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RECENT accidents in the water have prompted the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) to initiate a multi-prong plan to promote sports safety in Singapore.
Roping in 14 other organisations specialising in sports events and operating medical facilities, the working committee aims to champion sports safety practices in organisations including the National Sports Associations (NSA) and facilitate workable solutions for implementation.
This comes after recent cases of sporting mishaps here.
Most recently, a Singapore Management University sailor drowned after falling off his keelboat into waters off Raffles Marina (map pictured below). Later, investigations discovered that the undergraduate could not swim.
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| Raffles Marina |
Mr Oon Jin Teik, SSC's chief executive officer, said: "This plan is necessary to develop a comprehensive set of actions that cover all aspects of sports safety in both land and water-based sports.
"As we roll out the plan in the coming months, it does not guarantee zero incidents. However, we believe that all incidents are preventable."
Setting an example, 96 per cent of his 900 staff at the SSC are certified in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Also, the statutory board has automated external defibrillators installed in all of its headquarters and Sports and Recreation Centres (SRC).
Mr Oon added: "This is not about one organisation or one team member but everyone is responsible.
"So, we want to secure the commitment from as many key parties as possible."
As part of the sports safety plans, the Singapore Heart Foundation will be launching a new CPR personal kit on World Heart Day on Oct 12.
This is one of the measures put in place to address the issue of sudden cardiac arrest in Singapore.
Other measures include the setting up of a Safety Excellence Centre at Jalan Besar SRC (map pictured below) for dedicated safety training and a compulsory participation questionnaire in which athletes have to fulfil before being able to train or compete in competitions.
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| Jalan Besar SRC |
A tie-up between the SSC and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is also in the works. ITE students will undergo sports safety training with the SSC before being assigned to different NSAs to review their current practices.
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