Paddlers take centre-stage at Singapore Sports Awards

Contributed by Hazwani Hasni

women's table tennis

(From left) Wang Yuegu, Zena Sim and Feng Tianwei, won the Team of the Year accolade at the Singapore Sports Awards. (Photo 1 courtesy of Singapore Sports Council)

Raffles City Convention Centre, Tuesday, June 1, 2010 — Fresh from their victory at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow, Singapore’s female paddlers took centre-stage tonight at the Raffles City Convention Centre when the local sports fraternity paid tribute to Team Singapore’s top athletes for their outstanding performances in 2009 at the nation’s most prestigious sports recognition event, the Singapore Sports Awards 2010.

Receiving the top honours at the awards ceremony was paddler Feng Tianwei, who was named Sportswoman of the Year for her stellar performance in 2009. The 23-year-old topped her sporting successes for 2009 on a high note with outstanding performances at several prestigious competitions including the HIS World Table Tennis Championships and ITTF Pro Tour China Open. She also brought home a gold medal in the women’s singles table tennis event at the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos.

The national table tennis women’s team, comprising Tianwei, Wang Yuegu, Sun Beibei, Yu Mengyu and Zena Sim, was also honoured this evening as the winner for the Team of the Year (Event) award. Under Tianwei’s captaincy, the team clinched the gold medal in the women’s table tennis team event at the 25th Southeast Asian Games. In addition, the team also flew the Singapore flag high at championships such as the World Team Cup in Austria and Asian Championships in India.

Team sports also shared the stage tonight, with 17 teams receiving merit awards. The Singapore Sports Awards 2010 saw its largest number of awardees this year in the Merit Category with the majority of awardees coming from team sports. Joining the honour roll was the mixed junior dragon boat team, who will be receiving their first-ever award. The national men’s water polo team was also honoured for their 23rd consecutive gold medal achieved at the 25th Southeast Asian Games.

Team Singapore swimmer Quah Ting Wen was also placed in the limelight tonight as she was presented with a special award — the Most Inspiring Young Athlete Award. This is only the third time a special award has been presented to an athlete in the history of the Singapore Sports Awards. Previous winners include Joscelin Yeo (2005) and the national water polo teams who were responsible for Singapore’s 40-year gold-medal winning streak at the Southeast Asian Games from 1965 to 2003.

Ting Wen’s sterling year kicked off with her bagging four gold medals at the 1st Asian Youth Games Singapore 2009, where she was also named the Most Valuable Female Athlete by the Olympic Council of Asia. She ended off 2009 by bringing home five gold medals from the 25th Southeast Asian Games, where she also received the honour of receiving the Best Female Athlete Award by the Organising Committee.

Singapore’s sailing fraternity also had plenty to cheer about with both the Sportsboy and Sportsgirl awards being presented to young sailors. At only 16, Sportsboy of the Year Darren Choy, a Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games medal prospect, is already a two-time world champion in the Byte CII category. He also brought sporting glory on home ground when he garnered the gold medal at the Asian Youth Games with a near perfect score.

Fellow sailor and Sportsgirl of the Year Elizabeth Yin, was the first female to win the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship last July. She also came up tops at the Australian Laser National Championship in 2009.

The main and merit awards were presented by Guest-of-Honour Mr Teo Chee Hean, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Defence and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), and Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).

Said DPM Teo: “My congratulations to all the winners of the Singapore Sports Awards. My thanks also go to all the stakeholders, for without the support of the coaches, families, employers, schools, NSAs, SSC, media and the sponsors the athletes would not be where they are today.

“In a little more than two months, Singapore will welcome the athletes and officials of 204 NOCs to the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. Our Team Singapore athletes will be taking centre stage in the twelve days of competition. You – the coaches, NSA officials, sports administrators from SSC, parents, supporters and even the media – all have a part to play in the Games. You can be good hosts to all the athletes, officials, media and visitors you meet at the venues. Let’s champion a smile and bring on a cheer at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games”.”

The 2010 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Trophy “Sport – Inspiring Young People” was awarded to Singapore’s first Olympic medalist, Mr Tan Howe Liang. His historic performance at the 1960 Summer Olympic, where he clinched a silver medal for Singapore, has served as an inspiration for young athletes in Singapore for over 40 years. His individual Olympic medal has proven to many youth athletes that with dedication and hard work, bringing home an Olympic medal is possible.

sportsboy sportsgirl awards 2010