Uphold the legacy of the Youth Olympics in inspiring young athletes and the youth to adopt and live by the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.
Mission
- Enable young and talented Singaporean athletes to achieve their sporting goals
- Support high-performing athletes to represent Singapore on the world stage
- Promote a healthy sporting culture in Singapore through educational activities and programmes
Olympic Creed
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.”
— Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee and the modern Olympic Games.
Board of Directors
Mr Ng Ser Miang (Chairman)
Mr Chris Chan
Mrs Jessie Phua
Mr Peter Lim
Mr Michael Palmer
Ms Chan Lay Hoon
Mr Seah Kian Peng
Mr Goh Kee Nguan
Dr Tan Eng Liang
(Passed away on 28 May 2023)
Mr Lawrence Leow
Mr Toh Boon Yi
Company Secretary: Ms Deborah Barker
Our Milestones
2010
22 March
The Singapore Olympic Foundation (SOF) was officially launched by Dr Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
29 June
Mr Peter Lim, a businessman, investor and philanthropist, donated S$10 million to start the SOF–Peter Lim Scholarship to help young athletes from under-privileged backgrounds to achieve their sporting aspirations.
2011
14 August
The first Singapore Youth Olympic Festival (SYOF) was officially launched to promote Olympic values and continue the legacy of the inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
16 July
189 student-athletes received the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship. Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mr Chan Chun Sing graced the ceremony as the guest of honour.
2012
10 February
The SOF and the Singapore Press Holdings provided an all-expenses paid opportunity for a young aspiring journalist to report on the London 2012 Olympics Games.
16 September
271 student-athletes were awarded the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship. Education Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat presented the scholarships as the guest of honour.
2013
19 – 23 March
The second edition of the SYOF was held at Anglican High School, Gardens by the Bay (East) and SAFRA Yishun. A total of six sports was featured.
21 May
Over 2,000 students participated in Hola Singapore!, a cultural and sports event starring 2013 Copa del Rey winners Atletico Madrid, where the students had the opportunity to learn more about the Spanish culture, and interacted and competed with top football players from the team.
22 May
The SOF–Peter Lim Charity Cup match was played between Singapore Selection and Atletico Madrid teams which raised S$800,000 for the SOF.
14 June
Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt, as guests of SOF, met fans in an up close and personal session, raising S$100,000 for SOF.
27 – 29 June
The SOF was one of the event partners for the IOC International Athletes’ Forum held in Singapore. The Forum brought the gathering of international Olympians to discuss issues and matters pertinent to athletes’ welfare. Local athletes were involved in discussion and participation where they were able to share knowledge with some of the world’s best athletes. A successful hosting of the Forum highlighted Singapore’s strengths in event organisation and enhanced our nation’s reputation as a desirable venue for international events.
1 July
More than 700 recipients have been awarded the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship since its inception including 320 at the 2013 edition. Deputy Prime Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean, who was also the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, graced the event as the guest of honour.
2014
The SOF supported the Singapore Youth Olympic Games table tennis team in additional training resources in order to successfully qualify for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
14 May
The SOF raised $450,588 through its inaugural charity golf event at the Sentosa Golf Club.
31 May – 6 June
The SYOF, which started off as a biennial event, is now an annual multi-sport festival for young athletes to experience in participating in a major games environment. Not just for elite athletes, this event reaches out to many amateur young athletes who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience the benefits and values of competing in the unique games environment.
5 July
Guest of honour Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Communications and Information, witnessed 297 student-athletes receiving the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship. Former SOF-Peter Lim scholarship recipients Amanda Lim, Muhammad Alfian, Veronica Shanti Pereira, Adam Swandi and Geraldine Chew shared insights into their lives as student-athletes.
2015
4 May
The SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship awarded more than $1 million to 373 young student-athletes. Minister for Social and Family Development and President of the SNOC Mr Tan Chuan-Jin was the guest of honour, and Singapore athletes K Jayamani, James Wong, Quah Zheng Wen, Aarya Berthier and Isabelle Chua shared their experiences with the audience.
Sixty SOF-Peter Lim scholarship recipients contributed to Team Singapore’s largest medal haul at the SEA Games of 58 gold, 59 silver and 71 bronze medals.
25 July – 2 August
A record number of 2,300 student-athletes participated in nine sports at the SYOF.
15 – 21 December
Nine student-athletes visited Valencia for a football camp as part of the SOF-Peter Lim Amunt Valencia Football Camp.
2016
20 May
308 student-athletes received the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship and met special guests Olympian Ms Logan Tom and players and legends from Valencia Club de Futbol – Santi Mina, Mathew Ryan, Jaume Domenech, Javi Fuego and Paco Alcácer, Gaizka Mendieta and David Albelda.
17 June – 17 July
Two more sports – athletics and fencing – were added to the SYOF, boosting the programme to 11 sports. A total of 2,801 student-athletes participated exceeding 2015 participation rate of 2,300.
5-21 August
Sailors Griselda Khng and Sara Tan, beneficiaries of the SOF, qualified for the Olympic Games in the women’s 49er FX event.
12 August
Swimmer Joseph Schooling, a recipient of the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship, won Singapore’s first gold medal at the Olympic Games.
2017
30 May
Bumper crop of 49 athletes in the SOF-Peter Lim under-18 high performance category, a total of 335 student-athletes were awarded the scholarship. Sport climbing and ice skating athletes inducted for the first time. Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Second Minister for Defence, graced the ceremony as the guest of honour and Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra was the special guest.
30 June – 13 August
Beach volleyball and cycling introduced at the SYOF, line-up featured 12 sports.
