After several breakthroughs on the international stage in recent years, Singapore Athletics (SA) hopes to field a large contingent at the 2029 SEA Games when the event returns to the Republic.
The association’s ambitions were given a boost as it announced on July 11 a five-year sponsorship deal worth $500,000 with Income Insurance, which will provide its athletes with more support and opportunities.
Known as the Income Insurance Athletes Development Fund (IIADF), the new sponsorship is an extension of an existing partnership deal between Income Insurance and SA, which consists of cash sponsorship and insurance coverage for more than 120 athletes and staff.
The $500,000 deal is the largest of its kind for SA to date.
The IIADF will see an annual contribution of $100,000 towards SA to provide insurance coverage for its athletes and staff, as well as cash sponsorship to fund overseas training and competitions.
Income Insurance’s chief customer officer Dhiren Amin said: “We are delighted to work with Singapore Athletics to foster the growth of our national athletes in the international competitive arena.
“The rigour and resilience in our top athletes are commendable and we want to stand by Team Singapore in their pursuit of athletic excellence and fly the Singapore flag high at the SEA Games 2029.
“The sponsorship will expand the opportunity for SA to groom athletic talents from a younger age across multiple disciplines, giving these medal hopefuls an earlier head start to fully maximise their potential and competitive edge.”
The majority of the fund will go towards younger athletes to develop their skills and gain exposure through training programmes overseas.
Athletes in SA’s National Development Squad, who have been identified as possessing the potential to qualify for major competitions such as the SEA Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics will also benefit.
They includes youth and junior athletes aiming to qualify for SEA Youth or Asian age-group level competitions.
SAA president Lien Choong Luen said: “We are happy to be partnering with Income Insurance, and we are confident that their support aligns with our mission to promote sports excellence in Singapore.
“The new fund will enable our top and promising athletes to rise to the challenge and push themselves further to reach a new level of performance.
“With the sponsorship, we can be one step closer to achieving our goal of positioning Singapore as a top athletics nation in the region.”