Manulife ActiveSG SwimSafer Programme Media Conference

30 May 2014

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Speech By Mr Lim Teck Yin:Manulife-ActiveSG SwimSafer Programme Media Conference

Mr Naveed Irshad, President & Chief Executive Officer of Manulife Singapore
Friends from Manulife
Sport Singapore and ActiveSG colleagues
Members of the media
Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

A very good morning to all of you.

I am very happy to be here today to mark an important milestone for Sporting Singapore.
Some two years ago, we embarked on a journey to help everyone Live Better Through Sport. We called it Vision 2030, and among the outcomes we set out to achieve were to:
i. Extend the reach of sport programming to all Singaporeans; and to
ii. Better engage Corporate Singapore.
Today, we are able to further our efforts in both aspects as Manulife becomes the first corporate sponsor for a national water safety programme (SwimSafer). We are excited to have Manulife on board in sharing our vision and journey towards a safer sporting environment for all. Manulife’s involvement in this national water safety programme is also a reflection of how companies are recognising the potential of sports both in its value, and reach to their target audiences.

About SwimSafer

We launched SwimSafer in March 2010 to help children of all ages and abilities develop water safety and swimming skills. The programme has seen great success ever since:
i. Over 170 primary schools participate in SwimSafer annually today;
ii. The programme is carried out at all 25 ActiveSG swimming complexes; and
iii. Has certified over 80,000 students to date.

Engaging Corporate Singapore in Sport

I am excited to see SwimSafer grow further with Manulife’s support over the next three years. Their sponsorship will go towards funding at least 40 outreach programmes conducted by ActiveSG to schools and at our network of sports centres each year. Beyond this funding, I understand that Manulife also plans to dedicate more resources to engage youth on water safety in a more fun and engaging manner, through skits and interactive souvenirs for instance. This is in line with the spirit of co-ownership and co-creation – exactly how we hope to continue engaging Corporate Singapore and the rest of the community in sport. Through co-ownership, we hope to heighten awareness; invoke interest; and encourage participation in sport.
Through the launch of ActiveSG, the national movement for sport, SportSG aims to expand the opportunities available to people from all walks of life to experience sport more meaningfully. Indeed, Swimsafer and today’s partnership will play an integral role towards the success of our enhanced programmes under ActiveSG.

Conclusion

I would like to thank Manulife for joining us in this journey to help Singaporeans live better through sport. I hope that through this partnership, we can get to know each other better and seed more opportunities for collaboration.
Thank you.