Partners and colleagues
Principals, Teachers, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.
Introduction
1. A very good afternoon to all of you. Welcome to the 2023 National School Games (or NSG) Opening Ceremony for the Singapore Primary Schools Sports Council and the Singapore Schools Sports Council. I am particularly glad that this year, we are able to run the full NSG calendar, unlike in the past 3 years, when the Covid-19 pandemic truncated the NSG calendar to different extents.
Inspired by Sporting Values
2. Indeed, the pandemic had presented us with unprecedented challenges.
- All of us had to change the way we live, work, and even play.
- As a nation, we stood together and overcame the crisis of a generation.
- What helped us emerge stronger from the pandemic are values such as resilience and teamwork.
- Today, as we celebrate sports, it is an apt reminder that sports provide a natural and authentic context for developing these same values.
3. Many of you are sports fans. In supporting your favourite teams or athletes, you are also supporting the spirit of resilience and teamwork, and of never giving in even when the odds are heavily stacked against them.
4. We also see such fighting spirit and tenacity among our Singaporean athletes who do not give up in the face of adversity. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, our national table tennis player Feng Tianwei, whose training had been affected by injuries, was 3-0 down in the best-of-7 singles final but fought back to win the gold medal. Badminton duo Terry Hee and Jessica Tan battled against a higher-ranked team from England on their home ground, and made history by winning Singapore's first gold in the badminton mixed doubles event at the Commonwealth Games.
5. We are inspired by the journeys and struggles that others overcome, and they in turn spur us to embrace the same spirit. As the Olympic creed rightly states "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well." We have many of these stories in our NSG competitions as well.
6. Like many student athletes, the Primary 6 Netball girls at New Town Primary School and River Valley Primary School were excited at the resumption of NSG last year.
- Unfortunately, the Senior Girls from both schools did not have sufficient players to field a team.
- Two weeks before the first match, their teachers made the bold decision to form a combined team.
- Camaraderie and teamwork developed quickly both on and off the court – the teachers, coaches and students adapted quickly; everyone put the team above themselves; and friendships blossomed.
- With only four combined training sessions, the girls from both schools worked really hard and emerged second runners-up for the South Zone Netball competition.
7. Last year, due to the Covid-19 Safe Management Measures for team sports, the Rugby team from Greenridge Secondary School had to adapt quickly to the change in competition format from 15-a-side to 7-a-side competition.
- While the skills required were similar, they had to unlearn and relearn new tactical strategies to adapt to the new format.
- Their can-do attitude saw them emerge as Champions in the B Division Rugby Bowl Championships. I am confident that we will hear many more inspiring stories in NSG 2023!
Enhancing Sports Opportunities
8. This year, the National School Games will see some changes in competition format for the Senior and C Division tournaments with the introduction of the Classification and League competitions instead of the traditional Zone and National competitions.
- Table Tennis, Tennis and Water Polo will compete using the classification and league format with other sports joining from 2024.
- With this change in competition format, our students will have increased opportunities to play the sports in the form of more matches. Most students will get to play at least six matches and more often than not, with teams of similar abilities, for a more enjoyable NSG competition experience.
9. To further enhance the competition experience for student-athletes, schools can choose to compete in NSG through Combined Teams to better meet identified educational objectives.
- Teams from 2 different schools can come together to train and compete jointly at the NSG.
- An example would be the Combined Hockey Team from Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) and Queensway Secondary School.
- Supported by ActiveSG, the boys have trained and participated together in NSG since 2019. Their collaborative efforts were rewarded when the boys came in 3rd place in 2022.
10. Another interesting development in this year's NSG will be the participation of a Water Polo team with players coming from several different schools.
- The Strategic Partnership CCA (or SP-CCA) is a collaboration between MOE and SportSG for students to participate in a CCA that is not offered by their schools.
- So far, we have SP-CCA in Water Polo and Athletics. With plans to extend SP-CCA to more sports and the inclusion of more Combined Teams, we can expect a more vibrant and exciting NSG experience, where students from different schools can build friendships and enjoy sporting competition with one another.
11. Our partner, SportSG, has been working closely with MOE to provide more opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the Sports Hub.
- Last month, some friendly football matches between schools were held at the National Stadium.
- Besides today's NSG badminton and netball matches, we are planning to host several other sports' Semi-Finals and Finals at the Sports Hub as well.
- I am pleased to announce that we are bringing the NSG Track and Field Finals back to the National Stadium after 4 years. This will provide a unique sporting experience to our students, who are the future of Singapore sports.
Acknowledging the Team Behind NSG
12. While we cherish the opportunity to participate, and celebrate our athletes and the values that they embody, let us also remember the people behind the scenes who have worked tirelessly to organise the games every year. It is a massive task to organise the NSG competitions for more than 60,000 student athletes in 29 different sports.
13. On this note, I would like to acknowledge the good work of the National School Games Organising Committees who are the main organisers of the competitions.
- Our teachers have been tirelessly supporting our students in their sporting pursuits, and ensuring their well-being and safety during practice sessions and competitions.
- Working hand in hand with our teachers are our coaches who train our students in skills and fitness while imparting values through sport.
- I would also like to acknowledge the unwavering support of parents who provide much needed psychological support for our children during the preparation periods for competitions.
- Finally, I would like to thank our officials, many of whom hold other full-time jobs but still set aside time to officiate the games so that all of you get to experience NSG.
14. Please join me in showing our appreciation to all the people who make NSG possible for our students!
Conclusion
15. As we head into NSG 2023, I encourage all students to make the best of every opportunity and experience that the games offer. Whether you emerge victorious or otherwise, the very experience of participating in the competitions will allow you to build your character, while striving for sporting excellence.
16. Finally, while we have all pulled through the pandemic of the past three years and come out stronger, the battle is not yet over. Do continue to practise good personal hygiene, be socially responsible by staying home if you are unwell, and look out for one another. Let us ensure the safety and well-being of our friends and teammates.
17. With this, I wish all our student athletes an exciting and meaningful NSG season.
18. Thank you.