Young NTUC Sportacular! - NTUC's First All-Inclusive Sports Day for Everyone
20 October 2007
Media Release
1. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) held its first all-inclusive multi-sports event on 20 October 2007, Saturday, at ITE College East to promote an active sporting and robust lifestyle among members and their families.
2. Health is wealth. With a longer life expectancy, it is vital to maintain a healthy body and active mind to ensure that as we live longer, we also lead better lives. By keeping fit and healthy, not only can we work longer for greater financial security in old age, we can also continue to engage in activities that we enjoy.
3. Mr Sidam Baram Visvanathan, a 51-year-old Assistant Administrator at the Institute of Mental Health, who took part in the Street Soccer said, “"I have always been playing football to keep fit. I enjoy the sport as it keeps me active and I can also catch up with my friends regularly. Working at a health institute, I am clear on the importance of staying physically and mentally healthy. I hope the HSEU[1] team will do well at the Young NTUC SPORTacular!"
4. As Young NTUC SPORTacular! was open to members’ families and friends to engage in other non-competitive games and activities, it was a social interaction platform for all to play together. To the players, the inter-union competitions provided them with an opportunity to know people in other organisations and sectors.
5. Mr Chew Beng Kee, a 45-year-old badminton player from NTUC Income, said, “The Income team has learnt to focus on one another’s strengths. We have also made new friends from the other unions and we look forward to meeting them in future competitions as well. Whatever the results may be, the camaraderie is already a prize for us.”
About Young NTUC SPORTacular!
6. Young NTUC, the official youth wing of NTUC, organised the multi-disciplinary sports event with the support of NTUC Club’s Sports and Wellness Department. Building on the inter-union games held annually since 1998, Young NTUC SPORTacular! was the first-time all games were combined into an event.
7. In the run up to Young NTUC SPORTacular!, nearly 1,000 members of the NTUC family participated in the preliminaries of the nine sports[2]. At the Saturday event, 450 competitors from 25 unions (including the staff of NTUC Income Insurance Co-operative Limited) vied for top spots in the semi-finals and finals of the games. In addition, about 1,000 spectators, mostly families and friends, turned up to cheer for them.
8. About more than 30 veterans who were above 40 years old participated in the seven-aside soccer tournament, 100-metre swimming and 100-metre track race. Mr Abdul Jabar, a 50-year-old member of Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union, said, “I have always enjoyed running and when I heard about this event from my union, I signed up with my colleague Nathan. This is the first time I have such an opportunity in a long while and my family is thrilled that I am participating. I hope I can do well!”
9. And it was not just the young people and grown-ups having a field day at the event as about 30 pre-school children from the NTUC Childcare Co-operative Limited also participated in a Kids’ Telematch.
10. Winners for the day walked away with more than 50 prizes with a total worth of $10,000. An Overall Champion and the Best Supporters' Contingent were also declared.
11. Besides competitive games, there were also free clinics and demonstrations for those who were interested in rock-climbing, gateball, floorball and petanque; as well as a carnival for visitors to enjoy fun-filled activities and delectable food.
12. “Our key message is that an active lifestyle is fun and possible, whatever our ages. Not all our participants will win a trophy today. But we want all of them to win in the challenge against an inactive and unfit lifestyle,” said Mrs Josephine Teo, Director of Youth Development Unit, NTUC and Advisor to Young NTUC.
13. The Guest-of-Honour for the event was NTUC Secretary-General, Mr Lim Swee Say. Besides presenting the prizes to the winners, he also took part in the Novelty Soccer Penalty Shootout.
14. More information on Young NTUC SPORTacular! is available at the following website: http://www.youngntuc.org.sg/sportacular/index.htm.
M
rsJosephine Teo
Director, Youth Development Unit
and Advisor, Young NTUC
National Trades Union Congress
# # #
About National Trades Union Congress
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions in the industrial, service and public sectors representing 500,000 workers in Singapore. NTUC comprises 63 affiliated unions, 6 affiliated taxi associations, 9 co-operatives and 6 related organisations. NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement. NTUC's vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars, all ages and all nationalities. For more details on NTUC, please visit our website at www.ntuc.org.sg
About Young NTUC
Young NTUC was launched on 30 April 2005. Formerly known as the NTUC Youth Committee, Young NTUC is the official youth wing of the National Trades Union Congress. With 135,000 members below 35 years old, Young NTUC is the largest youth movement in Singapore. Working with the youth chapters of the 63 NTUC-affiliated unions, Young NTUC aims to reach out to the young workforce in Singapore, representing them as a voice and thus helping to advance the cause of the Labour Movement. More information is available at www.youngntuc.org.sg.
# # #
[1] HSEU: Health Services Employees’ Union.
[2] Refer to Annex A for participation rate for each sport.
