leadership issues and advocacy and so forth. I know Pin Xiu will go far as a woman of substance in life.

Congratulations too, to Ms Jeralyn Tan, who made her debut in boccia and for securing Singapore's first ever medal at the Paralympics.

And, of course, Olympic bronze medallist young kitefoiler, the charming Mr Max Maeder, the youngest Singaporean to ever win an Olympic medal.

But beyond the medals, it is so important that we recognise every athlete who participated in the Games, whether they reached the podium or not. They, on the road to Paris, they demonstrated the triumph of the human spirit, all 33 of you. Thank you.

None of this success would be possible without the strong support system behind each athlete. So, to the families, thank you for releasing and supporting the athletes to take this road less travelled. I salute you and you are as special as the athletes. To the coaches and the leaders and the staff of the NSAs, the Disability Sports Council, the sports institutes who tirelessly train and guide our athletes, ensuring that they perform at their best, your contributions have been invaluable. So, thank you all, members of this important support structure, for being the wind below the wings of our athletes.

I also want to express my gratitude to the Singapore Government as well and I want to give credit where it is due. Over the years, the Government has increased its investment in sports, not just in terms of infrastructure and funding, but also in terms of trying to build a more inclusive sporting culture. Our para athletes' achievements have shown us that sports is not just a domain of the so-called able-bodied.

The Government's inclusive sports investment has enabled both mainstream and Paralympic athletes to receive the support that they need to succeed on the world stage. Indeed, when I asked Pin Xiu what had been a game-changer for her swimming career, she mentioned the support she got from the support system, from being able to have access to the right coach and a high-quality sports science team. The success we are witnessing today is a direct result of this intentional upstream investment and we look forward to seeing even more growth in the years to come.

Next, let me now share a few areas I got feedback from past Olympians, their families and a few other athletes on where we feel Singapore has done well in developing sports talent and also areas that we can do even better.

What Singapore has done well in developing sports talent. The Singapore sports team has grown tremendously, especially in recent years and we have made significant progress in developing sports talent, both in mainstream and disability sports. One is in increased investments in infrastructure. The establishment of the Singapore Sports Hub and other regional training centres has provided our athletes with the platforms they need to participate and then to excel.

The announcement by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Minister Edwin Tong on the new home of Team Singapore in the Kallang Alive precinct presents an exciting vision. So, thank you.

The second thing we have done well, is also for support for our athlete development. Through initiatives, like spex, many of my colleagues have mentioned before, spexProgramme and so forth. We are seeing greater financial and developmental support for our athletes. SpexScholarships, in particular, have helped many of our athletes focus on their sports full-time while also pursuing their education or career.

The third is in youth development pathways. Singapore has also made great strides in identifying and nurturing young talent through schools, clubs and national age group competitions. Programmes, such as the NYSI, have played a crucial role in grooming the next generation of sporting stars by providing specialised training and education support for our student athletes.

The fourth is in inclusive sports development. One of the areas where Singapore has improved tremendously is the promotion of inclusive sports. Thanks to MCCY and the team, the introduction of more robust support structures for our Paralympic athletes, including dedicated training programmes and specialised coaching, has allowed them to compete at the highest level. Disability sports have seen greater attention, greater funding, creating more opportunities for athletes with disabilities to develop their talent.

It is, therefore, welcome news that the new home of Team Singapore, I mentioned just now, will have a dedicated training centre for para sports. I am also very pleased that a review of the 2016 DSMP, I think overdue, now led by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, is now underway to further improve sports access for persons with disabilities, young and old, and I look forward to the Master Plans addressing ground aspirations, such as a bigger network of sports coaches, facilities and programmes also for adults with disabilities to participate and even excel in sports.

Next, on what more can be done. While we have achieved much, I think there are still areas where we need to do a little bit more. In broadening sports participation in schools and mainstream schools, although we have offered more opportunities, we should offer more opportunities for students of all skills level, not only those who are proficient.

We must also facilitate further the integration of sports into the curriculum at special schools to ensure that children with disabilities, especially those with higher support needs, are encouraged to lead healthy, active lives from a young age. Many of the special education (SPED) school graduates still do not. Not enough of them have adopted healthy lifestyles when they exit school.

This has to be intentional and has to go beyond a few lessons a week. More structured opportunities, both within the schools and out there, with the grassroots and the community, are needed. By fostering early sports participation, we can instill healthy habits that extend into adulthood, enriching the overall quality of life, reducing healthcare concerns and costs and potentially producing more elite athletes.

