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Sports

Singapore Tennis Open Welcome Party

Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Law, at the Singapore Tennis Open Welcome Party 2025 on 26 January 2025

26 January 2025
Mr Kon Yin Tong
Chairman of SportSG

Mr Keith Magnus
Chairman of Kallang Alive Sport Management

Mr Alan Goh
Chief Executive Officer of SportSG

Mr Quek Swee Kuan
Chief Executive Officer of Kallang Alive Sport Management

Distinguished Guests,
Players,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

  1. A very good evening to all of you.
  2. On behalf of Singapore, let me first do a formal welcome to:
    1. Women’s Tennis Association (WTA),
    2. President and Exec Director of Asian Tennis Federation (ATF)
    3. The teams from our Asean neighbours who will be competing in the inaugural Singapore Tennis Invitational Cup
    4. all esteemed players, coaches, staff, officials, sponsors, partners, and everyone present today.
  3. Welcome to Singapore – it’s been raining heavily, because we are currently in the middle of the monsoon season. So, it’s been wet, and a little cold (at least by our standards!).
    1. But we assure you of an otherwise warm welcome to Singapore!
    2. Your presence truly means a lot to us
    3. For all the players competing in the WTA – it is great that you are here, and it is a real privilege for Singapore to be able to stage your matches, and for fans in Singapore to be able to watch you play.
    4. To our teams from Asean, our neighbours – Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
      1. This inaugural tournament started from a conversation I had with my sports counterparts in Asean at the sidelines of the Paris Olympics. We said to one another “why not come together to compete with each other more, to lift our standards,
      2. And through sports, build stronger ties”.
    5. We in Singapore would love for all of you to have a great tournament in Singapore,
      1. and to have even better memories of your experience in Singapore to bring home.
  4. As we kick off our first international sporting event of the year at the Singapore Sports Hub,
    1. we are reminded of the electrifying WTA Finals that we were privileged to host from 2014 to 2018
      1. I had looked forward to this year-end event, every year
    2. Today, we are thrilled to have Singapore back on the WTA Tournament calendar,
      1. We will be hosting a WTA250 tournament for the next three years from 2025 to 2027
      2. and we are able to kick off this edition with a stellar list of players.
    3. Our ambition is eventually to go further, and be able host other higher tier tournaments in time to come.
  5. Indeed, one of Singapore’s sporting strategies is to host world class events on our shores.
    1. These events enhance Singapore as a choice destination.
    2. In addition, hosting world class sporting events
      1. allows our own high-performance athletes to gain experience,
      2. test themselves against the very best,
      3. and over time, measure up to higher standards of play.
  6. The Singapore Tennis Open (STO) is the latest in an already exciting portfolio of international sporting action taking place annually at the Singapore Sports Hub.
    1. We will be hosting an array of different sports.
    2. WTT Smash will be starting soon – right next to the Tennis Hub.
    3. Later this year, we will see
      1. Rugby 7s,
      2. World class badminton,
      3. World Aquatics Championships,
      4. World Para Swimming Championships
      5. FIBA 3x3
  7. I want to tell you a bit more about where you will be over the next one week.
    1. [If you look up to the screen you will see a picture of Kallang. You will see that around the area, we are building up the entire sports portfolio in Singapore.
    2. We are turning this precinct into the home of sports for Singapore.
    3. One of the upgrades will be an 18,000 seater, a state of the art indoor arena, which will be able to host world class events, including tennis.
    4. It is configured in this format for sports,
    5. But it will be easily configurable for concerts as well, for the enjoyment of all – Singaporeans, and visitors.

     

    Singapore's Commitment to Growing the Sports (Tennis) Ecosystem

     

  8. Back to the topic of tennis –
    1. We wanted to host the STO here because it is part of our strategy to host world-class sporting events,
    2. And it gives us the chance to do a whole range of levelling-up as well.
    3. But if you want to do well in a particular sport, it is not just about the players, it is about the management, about the umpires.
      1. I was so charmed to be able to see some of the chair umpires that I usually see on TV, referees, and tournament officials.
      2. Those at the front of the stage and those behind the scenes as well.
      3. All of this levelling up is so important to us in Singapore as we work with the WTA and a whole variety of different organisations, to ensure that we level up across the spectrum of talent, so that we will be able to continue hosting.
  9. Beyond just hosting international tournaments, we want our community to feel engaged.
  10. It is not just about a high-level tournament for the players or for the officials. We want to leave a legacy behind.
    1. We want the community to take part in sport with us.
    2. We want more people engaged, coming forward, and be interested in the sport.
  11. We have done something quite different this time round. We made entry into the STO very accessible
    1. STO qualifiers are free to all,
    2. and ticket prices for the main draw start from $8 for concession tickets.
    3. We hope that this will bring our fans to support our players, but also grow an interest in sporting, in this case Tennis.
  12. It was mentioned earlier that the tournaments are sold out, but there will be fringe activities around.
    1. There will be a jumbotron outside with lots of activities, and
    2. The whole place will turn into a vibe for tennis.

     

    Strategic Partnerships are important for building the Tennis ecosystem

     

  13. Finally, before I end, I would like to recall a quote from former WTA World No. 1, Ashleigh Barty who said,
    1. “We're doing it as a team. We're loving it. We're embracing it. There's no other way to approach it.”
  14. This best signifies how we in Singapore look at our partners around the world whom we are so privileged to work with.
  15. All that I have mentioned is possible thanks to the strong collaboration and the can-do spirit between the government and our many partners, who have graced us with your presence, and more importantly being generous with the talent you share with us.
  16. Partnerships like these are essential for the development of our sports ecosystem.
  17. I would like to take the opportunity to thank a few.
    1. WTA, APG, SportSG, STA, and KASM. 
I know you guys have worked behind the scenes, and late at night. No request and demand are too much for you.
    2. Laura – Thank you for being in Singapore. Your presence here has given us a calm in running a tournament that we did not experience in the past.
    3. As you know, it is the Chinese New Year week. I want to give a shoutout to the many staff who continue working day and night, sacrificing family time, because they believe in the power of sports, not just in running a world class event, but in making sure that the community feels at home.
    4. I want to thank ATF, and our friends from Asean and their regional tennis associations, and all sponsors who made this happen.
    5. It is not just financial support, but time as well.
    6. It is not just about the players and tournament, it is about the legacy that we can leave behind through the power of sports.
  18. The support we have received for this inaugural edition of the STO and the STIC is proof that our shared vision is very much alive.
  19. This is going to be the era of Tennis in this region.
    1. I want to thank ATF for working so hard to lift the standard of Tennis not just in Singapore, but in Asia.
    2. We want to assure you of Singapore’s support when you make that venture, and we want to ensure that Tennis in Asia is something to be reckoned with.

     

    Conclusion
  20. Finally, this is not just a sporting event.
  21. All of you come from different parts of the world. I welcome you warmly again to Singapore.
    1. I want you to leave Singapore, not just with match experience or with a trophy.
    2. I want you to leave Singapore with networks, friendships, and with mindshare of Singapore.
    3. I hope that you will see Singapore, tell people about Singapore, and be back again next year and the year beyond.
    4. Hopefully, when we host the next WTA Finals, we will be able to welcome you back to Singapore.
  22. It was a real pleasure to meet all of you here, and I look forward to chatting with you as we make our way through dinner together.
Speeches Sports 2025
Last updated on 11 February 2025
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