Disability Sports Master Plan 2024 to provide multimillion-dollar boost for the disabled (2024)

SINGAPORE – Disability sport in Singapore is set for a multimillion-dollar boost from 2025, with a new Enabling Sports Fund to be launched to encourage impactful community-initiated disability sport initiatives.

The fund is part of the Disability Sports Master Plan (DSMP) 2024, and the target is to raise at least $10 million through corporate and private donors by 2030.

Donations will be matched dollar for dollar by the Government, and this fund could cover areas such as the purchase of sport equipment, transport support for programme participants and coaching fees.

The Enabling Sports Fund is one of 10 strategic moves under the DSMP 2024, which Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong announced on the sidelines of the Singapore Disability Sports Awards at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel on Nov 20.

He said: “This DSMP 2024 is not only about increasing opportunities for persons with disabilities to do sports, but also about including the wider community to learn about diversity and for them to, in turn, embrace acceptance, fostering closer and deeper partnerships in the disability space.

“We have heard our disability community’s feedback and we know the needs are diverse, we know the experiences are different and to different extents, some more acute than others.

“So, we have done our best to ensure that these 10 strategic moves are broad and, as far as possible, all encompassing. It helps us to shape mindsets rather than be prescriptive about steps to take and they are not meant only for specific disability types, but to cater to the varied needs across the spectrum, so that we can meet the needs of as many persons with disabilities as possible, and make a wider impact on society.”

Stakeholders, who included new Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) patron, Temasek Trust chairwoman Ho Ching, had gathered to celebrate the inspirational stories and remarkable achievements of the Republic’s para-athletes at the awards, which saw a record-breaking 90 nominees in two categories – community, and pathway and performance.

Seven-gold Paralympic champion Yip Pin Xiu was named Sportswoman of the Year for a fifth time, while fellow swimmer Toh Wei Soong picked up his third Sportsman of the Year award, as 17 individuals, groups and organisations were recognised for their exceptional contributions to disability sport.

On top of Haw Par Corporation donating $120,000 to SDSC to support the growth of disability sport in Singapore, there were more reasons for the fraternity to cheer with the refreshing of the DSMP.

Launched in 2016, the DSMP aims to raise awareness of disability sport and expand access and opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs), contributing to an increase in the sport participation rate among PWDs from 28 per cent in 2015 to 46 per cent in 2023.

In May 2023, the Enabling Sports Taskforce, chaired by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, was formed to refresh the DSMP. Over the past year, it has engaged 850 stakeholders to further strengthen the sporting ecosystem for PWDs.

To increase accessibility to disability sport activities and programmes, DSMP 2024 aims to increase regular participation from 3,200 to 5,400, and the participation rate among PWDs to 70 per cent by 2030; expand opportunities to participate in community sport programmes and competitions; and enhance access to and within ActiveSG sport facilities to support people with different disabilities.

It also wants to enhance awareness of disability sport and inclusive sport activities by recommending all mainstream schools to conduct programmes for students to experience disability sport by 2028.

It hopes to enable more PWDs to play sport with the wider community, and improve the reach of PWDs’ stories through different stakeholders and channels.

To fulfil the aspirations of PWDs who desire and have the potential to compete at high-performance level, the DSMP is looking to establish a national training centre for para sport – which will be housed at the new Home of Team Singapore in Kallang – as well as para sport community hubs to expand sporting opportunities. It will also work on improving the competencies of para-sport coaches and support personnel.

Yip was particularly excited about the plan to introduce para sport in mainstream schools.

The former Bendemeer Secondary School student shared that her alma mater had made her feel included during physical education lessons as she joined in for frisbee sessions. This plan feels like progress for inclusivity as “for once, you play my sport, not I have to adapt to yours”.

“I really appreciate that we are trying to do a few things – create more opportunities, improve the facilities so that people with disabilities have access to more of such equipment and venues, and also raising awareness,” she said, adding that it is nice that the DSMP is constantly reviewed for the betterment of society.