Singaporeans get set to sweat as bigger GetActive kicks off
SINGAPORE — The 12-day movement aimed at spreading a love of sports among the public will boast around 50 more activities this year, with a nod towards greater inclusivity and more ground-up initiatives.
GetActive! Singapore, which was launched yesterday in the lead-up to National Day, boasts 291 sports-related events under the Active Enabler programme — which supports community-led sporting projects through grants and endorsements — up from around 240 last year.
There are also 20 sports and 10 para-sport competitions which will be held as a prelude to the biennial Singapore National Games, to be held next year.
Last year’s games, which were held in conjunction with the first GetActive! Singapore, featured 21 sports, including five para-sports.
Speaking to reporters at yesterday’s GetActive! launch — which was part of Car-Free Sunday — Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu said she was heartened to see the initiative growing.
“The inclusivity (of the movement) is also something I’m very happy to see,” she said, noting that there was something for everyone at the festival.
“We saw sports catering to the disabled. We saw sports where the disabled and able played together. This is a very good development. We like to see this going on and sustained in the long run.
“This is going to be an annual season for us and with each season, we hope to see more people join us, more sports, more corporates bringing their employees in to embrace an active lifestyle the week before National Day.”
Yesterday, 10,000 participants arrived early at the Padang. Some took part in a 5.2km walk/run which was flagged off by Ms Fu.
In a series of activities, participants young and old visited the various stations dotted around the area.
Some tried their hand at traditional games like congkak and carrom, while hundreds of elderly people practised tai chi.
Others watched their children play football, while some families spent the morning cycling around the downtown area.
To commemorate 50 years of National Service, sporting company SuperFit Global set up an obstacle course with features modelled on those seen in NS training — such as the low rope, monkey bars and low wall.
One business present was transport company ComfortDelGro, which was represented by 1,000 people — of whom 330 were cabbies.
Mr Ang Wei Neng, chief executive officer of ComfortDelGro’s taxi business, said it was a good opportunity for its drivers to exercise together, especially because “cabbies drive all the time”.
Some participants told TODAY that the event was a chance to work up a sweat with friends or family.
Retiree Hakim Bookwala, 70, who tried out the obstacle course with his daughter, felt that it was good “to try different sports” and said some of the activities reminded him of his National Cadet Corps days back in India.
Mr Dex Yuen, who was accompanying his seven-year-old son to the ActiveSG football academy, said the festival activities were “good for all Singaporeans to come together to sweat it out”.
A cabby, who wanted to be known only as Mr Pang, said: “It’s nice to come out (and) get some exercise with my family. It’s a nice break from work.” GetActive! Singapore activities will run until National Day.
