S$1.68 million Golf-Badminton Partnership

Discussion in 'Singapore' started by Loh, Jan 30, 2005.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Who would have thought that Golf could make such an impact on Badminton in Singapore?

    Those who play both games would probably agree with me that they are poles apart. The badminton swing can really ruin one's golf swing and vice versa. Badminton is a constantly moving game whereas golf is played almost 'stationary'.

    But, over the weekend, the twain did meet, with golf giving badminton a big helping hand on the Orchid Country Club golf course. The result - the SBA, through the initiatives of its President, Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister (Prime Minister's Office) and Second Minster for National Development, and his two able Vice Presidents, managed to organize a charity golf drive to raise S$1.68 million for SBA's Players' Development Fund.

    Mr Lim was able to cajole 11 of his colleagues and Singapore's Cabinet Ministers to join some of the business luminaries to help in his efforts despite the fact that Singapore was also hosting the US$1 million Caltex Singapore Masters at the Laguna Golf and Country Club at the same time, with the likes of golf legends Colin Montgomerie (Scotland), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Lee Westwood (England) and others, participating.

    In 1999, the former Prime Minister, now Senior Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, was the one who challenged the SBA to field a team for the final rounds of the Thomas Cup in 2012. He was rightfully the guest of honour for this event and his attendance boosted the charity the biggest fund-raiser ever for a NSA and was also one of the highest for a charity golf drive.

    Mr Lim said the SBA wants to adopt a "player-centric approach" in that efforts will be geared towards giving deserving players the best - to ensure that they in turn will give of their best for Singapore and make it a great badminton nation again. When the challenge was made in 1999, Singapore did not even have a single player in the world top 10. Today we have at least two, Ronald Susilo and our women's doubles pair of Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia and although Li Li is ranked only 23rd in the women's singles, she captured the singles title at the last Commonwealth Games.

    The SBA Players' Development Fund will help young and promising players compete in local and regional tournaments, be used for awarding bursaries and scholarships and help players prepare for their post-playing careers through educational and enrichment programmes. Hopefully this Fund will continue to grow and be enlarged in the course of time by a forward-looking leadership at the SBA helm, who has now set a high standard for other sports associations to follow.

    Singapore badminton players never had it so good and we can look forward to many more young talents joining the professional ranks in years to come. :) :p :D
     
  2. Faisal

    Faisal Regular Member

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    NEWS: $1.68m raised for badminton at golf event

    Monday January 31, 8:17 PM
    $1.68m raised for badminton at golf event
    ADVERTISEMENT


    SINGAPORE: Their sport might be badminton, but instead they used golf to raise funds.
    And more significantly, the Singapore Badminton Association got Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong to get things swinging for them.

    SM Goh was the guest of honour at the "Golfing for Badminton" fundraising event on Sunday.

    Some 130 golfers joined SM Goh on the greens at the Orchid Country Club.

    It was the biggest fundraising event to be organised by a local National Sports Association.

    Together with a dinner held later in the evening, a total of $1.68m was raised.

    The money would go towards the Players Development Fund of the Association.

    "The funds will be used to create depth in the badminton teams and players in Singapore. We have a very good team now, but at the moment this team will not be able to be at the Thomas Cup in 2012. We need to create the depth, a second and third generation of players," said SM Goh. - CNA
     
  3. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Hi Faisal

    Nice to know that you keep in touch with our Badminton scene here. Wonder where you got your source of information. From the Netherlands or elsewhere! :)
     
  4. johnps

    johnps Regular Member

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    $1.68 million for Player's Development Fund

    Another article on the badminton fund raising event.


    Straits Times
    Jan 31, 2005
    BADMINTON
    Ministers and well-wishers raise $1.68m
    Charity-golf drive bonanza will go towards Players' Development Fund

    By Marc Lim

    THE Laguna Golf and Country Club may have hosted one of Singapore's premier golf tournaments in the Caltex Singapore Masters yesterday, but it was at the Orchid Country Club that some of the Republic's biggest names took centrestage.

    Eleven Cabinet ministers and over 120 well-wishers teed off to raise $1.68 million for the Singapore Badminton Association's Golfing for Badminton programme - aimed at generating funds for the SBA's Players' Development Fund.

    The large VIP turnout, who included guest of honour Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, was the biggest for a national sports association-initiated fund-raiser. The amount raised, from the afternoon of golf and a dinner, was also one of the highest for a charity golf drive.

    While not surprised by the good Cabinet support, SM Goh was encouraged by the amount raised.

    'It's a Sunday so we're here on our own time,' he said, before joking: 'It cost $100,000 to play in my flight. That's the price of playing with me.'

    SBA deputy president Sam Goi, the event's organising chairman, personally telephoned each minister to lend their support.

    Said Singapore's popiah king: 'At first, our target was $500,000. But, after we knew the ministers would be coming, we knew we can reach over a million.'

    Mr Goh - who, when he was Prime Minister in 1999, had challenged Singapore to reach the Thomas Cup Finals - added that he was pleased with badminton's progress in the last six years.

    The SBA has since set a target of reaching the Thomas Cup Finals by 2012.

    Said Mr Goh: 'They're on the right track. They can make their 2012 target but they must sustain their progress. That is their next target.'

    The money raised will help young and promising shuttlers compete in local and regional tournaments.

    Bursaries and scholarships will be awarded, and the SBA will also help players prepare for their post-playing careers through educational and enrichment programmes.

    Said SBA President Lim Swee Say, Minister (Prime Minister's Office) and Second Minister for National Development: 'We want to adopt a player-centric approach.

    'We will help ensure that our players give their best for Singapore and make us a great badminton nation again.'

    He added that when the challenge was made in 1999, Singapore did not have a player in the world top 10.

    Today, Olympic quarter-finalist Ronald Susilo features regularly among the world's top 10, Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia are ranked 10th in the women's doubles and, while Li Li is 23rd in the women's singles, she is already a Commonwealth Games champion.

    Added Mr Lim: 'Today's event showed that the support for the sport is there and that people don't mind donating if the money is put to good use.'

    Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Senior Minister of State (Trade & Industry) Vivian Balakrishnan said the SBA had set a good example.

    He said: 'It was a very successful exercise and it shows that the leadership's keen to invest for the future.

    'Other NSAs should also make such long-term plans.'


    MINISTERS WHO PARTICIPATED

    · Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong

    · Deputy Prime Minister & Law Minister S. Jayakumar

    · Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng

    · Minister (Prime Minister's Office) and Second Minister for National Development Lim Swee Say

    · Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong

    · Information, Communications and the Arts Minister Lee Boon Yang

    · Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Boon Heng

    · Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim

    ·Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam

    · Manpower Minister & Second Minister for Education Ng Eng Hen

    · Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Senior Minister of State (Trade & Industry) Vivian Balakrishnan.



    [​IMG]





    CHEQUE THIS OUT: SM Goh displaying the cheque with SBA vice-president Tan Kian Chew (left) and SBA deputy president Sam Goi. -- CHEW SENG KIM


    [​IMG]



    GOLFING FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (centre) gets ready to tee off to raise funds for badminton. -- TERENCE TAN
     
  5. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Thanks johnps for taking the trouble of reproducing the ST article for all to read. Actually I used to be able to do the same but of late, I was unable to get into their online coverage because of password problems. :p
     
  6. johnps

    johnps Regular Member

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    You are right. Now with id/password, it is quite troublesome to access the Straits Times articles.
     

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