STATEMENT BY MS NOELLE TAM, DELEGATE TO THE 78TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON AGENDA ITEM 11 - SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE: BUILDING A PEACEFUL AND BETTER WORLD THROUGH SPORT AND THE OLYMPIC IDEAL, PLENARY, 21 NOVEMBER 2023

Mr President,

1 My delegation thanks France for coordinating the draft resolution titled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”. Singapore is pleased to continue our co-sponsorship of the draft resolution, which calls for the use of sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation, and welcomes cooperation to maximise sport’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Singapore also looks forward to participating in the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, and we wish France every success in its preparations.

2 Singapore takes immense pride in our long history with the Olympic movement. Our athletes have been competing at the Olympic Games even before our country achieved independence in 1965. In fact, our first Olympic medal came from Mr Tan Howe Liang, who won a silver medal in weightlifting at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Sport has indeed helped to build the spirit of our nation.

Mr President,

3 Singapore believes that sport can be a valuable tool in our common quest to achieve sustainable development. We can harness sport to promote health, well-being, and lifelong learning opportunities for all, which align with Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4. Singapore has implemented a national initiative over the past decade called SportCares, which enables everyone in our society, including the most vulnerable to experience and reap the benefits of sport. Last year, SportCares launched the Youth Mentoring Programme for youth-at-risk. It also launched a partnership scheme with Social Service Agencies that serve persons with disabilities, to facilitate membership sign-ups and encourage access to sports centres. The scheme is aimed at encouraging increased organised sports participation by persons with disabilities.

4 Singapore recognises that engaging in sport instils values that go beyond the scoreboard—values such as discipline, resilience, teamwork, and fair play. The lessons learned on the playing field become life skills that individuals carry into their personal and professional lives. Sport can also help to shape national identity, and to forge camaraderie amongst our citizens.  For example, Singapore has built a network of Sports Centres, many of which are made free or available at low-cost. They have become hubs of community interaction, fostering a sense of belonging and shared purpose.

5 Sport is also a unifying force within our region of Southeast Asia. Over 6,000 athletes, including many from Singapore, participated at the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games and ASEAN Para Games hosted by Cambodia in May this year. ASEAN also views sport as integral to advancing socio-cultural development and promoting peace. At its seventh Ministerial Meeting on Sports in September, ASEAN reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the ASEAN Declaration on leveraging the role of sports in ASEAN Community-building and achieving the SDGs.

Mr President,

6 Under the Olympic ideal, everyone is equal, regardless of their cultural background, gender or socioeconomic status. This is how, despite the many troubles facing the world today, sport continues to foster a sense of belonging and unity, bringing people together in pursuit of a common goal. In this vein, the UN and the Olympic Movement can be said to be based on similar principles – friendship, respect, and sportsman-like competition on a level playing field. Both seek to build a stronger international community that promotes tolerance and fair play. In this spirit, let us work together to create a more prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable world for all.

7 I thank you.

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