30 November 2010

SSC "FUN Start, MOVE Smart!"

SSC Launches First-ever Fundamental Movement Skills Resource Guide To Boost The Development Of Physical Literacy@SSC

Children in Singapore will now receive a holistic education right from preschool with the launch of "FUN Start, MOVE Smart! The FUNdamental MOVEment Skills for Growing Active Learners" developed by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC).

2 "FUN Start, MOVE Smart!" is a resource guide that provides teaching principles, ideas and practices to help educators in their movement education classes. Specifically, the guide provides educators basic information on fundamental movement skills, recommended activities, safety tips, and ideas on integrating the skills with other domains of development. There are also several instructional tools such as cue cards and observational checklists included for educators to use.

3 Fundamental movement skills are critical in the holistic development of children aged two to ten and are the building blocks for all learning domains such as language, literacy, numeracy and social awareness.

4 Said Dr Bervyn Lee, Senior Director, Sports Pathways Development Division, SSC, "We recognise that fundamental movement skills are not age-determined but ability-driven. While the initial phase of the roll-out is focused on preschools, the teaching of fundamental movement skills is essential in our primary schools too."

5 The guide is written by Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang, an Associate Professor in Physical Education and Sports Science at the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the Nanyang Technogical University (NTU). She added, "People often assume that fundamental movement skills will develop naturally as the child grows. However, these skills have to be taught just like reading or writing. Fundamental movement skills are also crucial perquisites for the child to master more complex and specialised sports skills, for a healthy, active lifestyle later in adulthood."

6 The SSC will distribute about 1,400 complimentary copies of "FUN Start, MOVE Smart!" to all preschools in Singapore by early 2011. About 30 early childhood educators from up to 10 schools will also be participating in a pilot programme that will run from January to March 2011, where the guide will be put into practice and the results of its use will be monitored.

7 In addition, a series of training workshops targeting an initial 300 early childhood educators will also be conducted, commencing first quarter of next year. Lessons learnt and feedback received during the pilot programme will be used to frame the structure these workshops. The workshops will give educators a deeper understanding of the importance of helping children acquire fundamental movement skills, as well as guide teachers on how to best utilise the resource guide. In the first year, the Singapore Sports Council plans to reach out to more than 700 teachers, benefitting about 15,000 preschoolers.

8 Added Dr Bervyn Lee, "The SSC's aim is to give every young child in Singapore every opportunity to be competent physically. In doing so, we will be assisting the development of physical literacy, which is the foundation for an active and healthy lifestyle, sports performance, and better-rounded individuals."

9 Acknowledging the importance of the teaching of fundamental movement skills in preschools, the long term benefits and strong positive results achieved in countries like Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, the SSC plans to further scale the programme by providing parents and sports coaches with a similar guide in the near future.

10 The "FUN Start, MOVE Smart! The FUNdamental MOVEment Skills for Growing Active Learners Resource Guide" is developed as part of the Let's Play movement, an initiative by the SSC to encourage all Singaporeans to embrace sports as a lifestyle choice, be it through playing, watching, cheering or volunteering for sports.

Singapore Asian Games 2010 outcome

CDM Low Teo Ping Congratulates Contingent For A Respectable Showing Despite High Level Of Competition In Guangzhou@SSC

With 17 medals in the bag as the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 comes to a close, Chef-de-Mission Low Teo Ping today congratulated Team Singapore for a respectable showing at the quadrennial event, despite the extremely high standards showed by the competing nations, especially host nation China, which amassed a total of 383 medals, 185 of them gold [1].

2 Team Singapore returned from the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 having clinched four gold, seven silver and six bronze medals.

3 "The level of competition was very high at this installment of the Asian Games and I am proud that our athletes managed to hold their own against athletes from powerhouses like China, Japan, Korea and Iran," said CDM Low. "Although we would be happier had we achieved our medal projections, I know our athletes have put in their very best effort, and they deserve our congratulations and support. I know each athlete will return to Singapore with enriching experiences and having learnt many lessons. I am certain they will use these experiences as an inspiration for greater perseverance, pride and performances at future games."

