• 404 recipients in 34 sports from 148 schools will receive $1.1million including 96 athletes in the high performance under-18 category
• Minister Grace Fu makes an appearance as guest of honour; Olympic and world champion swimmer Anthony Ervin attends as special guest
• Since 2011, 4,923 scholarships amounting to $11.6 million have been disbursed to support Singapore sporting talent including seven aspiring 2024 Olympians 

Singapore, 27 May 2024 – More than four hundred student-athletes received a total of $1.1 million at the Singapore Olympic Foundation-Peter Lim Scholarship awards ceremony held at Temasek Convention Centre today.  The recipients in the four categories – primary ($1,000), secondary ($2,000), tertiary ($3,000) and under-18 high performance ($5,000) – received  cash scholarships which will go towards supporting their sport and school-related expenses.

The scholarship first came about in 2010 when entrepreneur and philanthropist Mr Peter Lim donated $10 million to the SOF. He pledged an addition $10 million in 2019 to continue the Scholarship till 2030. His commitment remains the single largest donation in Singapore from an individual towards sports development in Singapore.

To qualify for the Scholarship, recipients have to meet a set of criteria, including posting consistent results in relevant sports competitions. A majority of the recipients come from financially challenged backgrounds, and have demonstrated a potential to excel in their respective sports. Recipients can use the funds to pay for their competition expenses, buy sport equipment, as well as to cover school-related expenses.

Since 2011, close to 5,000 scholarships amounting to $11.57 million have been awarded to athletes. This year, 1,299 applications from 220 schools were received. Of  these applications, 404 student-athletes in 34 sports from 148 schools qualified for the awards. The 2024 cohort also included 96 aspiring elite athletes in the high performance under-18 category in the likes of recently crowned Asian Junior medalist Jovi Loh (artistic gymnastics), Youth Olympians Amelia Chua and Ryo Ong (ice skating) and Asian Games bronze medalist Keira Marie Carlyle (sailing).

Kickboxing made its debut with Alexavier Koh from Singapore Polytechnic as its first recipient. Roller skater Keenan Brunkard became the first recipient for roller sports in the high performance category.

Sixteen-year-old Harry Irfan Curran from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) wants to follow in the footsteps of his seniors. The first-time recipient in the high performance category, who trains with national sprinter Marc Brian Louis, said, “I look up to Marc as a mentor and watching him break the 100m national record on television during the Asian Games has really inspired me to go further at training. Since 2020, I have represented my school every year at the National School Games and ultimately, I want to represent my country at the major Games. As Shanti Pereira has shown us all that it is not an impossible dream if we work hard enough for it. With the continued help and support from my coaches, mentors, family, Singapore Athletics and now the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship, I am determined to make my dream a reality.”

The scholarship has indeed become a stepping stone for many athletes to reach greater achievements. Many recipients have gone on to represent the country at major Games. At the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, five recipients won medals for Singapore including Asian Games champion, Veronica Shanti Pereira, who received the scholarship in 2014 and 2015. Shanti will be among seven former recipients who have or are trying to meet the Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualifying mark. The 27-year-old sprinter who is currently in Europe said in a video message to the recipients, “My advice is use the awards wisely – make plans you’re your coaches and support teams. In doing so, remember your goals and make sure you are doing anything and everything possible to see them through.”

Every year, a notable athlete or sport leader will attend the ceremony as a special guest to share their journey and advice to the audience. Swimming world champion and three-time Olympic champion Anthony Ervin from the United States of America shared stories from his athlete journey, and presented awards to athletes in the high performance under-18 category. Joining him on stage were Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations and President of Singapore National Olympic Council and Mr Ng Ser Miang, vice-president of the International Olympic Committee who presented awards too.

Mr Ng who is also the chairman of the SOF said, “Peter’s support has made a tremendous impact not only on sporting individuals like Shanti Pereira, Amita Berthier and Izaac Quek who will be representing Singapore at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,  but also on the sporting landscape in Singapore. Over the years, we have witnessed the growth of many young athletes as they developed through the ranks of high performance sport. Their impressive achievements have encouraged the community to continue striving for sporting excellence. We are thankful for Peter’s support in realising the potential of our young athletes particularly those with lesser resources, and we hope they continue on their meaningful journeys to achieve their goals and make Singaporeans proud.”