Singapore Sports Council And Nestle Milo Ink Partnership To Champion Youth Sports Development

Singapore Sports Council And Nestle Milo Ink Partnership To Champion Youth Sports Development

Singapore, 19 February 2010 - The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and Nestle MILO signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) today at Seng Kang Primary School to officiate a year-long agreement between both organisations in championing youth sports development and learning through play to our young in Singapore. The significant occasion was attended by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports; Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Transport Singapore; as well as Team Singapore youth athletes such as Adam Goh (Basketball); Terence Choo (Sailing); Abel Lim (Shooting); Amanda Lim (Swimming) and Chau Hai Qing (Table Tennis).

Under the MOU, the SSC and MILO will be working closely on multiple synergistic programmes and platforms, all contributing towards youth sports promotion and development. The MOU will be completed in three phases, beginning from February till December 2010, with Singapore's favourite energy drink, MILO pledging more than S$3 million in cash and kind, with substantial investment in activation programmes. The MOU marks MILO's 60th year in its advocacy on the development of youth sports in Singapore.

Expressing his thoughts on the partnership, Mr Oon Jin Teik, CEO of the SSC said, "Singapore's young people under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our population, according to the latest data available. This 1.16 million-strong demographic will be our next generation of elite athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators and visionaries. They will ensure the expansion and self-sustainability of our sports sector. Hence, we need to prepare them to take on these roles for Singapore. I firmly believe that this partnership with MILO will be a huge step in helping us shape the youth of today for tomorrow's sporting needs."

Through MILO and SSC's partnership, both organisations will be rolling out activities under three phases in 2010 - Inspiring Singapore, Cheering Singapore and Legacy Singapore.

Inspiring Singapore will start immediately with MILO supporting about 490 athletes across 26 Olympic sports, with all the athletes and NSAs receiving about S$200,000 from this partnership. The second phase, Cheering Singapore will see the launch of activities to rally Singaporeans to cheer on their athletes and support them for the upcoming major games. Finally, Legacy Singapore will celebrate and congratulate the performance of athletes, with plans to launch satellite centres for each of the 26 Olympic sports to promote sports development in youths, further advocating MILO's "Play More, Learn More" campaign this year, championing learning values such as confidence, sportsmanship, respect and other lessons gained from an active sporting lifestyle.

Other plans in the pipeline include the production and launch of an 8-episode reality sports programme, featuring youth contestants where they will have to use their wits, skills and physical strength to compete against one another in a series of fun sporting activities. The programme will be broadcasted on Starhub's Super Sports Arena Channel from 23 May 2010.

-More details of these activities will be available once finalised.-

A great supporter and active participant in sports development in Singapore since the 1950s, MILO has consistently contributed to a sporting nation, through the sponsorship of various popular sports such as track and field, swimming, basketball and soccer. The household name has also supported partnerships with the Ministry of Education (MOE), the SSC and People's Association, strengthening its position as a strong advocate of sports and an active and healthy lifestyle.

Mr Suresh Narayanan, Managing Director of Nestle Singapore, expressed his enthusiasm for the new campaign, "We firmly believe that an active lifestyle through sports is an excellent avenue for youths to pick up key values and attitudes towards life, equipping them with the mindset and life skills that cannot be picked up from books. As we celebrate about 60 years of MILO's involvement with sports development in Singapore, we are honoured to be able to commemorate our involvement and commitment to the community through this partnership with the SSC. Sports is a wonderful platform for our youths to learn important values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect, adherence to rules, discipline, perseverance, resilience and a strong sense of purpose and we hope this partnership will further engage the youth in Singapore and develop them to their full potential."

The VIPs, students from Seng Kang Primary and Team Singapore youth athletes commemorated the MOU with an exciting telematch. Seng Kang Primary is a great believer of learning through play and is the first school to implement daily Physical Education (PE) lessons as part of its curriculum.

MILO and SSC Signing of MOU Press Conference Speech by Mr. Suresh Narayanan, Managing Director of Nestle Singapore

Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister, for the Community Development, Youth and Sports;

Mr. Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports & Ministry of Transport;

SSC CEO, Mr. Oon Jin Teik;

Mrs Rabia Shahul Hameed, Principal of Seng Kang Primary;

Team Singapore athletes, Students of Seng Kang Primary;

Members of the media;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

A very good afternoon to all of you and thank you for attending this very significant occasion for MILO and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC).

Today's signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between MILO and the SSC marks a crucial step forward for youth sports development in Singapore.

It reinforces our joint vision to advocate an active lifestyle for children to allow them to learn values such as discipline, teamwork, cooperation and perseverance from sports and physical education. These are valuable attributes that will help them excel in all aspects of their life in the long run, and prepare them for the constantly evolving and dynamic world.

