New SPEX Scholarship for top athletes

SINGAPORE: Amid calls to boost excellence in sports, a new Sports Excellence (SPEX) Scholarship will support an elite group of top athletes with living allowances, starting in 2013.

This was announced in Parliament on Friday.

S$40 million will be set aside for this in the next five years. It will support some 60 national athletes in various sports, and all athletes —— including the disabled —— are eligible.

The scholarship is part of a new High Performance System (HPS) that is expected to provide more comprehensive support for national athletes.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said: "Those who are not under the scholarship will still get support through the HPS, so the scholarship is just one part of it.

"There’s a broader range of support that the HPS will offer. That includes coaching, sports medicine, sports science and training allowances.

"We will also look at collaborations with overseas teams and sports organisations to enable our athletes to gain valuable experiences through competitions and exchanges. Overall, we expect the HPS to benefit more than 1,000 national athletes annually."

—CNA/ac