4 CDM Low also added that the Asian Games is an important step for many of our athletes, especially the 199 athletes who made their debuts in Guangzhou. "These athletes still have a long way to go and they now know what it will take to compete and win at this level," added CDM Low. "I am sure that the National Sports Associations and coaches will be conducting their respective post mortems as soon as they return to Singapore, as they look forward to the next major competition," he said.

Making Waves in the Land of the Dragon

5 Team Singapore's first medal at the Asian Games, a silver, came in the wings of 20-year-old Butterfly specialist Tao Li. Her sterling performance in the Women's 100m Butterfly event on Day One of competition put Singapore on the medal standings on the first day of competition. Tao Li's magnificent swim in the Women's 50m Butterfly event won Singapore its first gold medal and solidified her position as Asia's number one in the category.

6 As a team, the swimmers put up an astonishing performance with two new national records broken by Tao Li and Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Rainer Ng Kai Wee, in the Women's 50m Butterfly and the Men's 50m Backstroke events respectively. They also clocked an impressive total of 14 new personal records. "We have had a very successful outing here in Guangzhou. This is a team of young swimmers, we can expect a lot more from them in time to come," said the Head Coach of the swimming team, and an Asian Games gold medallist himself, Mr Ang Peng Siong.

7 Team Singapore's sailors also added to Team Singapore's medal tally by grabbing eight medals in various boat classes including gold in both the Men's and Women's Double Handed Dinghy 420 classes.

8 The youngest member of Team Singapore's contingent, 13-year-old sailor Ryan Lo Jun Han showed that age is not a factor when it comes to winning medals. His performance in the Men's Dinghy Optimist category won him a bronze medal - a terrific start for the long sailing career ahead of him.

9 Team Singapore's bowlers also did well to contribute five medals to the total tally despite an uncertain start. Debutants Shayna Ng Lin Zhi and New Hui Fen started the bowlers' medal haul for Singapore with the silver and bronze medals in the Women's Singles event, followed by a gold medal in the Women's Trios event soon after. The last medal from bowling came from Cherie Tan Shi Hua whose spectacular showing in the Women's Master's event earned her a silver medal, bringing her individual medal tally to one gold and one silver medal.

10 Expressing his pride for the Team Singapore athletes, CDM Low said, "We may not have met our medal projections but we still managed to put up a credible performance in Guangzhou. I am very proud of all our athletes. They have done what I told them to do before we touched down in Guangzhou, and that is to display the principles of sportsmanship and uphold the values of Team Singapore."

Reaching Out to Fans on New Media

11 Throughout the Games, Team Singapore's Facebook fan page was a great source of information for fans and Singaporeans alike, who could receive minute-by-minute updates of key events during the Games, as well as updated results, photographs and quotes from the athletes and officials during competition.

12 The page, which was managed by the Singapore Sports Council's Social Media outreach team, secured more than 1.1 million post views during the 16 days of competition, or an average of about 70,000 daily post views during the competition. The Facebook page was also a good platform for fans to interact and have discussions about their favourite Team Singapore athletes.

Singapore Sports School to groom younger talents aged 10-12

Badminton boost@straits times

THE Singapore Sports School (SSP) has launched a new programme that will help it identify and pick up budding badminton talents aged 10 to 12.

By partnering with sports manufacturer Yonex, the school hopes to improve the calibre of athletes entering its badminton academy, which currently has 37 students.

The Yonex-Singapore Sports School Junior Excellence Programme, launched yesterday, will identify and groom talents aged 10 to 12. The Sports School typically takes in students only at 13, when they are in Secondary 1.

Said eight-time All-England champion Rudy Hartono, who conducted a coaching clinic at SSP yesterday: 'This programme is good because it starts players from a young age.

