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.