Next, on equalising cash rewards – it seems to be a popular topic today. Hot off the press, Paralympians Yip Pin Xiu and Jeralyn Tan have been rewarded this week for their outstanding achievements at the Paris Games. Pin Xiu received $1.5 million per gold medal and Jeralyn got $300,000 for her bronze medal.

For context, there are two distinct cash award schemes, the MAP for Olympians and the AAA for Paralympians. Both programmes have different origins, different scopes and administration managed by separate NGOs.

These awards are privately-funded as the Government focuses public funds on upstream investments for all athletes and the Government has encouraged private sponsors to support these medallists' rewards. And thanks to sponsors like DBS and Tote Board, AAA was, in recent years, enhanced from $200,000 to $500,000 for a Paralympic gold medal. 

So, on this topic of parity of cash awards for both abled and disabled sports champions, I think parity is important, but I also support the Government's approach to the prudent use of public funds for sports recognition. This is because I know, for so many years, how my fellow disability advocates and I have been asking the Government and sponsors and foundations to give us more grants, more funds, for more services for the disabled, especially for the adult years from 21 to, say, 85. In lifelong learning, we need funds in job support for persons with disabilities who can take on paid jobs.

For those who cannot work or cannot take on paid jobs for care services, there is so much needed. Caregiving services as well; in housing; in healthcare; in transport; criminal justice; and, for example, beefing up the Police force who are supporting our possible criminals with special needs; in mental wellness; in Healthier SG for all. These are all services and areas that we need a lot more support and the needs are many. I urge the Government to look into these needs and I know that MSF and MCCY are looking into this and to allocate more resources too.

Therefore, on the topic of equalising or the parity of awards, I do call on the Government and the rest of Singapore to join me also in calling upon and, also Member Assoc Prof Jamus Lim, to call upon the current and potential private sponsors to please also, support us to equalise these cash awards for both para athletes and also able-bodied athletes, so that more resources, including by the Government, can be also spread out to the other very critical and urgent needs.

Together, we can send a powerful and progressive message that Singapore is truly inclusive and we offer equal opportunities to all regardless of background. So, those are my views on parity of awards. I know it is important in today's topic context to fight for parity. But I also want to express that in the larger context, there are also many, many needs and I do want the Government to look at these needs as well and to spend as prudently as possible to ensure that more needs for more for the disabled can be looked into.

The next is on sports science and technology. One area that we can improve on is by increasing investment in sports science and technology to help athletes maximise their performance through improved training methodologies and performance analytics. And also mentorship of athletes. Surely, younger athletes can be also connected with experienced mentors and even former Olympians to provide guidance, provide motivation and practical advice to them.

And finally, a very important area or topic. As I speak to past Olympian athletes, whether able-bodied or Paralympians, many of them have mentioned the area of post-career support for athletes. The transition from a sports career to life after competition can be daunting for many athletes, particularly for those who have devoted their youth to training. For our medallists and sportsmen, securing stable post-sports career should be a priority. So, programmes that focus on educational opportunities, career guidance and even entrepreneurship for retired athletes should be bolstered to ensure that they thrive beyond their sporting competition years, beyond the sports arena.

And we can actually take reference from the very robust pre-retirement development plans that MINDEF is conducting for its officers. I studied it and I hear very good things about it and the sports fraternity can take a leaf from MINDEF on this area as well.

So, various areas in post-career support, in calling for all to ensure that parity for cash awards is realised, for more investments in sports science and technology, for ensuring greater school participation and developing on sports talents. These are the few areas that I would like MCCY to consider further.

And lastly, I just want to, again, congratulate all our remarkable athletes who represented Singapore at the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. You have made us so proud, not only with your victories but inspired, like what Minister Edwin Tong has said, your passion, your determination and the grit you have shown in every step of the way.

A special congratulations and big thanks, too, to the incredible families, coaches, professionals who form the backbone of support. Your unwavering belief in our athletes made all the difference.

As we look to the future, let us dream even bigger. May the Singapore sports fraternity continue to grow from strength to strength. May you forge new paths of success, not just on the world stage but in every school, every neighbourhood, every community across our nation. May we build on this powerful legacy and create a future where sports is not just a field of competition but a celebration of Singapore's spirit of excellence, inclusivity and unity. Let the world see what a great country we are and what we are further capable of. So, Majulah Singapura, thank you very much and congratulations.