'When you are above 12 years, that's a bit late. It's the right time to do this at a young age. To find talented players who can reach world standards is not easy, but you have to start.

'Maybe in a few years, Singapore can get players who have the potential to reach world-class standards.'

The Indonesian former world champion, 61, has signed on as an advisory staff member for the programme, which will see Yonex provide over $600,000 in cash and kind to fund coaches and overseas training camps till 2014.

Former national shuttler Ronald Susilo has been engaged as the programme's head coach, and selection trials will be held next month.

The scheme will take in up to 42 shuttlers each year, and about 10 will be drafted into SSP annually.

Said SSP director of sports Irwin Seet: 'Sometimes, we notice students don't have all the requisite skills needed when they enter our school.

'By starting them young, this joint collaboration will help us produce better quality juniors who, when they enter the Sports School, have a better chance to succeed on the international front.'

The SSP's badminton academy received another boost yesterday when the school signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) for its Partners in Badminton Excellence (PEX) Scheme.

This will allow the academy to tap on the SBA's resources - the association will provide coaching clinics, greater competition exposure for players and assist in talent identification.

On its part, SSP will identify up to two talented shuttlers and offer academic scholarships to them.

Said SBA president Lee Yi Shyan, who is also Minister of State (Trade and Industry, and Manpower): 'The MOU reflects our mutual desire to coordinate and synergise our efforts to raise the standard of badminton training and development for youths.

'It outlines how we intend to share our best practices and limited resources to maximise development opportunities for coaches and players.

'By working together, we hope to raise the level of excellence of the sport to the highest level attainable.'

This PEX scheme is the same agreement that SBA signed with six mainstream schools earlier this year. It seeks to expand the association's base of young talents and form a pipeline to the national badminton teams.

It is understood that SSP had signed a collaborative agreement with SBA in November 2007 that was renewed annually. With the agreement due to expire, both parties agreed to collaborate under the PEX Scheme instead.

There are currently 15 SSP alumni in the national team two, which is one tier below the national squad. However, selection for the national team will continue to be based on merit and is not affected by this strategic partnership.

05 November 2010

Singapore Asian Games 2010 target

TARGET: 30 TO 33 MEDALS FOR TEAM SINGAPORE AT THE 16TH ASIAD IN GUANGZHOU@SSC

Largest Contingent To Feature At The Asian Games Will Take Part In 22 Of 42 Sports Events
Singapore, 3 November 2010 - Team Singapore is looking to better its performance by bringing home a total of between 30 to 33 medals at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou. This, if achieved, will be Team Singapore's most successful outing at the Asian Games to-date. The contingent's feature at the previous Games in 2006 saw a haul of 27 medals, coming from nine sports.

2 Team Singapore is not only sending its largest contingent (241 athletes and 120 officials) to the Asian Games since the nation's first participation in 1951, she is also increasing the breadth of her participation by competing in 22 of the 42 events featured. This is compared to only 16 sports at the last Asiad in Doha.

3 With the addition of the dragon boat team to the contingent, Team Singapore is also participating in the most number of team sports in the history of its participation at the quadrennial event, showing the depth and growth in the nation's sporting scene over the past four years.

4 Leading the team as Chef-de-Mission is Mr Low Teo Ping, Vice-President of the Singapore National Olympic Committee and the President of the Singapore Rugby Union. Mr Low is also a Vice President of the International Sailing Federation and an advisor of the Singapore Athletic Association and was previously Chef-de-Mission to the Singapore contingent in the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand.

5 The honour of carrying the Singapore flag this year rests with the celebrated female bowler Jasmine Yeong-Nathan. At the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 Flag Presentation ceremony held at Dunman High School today, Jasmine received the Singapore flag from CDM Low Teo Ping. The 2006 Asian Games gold medallist sailor Roy Tay then led the Team Singapore contingent in reciting the National Pledge.