This MOU is the result of a long standing partnership between both organisations with MILO as a longtime champion of youth sports in Singapore for the last 60 years. Many football enthusiasts will remember being part of the MILO FAS Soccer school. Singapore's favourite football sons, where Fandi Ahmad, David Lee, Malek Awab and were graduates and they are a fine example of how their participation in sports is an integral part of their lives. These men do not just excel on the football field, but are equally successful in their personal lives.

Closer to home, many of the students present may also remember cheering on their school mates at inter-school sports competitions while enjoying cups of ice-cold MILO, and continue to enjoy this support from MILO as they progress on to secondary school and even junior college. We have been an active supporter of the Ministry of Education School Sports Council programmes for more than 50 years, including MILO's longstanding sponsorship support of the South-east Asian Games since the inauguration.

With the MILO and SSC's partnership, both organisations will be rolling out activities under three phases in 2010 - Inspiring Singapore, Cheering Singapore and Legacy Singapore.

Inspiring Singapore will start immediately with MILO supporting about 490 athletes across 26 Olympic sports, with all the athletes and NSAs receiving about S$200,000 from this partnership. The second phase, Cheering Singapore will see the launch of activities to rally Singaporeans to cheer on their athletes and support them for the upcoming major games. Finally, Legacy Singapore will celebrate and congratulate the performance of athletes, with plans to launch satellite centres for each of the 26 Olympic sports to promote sports development in youths, further advocating MILO's "Play More, Learn More" campaign this year, championing learning values such as confidence, sportsmanship, respect and other lessons gained from an active sporting lifestyle.

Other plans in the pipeline include the production and launch of a reality sports programme which will feature youth contestants where they will have to use their wits, skills and physical strength to compete against one another in a series of fun sporting activities. The programme will be broadcasted on Starhub's Super Sports Arena Channel from 23 May onwards.

Both SSC and MILO are confident that we will be able to build a Sporting Singapore and extend both our messages of "Learning through play" even more effectively than before.

Today is the extension of our longstanding commitment to the community and to the SSC. We are excited to see this relationship develop to even greater heights in future years. Please join MILO and SSC in our conscious efforts to help Singapore reinforce its status as a sporting nation.

Thank you.

Speech For Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry Of Community Development Youth And Sports And Ministy Of Transport At The Ssc - Nestle (milo) Partnership To Champion Youth Sports Development On 19 February 2010 At Seng Kang Primary School At 1.35 PM.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister, Community Development, Youth and Sports;

Oon Jin Teik, CEO, Singapore Sports Council

Suresh Narayanan, Managing Director, Nestle

Mrs Rabia Shahul Hameed, Principal, Seng Kang Primary School

Athletes, Students of Seng Kang Primary School,

Media friends,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

Today's signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and MILO marks a crucial step forward for youth sports development in Singapore. The MOU is indeed a wonderful reflection of the long standing partnership between both organisations in striving towards championing sports and active play to our young.

2. Through participation in sports, youth are instilled with the right skills, attitudes and mindset to prepare them for the constantly evolving and dynamic world. Sports is a wonderful platform for our youths to learn important values such as honesty, teamwork, fair play, respect, perseverance, dedication, resilience and a strong sense of purpose.

3. Dealing with competition, coping with both winning and losing, building courage and striving towards improvement are further examples of how sport equips young people with important soft skills that are not easily learnt in the classroom.

4. The signing of this MOU comes at a time when Singapore is working hard as a nation to step up its preparations to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in August. I hope that through initiatives such as this MOU between the SSC and Milo, more youths will be interested in sports - not just to play but to volunteer and cheer. We are aiming to have more young people watching the 600-plus sports events that Singapore hosts annually, including Singapore 2010.

5. To end, I would like to thank Nestle for keeping their faith in sports and for making a significant contribution towards Singapore's youth sports development. Corporate support is the foundation of our endeavours to turn Singapore into a sports city. I hope that more corporations will come forward to take part in the evolution of Sporting Singapore.

Thank you.

Speech By Mr Oon Jin Teik, Ceo, Singapore Sports Council At The Ssc - Nestle (milo) Partnership To Champion Youth Sports Development On 19 February 2010 At Seng Kang Primary School At 1.15 PM

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister, Community Development, Youth and Sports;

Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports and Ministry of Transport;

Suresh Narayanan, Managing Director, Nestle;

Mrs Rabia Shahul Hameed, Principal, Sengkang Primary School;

Athletes, Students of Seng Kang Primary School;

Media friends;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Good afternoon.

Recently, I had the chance to watch the movie, 'Invictus', a true story about Nelson Mandela in his first year as president of South Africa and how he used the power of sports to inspire a nation. Mandela ignored the sceptics to see the people of South Africa unite behind the Springboks' Rugby Team as they won the World Championships in 1995. Mandela was a believer.

