Welcome Address By Mr Richard Seow at The 18th Singapore Straits Regatta

Welcome Address By Mr Richard Seow, Chairman, Singapore Sports Council, At The 18th Singapore Straits Regatta

WELCOME ADDRESS BY MR RICHARD SEOW, CHAIRMAN, SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL, AT 18th SINGAPORE STRAITS REGATTA THURSDAY, 26 JANUARY 2012, 7.20PM, AT THE ONE15 MARINA CLUB

Mr Ng Ser Miang, Vice President of the Singapore National Olympic Committee and Patron of the Singapore Sailing Federation

Dr Ben Tan, President Singapore Sailing Federation

Mr TAN Kay Toh, Commodore Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, Organising Club for 18th Singapore Straits Regatta

Mr Arthur TAY, Chairman One Degree 15 Marina Club, Host Club for 18th Singapore Straits Regatta

Mr Werner TRACHSEL, Chairman Organising Committee

Distinguished guests and sailors

A very good evening.

1 I'm pleased to be with you here today at the 18th edition of the Singapore Straits Regatta (SSR). On behalf of SSC and the Sporting Singapore fraternity, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our international friends and competitors.

2 Your participation here today goes beyond the spirit of healthy competition. It exemplifies how events like SSR help to grow and develop the sport of Sailing, not just in Singapore but in the region.

3 Few sports have had as great an impact on history as sailing. Sailors made the world a smaller place, long before the telephone or the internet did. Today, sport brings the world together to build friendly rivalries and business relationships even as we fulfill our competitive spirit.

4 In recent years, Sporting Singapore has been privileged to host several top-class sailing events right here on our shores: from the Volvo Ocean Race pit stop in Singapore in 2010, here on Sentosa, to the final of the Extreme Sailing Series as well as the Audi Ultra Yacht, both at Marina Bay, and the current stopover of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race at the new Marina at Keppel Bay.

5 Sailing is good for Singapore. Not only do events such as SRR add vibrancy to our sporting calendar, they give Singaporeans more reasons to cheer our sportsmen and women and they inspire a new generation of champions. In the past decade, our younger sailors have continued to fly our flag high on the waters of the world.

6 Most recently, our optimist sailors made a clean sweep of all 4 world titles at the World Championships in New Zealand. Rising above a fierce pool of 210 sailors from 48 countries, our sailors displayed the core essence of the Singapore way. A winning spirit, combined with a respect for teamwork and a love for country can bring to life the sporting aspirations of a nation.

7 Their road to international excellence is also a tribute to Singapore Sailing Federation, its pathway development programmes for athletes and its strong support from affiliates and sponsors. Anyone involved in the sailing world knows that sport is one of the most powerful tools to connect with employees and clients. SSC has been exploring ways to forge a closer relationship between sport and Corporate Singapore Our Vision 2030 project is mapping the value of sport to Singapore in the years to come and how the best principles of sport align with corporate strategy.

8 Many of you here have invested personally in sport. I urge you to join the Vision 2030 conversation at our website: www.vision2030.sg. Tell us what sport can do for you.

8 I would like to commend this year's organisers, the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club for making the 18th SSR a success. As the oldest sailing club in Singapore, the RSYC has played an integral role in the history and development of sailing in Singapore.

9 I must also thank the ONE15 Marina Club for their hospitality. I'm deeply impressed by the top-class facilities available for sailing. Sporting Singapore today has not one, but two award-winning marinas in Asia.

10 To our international friends here today, thank you for joining us for the 18th Singapore Straits Regatta. To the skippers and crews, I wish you good wind and fair tide.

Thank you.