Speech by Mr Lim Teck Yin at the Opening of Shimano Cycling World

Mr Matsui Hiroshi, Director and Senior Vice President of Shimano Inc.

Ms Kow Ree Na, Director of Lifestyle Division of EDB Singapore

Friends of the media

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning. I am delighted to be here and I would like to congratulate Shimano Inc. for the official opening of Shimano Cycling World.

2. As Hiroshi-san had said, Shimano has had a long history, and a long history here in Singapore as well. I remember when I was a school boy, not too long ago, that when you buy a bicycle, you want to say you got Shimano parts. You never really understood as young boys what that meant, but you know that if you have Shimano parts, nobody is going to make fun of you and everybody is going to look at you and say that you have got a good bicycle. And so it continues today. I just bought a mountain bike, but you made sure that the components that enable performance are the types of components that gives you the pleasure of cycling, gives you performance in your cycling, and, as was when you were a school boy, continue to allow you to boast Shimano.

3. From a Sport Singapore perspective, Shimano’s commitment to Singapore and its partnership through EDB and with Sport Singapore is a very important one in this era going forward for sport in Singapore. We are all very proud of the Singapore Sports Hub; it is a product of a partnership with the private sector. We are all now very proud of Shimano Cycling World and what Shimano is doing in Singapore to promote sport and specifically to promote cycling and the cycling culture. Again, it comes about with good important partnership with the government and with the private sector.

4. I think this is way forward for sport in Singapore, that we will always see the participation of people, the private and the public sector when we try to create new value for sports enthusiasts.

5. I am particularly delighted that Shimano Cycling World is here at the Singapore Sports Hub because the Singapore Sports Hub wants to position itself as a world-class facility attracting world-class partners and world-class fans. I am excited that Shimano Cycling World is here because it sits astride the Singapore Sports Museum. The story that is told here at the Shimano Cycling World tells the story of the evolution of the technology of cycling but as is the case with the Sports Museum, we want tell the story about a future that we dream about and aspire. What is most critical though is that the Sports Hub sits astride major connectors – connectors of public transportation, water ways, and most importantly, connectors of cycling. We do envisage that the Hub is going to be a major node in the cycling network across Singapore and we want, from a Sport Singapore perspective, to encourage cycling events, cycling activities, cycling interest groups, to come here, pass through here, find a pit stop or starting and end point at the Singapore Sports Hub, and we work very closely with Shimano Cycling World and Shimano Inc. to be able to create value for cyclists and cycling groups.

6. I think some of you may have read in the papers early on of the early enthusiasts who came to the Hub on their bicycles and said that there is no place to park their bicycles. The demand is there. And already, I think Shimano is thinking about how to contribute to that, beyond the confines of the space in this room. So we are already seeing a demonstration of how Shimano Inc. wants to be an active partner, and not just somebody who plants a flag and says ‘buy my product’.

6. Cycling in Singapore is already very popular. But there are many challenges in Singapore to develop a true cycling culture – the competition for space on the roads, the competition for space along our pedestrian walkways, the challenges of securing your bicycle, the challenges of getting to work and looking in good shape. Those are all the things that we have to overcome. But we will overcome it because cycling is becoming not just a hobby or lifestyle, it is going to be an imperative.

7. There is a National Cycling Taskforce consisting of several public agencies who have come together to discuss how we can make cycling a serious form of commuting in Singapore in the years to come. So once again, we cherish partnerships and the ones we have established with Shimano. Great ideas, great technology and most importantly, relationships that will allow us to create new value in Singapore in a world-class environment.

8. Thank you very much and congratulations once again to Shimano.