2. MILO and Nestle also have been believers in the power of sports to inspire individuals, teams and, in our case, the nation of Singapore. MILO has been one of Sporting Singapore's greatest supporters for many years. So, today, I am delighted to announce that SSC and MILO will be inking a new three-phase, year-long partnership to champion youth sports development and inspire our youths to get into the game.

3. Singapore's young people under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our population, according to the latest data available. This 1.16 million-strong demographic will be our next generation of elite athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators--and visionaries. They will ensure the expansion and self-sustainability of our sports sector. When we look at where they are now, we must see where we need them to be in the future. We need to prepare them to take on these roles for Singapore.

4. Under this partnership, the SSC and MILO will be working together closely to develop sports and sports awareness among the youth of Singapore. Suresh is going to share more details with you on this exciting collaboration shortly. So I will say briefly that I firmly believe this partnership will spur the growth of Singapore's pool of athletes overall and this in turn will boost our efforts in high performance. If Singapore is to excel in the international sporting arena, we first need athletes with talent and development potential.

5. The signing of this MOU comes at a time when Singapore is working hard as a nation to step up its preparations to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in August. I hope that through initiatives such as this MOU between the SSC and MILO, more youths will be interested in sports not just to play but to volunteer, officiate and coach. We are aiming to have more young people watching the 600-plus sports events that Singapore hosts annually, including Singapore 2010.

6. Higher awareness of sports could also translate into deeper appreciation of our national and youth development athletes. We want to see the youth of country come forward in support of our Team Singapore athletes. Whether our elite athletes are competing internationally, regionally or at home, they need to hear your voices, cheering them on. You should never underestimate the power of a supportive home crowd on the results of a game or a competition. So, we're hoping that as we raise sports awareness, we will see more spectators, supporters and volunteers.

7. I would like to thank Nestle for keeping their faith in sports and for making a significant contribution towards Singapore's youth sports development. Corporate support is the foundation of our endeavours to turn Singapore into a sports city, and I hope that more companies, big and small, will join the Sporting Singapore team. Our athletes, our programmes and our events are generating a lot of buzz here in Singapore and, increasingly, in the region and internationally. The value of the Sporting Singapore brand is rising as we set new standards in events management, athlete performance and sports development.

8. Nestle has been a part of Singapore's sporting heritage for the past 60 years. With their continued help, Sporting Singapore is shaping the youth of today for tomorrow's sporting needs.

Thank you.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Ronda Ng
Fulford PR
DID: 63245293
Email: rng@fulfordpr.com

Tanty Nazlianah Rosli
Singapore Sports Council
DID: 6500 5241
Email: tanty_nazlianah@ssc.gov.sg

Samantha See
Fulford PR
DID: 6324 9316
Email: ssee@fulfordpr.com

About Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is Singapore's lead agency tasked with developing sports in Singapore. Our vision is to create a Sporting Singapore where Sports is a way of life. The SSC aims to develop sports champions and create enjoyable sporting experiences for Singapore through the three strategic thrusts of cultivating a sporting culture, achieving sports excellence and creating a vibrant sports industry. Formed on 1 October 1973, the SSC is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Please visit the SSC website at Singapore Sports Council for more information.

About Nestle Singapore
NESTLE Singapore (Pte) Ltd, established in 1912, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NESTLE SA, the world's largest food company. Headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, NESTLE employs over 283,000 people in factories and operating offices in almost every country around the world. NestlE aims to be the leading Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company in Singapore. NESTLE's range of products in Singapore include MILO, NESCAFE, MAGGI, YANG SHENG LE, NESCAFE, MILO, NESPRAY, NESTLE OMEGA PLUS, MOVENPICK of Switzerland, KIT KAT, PURINA, FRISKIES and dozens of other trusted brands that are household names and market leaders in their product categories.

About MILO Singapore
MILO is a nutritious, chocolate beverage made from the natural goodness of malt, milk and cocoa. First sold in the 1950s and locally produced since 1984, MILO contains Actigen-E, a combination of B Vitamins and Magnesium to aid in the release of energy from food. In 2006, with a reformulated recipe, MILO contains just 2% fat and 8% sugar per serve, thus attaining the Healthier Choice status from Health Promotion Board. As Singapore's favourite energy drink, more than 1 million cups of MILO are given free to Singaporeans annually through various sports and community events.

MILO has been championing youth sports development in Singapore since 1950s. Through sponsorship of various sports events with institutions such as the Ministry of Education School Sports Council programmes, Singapore Sports Council, People's Association, MILO aims to nurture Singaporean athletes into national sports heroes. MILO also continues to rally and drive national support for Team Singapore athletes at international and regional events such as the South East Asian Games, 1st Asian Youth Games Singapore 2009.