Edwin Tong on investments in sports talent and excellence

The Government invests about S$70 million a year in the High Performance Sports (HPS) system. Over the last five years, these investments have been used to enable elite athletes to train in the most optimal conditions possible, and in research and development to offer new and innovative forms of support. These include technological systems to support exercise, sport science facilities, training programmes and coaches. The Government will commit to a high level of funding to the HPS system. A significant portion of funding goes to supporting athletes directly, in areas such as daily expenses, training, competitions and sports medicine. The Sport Excellence Scholarship has been given to 168 able-bodied and para athletes since it started in 2013. There are currently 76 scholarship holders. Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong highlighted the various initiatives and efforts in reply to MPs' questions in Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 12). He said the Government's support for sports excellence is holistic, comprehensive and all-round for both the system and athletes.  *Audio issues inherent from source