Welcome Address By Mr Lim Teck Yin at The Memorandum Of Understanding Signing Between SSC And SMU

Welcome Address By Mr Lim Teck Yin, CEO, Singapore Sports Council, At The Memorandum Of Understanding Signing Between SSC And SMU

WELCOME ADDRESS BY MR LIM TECK YIN, CEO, SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL, AT THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING SIGNING BETWEEN SSC AND SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY SUNDAY, 26 FEBRUARY 2012, 11.45AM -12.30PM, AT SILOSO BEACH, SENTOSA

Professor Arnoud De Meyer, President, Singapore Management University

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1 Good morning and thank you for inviting me to join you for Waikiki 2012. As I look around, I am delighted to see all of you out here enjoying sports. The Singapore Sports Council is also very pleased that with the signing of our MOU today, all of you will have more opportunities to play, train and develop through sports.

2 For SMU students, the leadership and team skills you learn on the sports field will undoubtedly be important for you when you graduate and embark on your careers and begin to lead a team, a division or a company.

3 Playing sport will nurture a winning spirit and fuel your drive to succeed. Sport trains you to strategize, plan, prepare and compete; and when you are done with the first game you will have to decide whether to stick with your tactics, and when to switch the play. Do you adjust the plan, or do you change your strategy? Over time you will begin to see that this way of thinking, this behaviour, has become very much a part of your DNA and you will be ready for the challenges that you will face in the years ahead.

4 Last July, the SSC and the MCYS launched the Vision 2030 project to explore how sport could be used as a strategy to develop individuals and teams, the community, business and nation. For youths, we began looking at how sport could unlock your potential.

5 Last week, the Vision 2030 committee released the preliminary recommendations after consulting with the public, private and people sectors. From the 300 or so ideas gathered from 2,500 people, we better understand the sporting aspirations of our younger generation. You called for more sporting spaces, you asked for greater access and the opportunity to pursue the sport of your choice. Our partnership today could therefore not have come at a better time.

6 As part of this partnership, we will be extending our network of sports facilities so that you can achieve better integration of school and sports. This collaboration will open the door for greater access for you and achievement by you. With Vision 2030, we want to create more opportunities for you to play competitive sport according to your abilities and skill levels, so that you will develop habits for life. I played sport in school, but I did not reach my potential as a water polo player until I reached university. That is where it all came together for me: the coaching, the team, the camaraderie, and the achievements. I learned much through sport and I am sure that you will too.

7 Finally, I would like to urge you to join the Vision 2030 conversation at www.vision2030.sg. This is about your future and how you would like sports in Singapore to develop to serve you better in the years ahead.

8 I want to thank SMU for embarking on this journey with us and for believing that sports has enormous potential for all of us. Live better through Sports.

9 Thank you.