STATEMENT BY MS WONG LEE TING, DELEGATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE 72ND 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, 13 NOVEMBER 2017

Thank you Mr President,

                   I would like to express, on behalf of my delegation, our sincere condolences for the lives lost during the earthquake that affected Iran and Iraq over the weekend.  Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their loved ones.

Mr President,                

2                 Singapore is pleased to co-sponsor today’s draft resolution titled “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal” under agenda item 11.  Singapore thanks the Republic of Korea for its successful efforts in coordinating the resolution, which recognises the ideals represented in the Olympic Truce and we look forward to its adoption by consensus at the General Assembly today.

3                 The practice and perfecting of sports is a force for good in many societies.  The values of hard work, self-discipline and the determination to do better inspire the human spirit. Sports brings together people of different origins and creeds, cultures and nationalities, and enhances mutual understanding through a spirit of friendship and fair play.  This is the spirit of the Olympic games, which since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, has symbolised not only the pinnacle of achievement in sports, but also plays a crucial role in bridging communities, promoting tolerance, social inclusion, peace, cooperation and sustainable development. 

Mr President,

4                 Singapore recognises the importance of sports in everyday life.  Nationally, sports can bring together different groups of people in a spirit of solidarity and imbue a greater sense of pride in one’s country. At the community level, sports help to bring about better health outcomes. The Singapore government has therefore actively promoted sports in the country. ActiveSG, a national movement for sport, was launched to encourage Singaporeans to get active, by providing access to affordable and exciting sports activities and programmes.  In addition, to ensure that sports in Singapore remains an inclusive activity, the Disability Sports Master Plan was launched in 2016 to ensure that persons with disabilities are enabled to participate and also excel in sports if they so wished.  Recognising that sports spaces are not only places for training, but also common spaces for people to gather and connect with one another, we have also set up a master plan for sports facilities, to provide greater access to a network of sports amenities and enable people to live better through sports.

5                 We are glad to see that some of our efforts have paid off.  At the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016, Team Singapore had done us proud by achieving our best ever result of two Golds and a Silver, by Paralympian swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh.   2016 was also a milestone year for Singapore, as Joseph Schooling won Singapore’s first Olympic Gold medal.  These achievements show that success knows no boundaries.  Any individual, from any country, can succeed if they put their minds to it and work hard to achieve their goals.

6                 The benefits of sports also transcend national boundaries.  They can help to promote closer ties and friendships among neighbours and beyond. As part of our ongoing contributions to sporting events in the region, Singapore hosted the 28^th SEA Games and 8^th ASEAN Para Games in 2015.  Our athletes participated actively in the recent 29^th SEA Games and 9^th ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  We are glad to see the many transnational friendships formed and inspiring personal stories of athletes from these events.  We look forward to supporting and participating in the series of successive Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Northeast Asia, and hope that these may be utilised as avenues to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation.

Mr President,

7                 Just as the creator of the modern Olympic Games, Baron De Coubertin once said, "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."  Sports inspires a nobler human spirit, and is an enabler of individuals and of communities.  The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has recognised the role of sports in the realisation of development and peace, in promoting tolerance, respect and empowerment of women, young people, and also the many contributions of sports to health education and social inclusion aims.  Let us continue to uphold the spirit of the Olympic Truce and aim to build a sustainable, inclusive and prosperous future for our peoples. 

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