Emerging sports tchoukball and pickleball welcome greater support in Budget 2024

SINGAPORE: The associations of emerging sports including tchoukball and pickleball have welcomed the government's plans to give greater financial help to support national athletes.

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (Feb 16) announced in his Budget speech that the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) will get a S$20 million (US$15 million) boost.  

The fund, which provides dollar-for-dollar matching for donations towards Team Singapore athletes, will also be extended to the end of financial year 2027.

In addition, the scope of donations will be broadened to cover those in emerging sports like tchoukball, pickleball, and powerlifting. 

HELP ATHLETES FOCUS BETTER

Mr Delane Lim, president of the Tchoukball Association of Singapore, said that the move means athletes can focus on training instead of worrying about their livelihood.

“Our athletes will not be too stressed trying to fundraise their own airfares and their competition fees,” she said.

“In the past, they have been raising their own funds. The association has limited resources but right now, with this OTSF matching, we are working hard to look at donors, as well as corporate partners, brands and merchant associations, to come on board to help us to realise our dreams.”

There are over 2,000 active tchoukball players in Singapore, and more funding could help expand the pool through outreach programmes at the grassroots level and scout for fresh talent.

“As tchoukball was not that recognised in the past, there have not been a lot of activities organised to let more people know about tchoukball. Now, we will organise more community events so that people can come and try out (the sport),” said national player Tan Wan Ying. 

The sport made headlines last year after a series of stellar successes on the world stage. The women’s national team is currently ranked world number one, while the men’s team is number three.

BOOST COACHING STAFF 

Pickleball's national body in Singapore hopes that with the extra funding, it can hire more experienced coaches from overseas to boost local talent.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of pickleball players locally has grown more than threefold to about 5,000.

“As with many other sports, having the right level of coaches is usually the most difficult to obtain. With additional funding, we can build a team of coaches,” said Mr Chong Siew Tan, president of the Singapore Pickleball Association.

“We can also start looking at building an academy where we get a lot more youngsters to come and join the programme. When we need to send people for competitions, we can select among those people in the academy.”

The association is also looking at how it can raise funds more actively in the coming months as it aspires for a permanent training facility and to host international tournaments.

Mr Wong said on Friday that the fund will include SportCares, which provides opportunities for vulnerable children and youth, those with disabilities, and seniors to participate in sporting programmes.

There are also plans to bring more major sporting events here so that national athletes can compete on an international level on homeground and allow Singaporeans more avenues to show their support.