2018
9-25 February
Cheyenne Goh, Singapore’s first Winter Olympian and SOF-Peter Lim scholarship recipient, qualified and participated in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games.
25 April
The SOF organised the second charity golf event at Sentosa Golf Club to raise monies for its programmes and initiatives.
1 June
269 student-athletes qualified for the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship and met guest of honour Ms Grace Fu (Minister of Culture, Community and Youth) and special guests Olympians Mr Koji Murofushi and Mr Joseph Schooling.
30 June – 5 August
More than 3,000 young participants competed in 13 sports in a six-week long celebration of sports, youth and Olympic values. Seven sports were held as part of the Singapore National Games.
2019
8-16 March
In a joint effort by Sport Singapore, Temasek Foundation International and SOF, the inaugural STEP Southeast Asia Youth Sports Leaders Camp (YSLC) brought 138 youths from the region to participate in an activity-filled programme that aims to forge stronger bonds and nurture a future generation of leaders through sport. Olympic table tennis champion Ryu Seung Min graced the event as special guest.
3 July
280 athletes received $781,000 with figure skating featured for the first time at the SOF-Peter Lim scholarship. A record 53 athletes in the high performance u-18 category. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat and swimming world champion and four-time Olympic champion Mrs Libby Trickett graced the ceremony as guest of honour and special guest. Mr Peter Lim was honoured by the International Olympic Committee with the IOC Trophy themed “Olympism in Action” for his contribution to Singapore sport and the community.
28 June – 10 August
More than 3,000 athletes across 13 sports participated in the eight-week long SYOF. Archery and sport-climbing were featured for the first time.
21-28 November
Co-organised by the SOF and ActiveSG Football Academy, 18 Singaporean young footballers were selected from local schools and academies to attend the SOF-Peter Lim Amunt Valencia Football Camp. Players had the opportunity to train with the VCF Academy’s coaches, learn their methodology and apply what they learnt over friendly matches with local and regional league teams. Through the cultural and football exchanges, we hope the players will gain more experience and grow to be good role models in their communities.
The SOF’s collaboration with ActiveSG for the Youth Sports Leaders Camp (YSLC) Programme marked its fifth year milestone. Over 2,000 students have participated in this youth leadership programme where they are presented mentorship and internship opportunities to apply their skills in the work environment.
2020
289 recipients from 194 schools representing 32 sports received a total of $825,000 in scholarship. 53 athletes qualified for the high performance under-18 category, including those from road cycling, ice hockey, jiu-jitsu, softball and water polo for the first time. In 10 years of the Scholarship, 2,930 recipients in 54 sports have received $8 million to support their sporting dreams.
Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Mr. Tan Howe Liang’s achievement at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games, the SOF introduced the “Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award”. This legacy award honours the most outstanding male student-athletes at the Singapore Sports School who exhibit excellence in sports, leadership, passion, integrity, moral character, and community spirit. The inaugural recipients in 2020 were Mr. Jowen Lim Si Wei (Wushu) and Mr. Nicholas Rachmadi (Triathlon).
2021
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world in 2020, leading to the cancellation or postponement of many sports events. In response, 521 Encouragement Awards totalling $452,750 were granted to primary, secondary, tertiary, and high-performance under-18 student-athletes to support their continued training and competition.
Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award
In 2021, Mr. Chan Phu Xien (Fencing) received the Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award for his exemplary sports achievements and character.
2022
A total of 589 Encouragement Awards, amounting to $733,000, were awarded across various categories in 2022 to encourage student-athletes during the pandemic.
Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award
Mr. Chan Jun Kai (Wushu) and Joel Chiu Ka Jn (Fencing) were honoured with the Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award in 2022 for their dedication to sports excellence and integrity.
Youth Sports Leaders Camp
The SOF and ActiveSG hosted the Youth Sports Leaders Camp after a two-year hiatus, bringing together 250 students from 1–4 November. The camp aimed to cultivate future youth sports leaders and administrators, covering topics such as leadership, project management, and environmental sustainability.
2023
One Team Singapore Golf Day
Held on 16 February at Sentosa Golf Club, this fundraiser event, organised by Sport Singapore and SOF, raised $489,600 from corporate and individual donors.
Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award
Mr. Maximillian Ang Wei (Swimming) and Mr. Izaac Quek Yong (Table Tennis) were recognised with the Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award in 2023 for their achievements and character.
Dr. Tan Eng Liang, a SOF Director and former national water polo player, and his family generously contributed $500,000 to establish the SOF-Tan Family Water Polo Fund. This fund aims to support and advance water polo in Singapore, adding to the Tan Family’s longstanding legacy of contributions to Singapore sports. The fund was inaugurated by Mr. Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth.
Dr. Tan, who represented Singapore at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, passed away on 28 May 2023, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in the world of sports.
STEP Southeast Asia Youth Sports Leaders Camp
Organised by Temasek Foundation International, Sport Singapore, and SOF, 132 youth sports leaders from 17 nations participated in this camp from 16–25 June, fostering values like resilience and teamwork. The participants enjoyed a campfire at the Singapore Sports Hub, a three-day cycling expedition and a visit to the inaugural Olympic Esports Week event.
In 2023, 478 scholarships totalling $1,254,000 were awarded to young athletes across all levels. The event featured Minister Edwin Tong as the Guest of Honour and badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew as a special guest.
2024
In 2024, 404 recipients across 34 sports and 148 schools received scholarships totalling $1.1 million, including 96 high-performance athletes. Minister Grace Fu, the President of SNOC, served as Guest of Honour, and Olympic champion Anthony Ervin was a special guest.
Kickboxing and roller sports were introduced to the scholarship programme, with Alexavier Koh (Kickboxing) and Keenan Brunkard (Roller Sports) as first-time recipients.