6 Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Mr Teo Chee Hean, who is also the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, was the Guest-of-Honour at the Flag Presentation Ceremony. DPM Teo said, "I am proud to note that more team sports have qualified on merit for the Asian Games, and this year we will be sending teams to represent Singapore in five team sports events, namely in Water-Polo, Football, Rugby (Women's), Hockey and Dragon Boat where both the men's and women's teams have made the cut."

Promising Performances

7 Following Team Singapore's stellar performance at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games (where 31 medals were clinched in total), public expectations on the team's showing at the 16th Asiad are high. But the athletes are all fully prepared and raring to take on Asia's best to show that Singapore is a sporting force to be reckoned with.

8 A whopping 83% (199 out of 241) of the contingent are debutants to the Asian Games. The Team Singapore contingent is also relatively young, with 98 members who are 21 years and younger, with the youngest being 13-year-old optimist sailor Ryan Loh Jun Han. The oldest member is 49-year-old Elise Lee Shi May who is the steerswoman of the women's dragon boat team.

9 Shooting will feature 22 Team Singapore athletes in the coming Asian Games. The line-up includes Commonwealth gold medalists Gai Bin, Lim Swee Hon, Poh Lip Meng, Jasmine Ser and Aqilah Sudhir.

10 Sailing, which contributed five out of eight gold medals at the 2006 Asian Games, is looking to make a dash for gold again. 20 sailors are headed for Guangzhou this time, including Olympian Tan Wearn Haw, 2006 Asiad gold medallists Roy Tay and Teo Wee Chin as well as Asian Sailing Championships bronze medallists Siobhan Tam and Dawn Li.

11 Having done Singapore proud at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October this year, gymnasts Lim Heem Wei, Singapore's first-ever silver medalist for gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and bronze medalist David Jonathan Chan, will also be competing in the Asiad. Also in the contingent is Singapore's golden team - the table tennis team that has been participating in various competitions ever since the Commonwealth Games ended to further prepare themselves for the Games in Guangzhou.

12 Swimmer Tao Li made a splash at the previous Asian Games in 2006 when she surprised Singapore, and the world, by clinching the gold medal at the 50m Butterfly event. This time round, she is looking to defend her title, as well as make her presence felt in the other events. Team Singapore's swimming contingent also includes four young swimmers who had represented Singapore at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. They are silver medallist Rainer Ng, Clement Lim, Pang Sheng Jun and Amanda Lim.

13 "We have assembled a sterling cast of athletes for this edition of the Asian Games. I know everyone's ready to do their best and in doing so, I am certain they will bring glory to Singapore and perhaps write a new glorious chapter in our sporting history," said CDM Mr Low who hopes to see all Team Singapore athletes participate with sportsmanship high on their agenda.

14 "To our athletes - do your best to win but do not do it at all costs. It is always important to uphold the values of sportsmanship whenever Team Singapore athletes participate in any events, and when we wear the national flag across our chests."

Following Team Singapore's Action on New Media

15 For the first time in history, fans can now keep up with Team Singapore in action through SingaporeSports.tv, a free to access online portal launched by the Singapore Sports Council that will provide 'live' feeds of the sports events that feature Team Singapore athletes as they take place in Guangzhou.

16 For Singaporeans and members of the public who have missed the 'live' action, they can also log on to the online portal and click on 'Sports on Demand' to view video clips of the highlights during the Games.

17 Apart from providing 'live' feeds during major Games, SingaporeSports.tv will also feature major sporting events such as the upcoming Singapore Cricket Club Rugby 7s taking place from 5 November to 7 November, as well as the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore on 5 December.

18 Members of the public can also follow Team Singapore's recently launched Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TeamSG) which provides fans with minute by minute updates during key events at the Games, quotes, results and photographs of Team Singapore?s athletes in action. For mobile-friendly fans, the Team Singapore iPhone application is available for free, to provide event schedules, news, updates and results on the move. The free SMS alert service that provides updates will still be available through the Team Singapore website at www.teamsingapore.com.sg.