Celebrating Our Champions And New Beginnings At Awards Night

17th Awards Night 2021

On 28 January 2021, student-athletes, recent graduates and key guests gathered at the Auditorium for the school’s 17th Awards Night. Though held in a much smaller scale compared to the usual Awards Night in the past years, the celebration was timely to motivate and uplift the spirits of outstanding student-athletes who have had a challenging year in 2020 with sporting events upended due to COVID-19.

The year’s ceremony was also significant with the launch of Singapore Sports School Alumni Association and two new excellence awards which offer stronger support for student-athletes, as well as build and strengthen the sport community.

Guest-of-Honour Ms Janice Yun Hui Wen, who is also the President of the Alumni Association, launched the Singapore Sports School Alumni Association alongside Mr Ong Kim Soon, Principal of Singapore Sports School and Board Chairman Ms Tan Gee Keow, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth at the ceremony.

In addition, two new awards – Annabel Pennefather Excellence Award (APEA) and Tan Howe Liang Excellence Award (THLEA) – were launched to recognise graduating student-athletes who have excelled in their sport. APEA, made possible by International Women’s Forum, was presented to Au Yeong Wai Yhann (Squash), and Eunice Lim Zoe (Table Tennis), while the THLEA, funded by Singapore Olympic Foundation, was presented to Jowen Lim Si Wei (Wushu) and Nicholas Rachmadi (Triathlon).

Award recipients recognised at the Awards Night also included the Outstanding Academic Award, MOE Edusave Character Award, and Sports Achiever Award (Secondary and Post-Secondary). The pinnacle award presented at the annual awards ceremony – the Moo Soon Chong Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award – was given to all-rounded secondary and post-secondary student-athletes who have excelled in both sport and studies, displayed exemplary conduct and are role models to their peers. Table tennis student-athletes Izaac Quek Yong and Zhou Jingyi from the secondary programme, and post-secondary student-athletes Trevor Tan XuXuan (Ice Skating) and recent graduate from the extended International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Ho Xiu Yi (Shooting) topped the list to receive the prestigious award.

Secondary 3 student-athlete Izaac Quek Yong who ranks 3rd in the world rankings for Men’s Under-15 after winning titles at the 2020 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Circuit Swedish Junior and Cadet Open and 2020 Safir International Tournament shared his thoughts on receiving the prestigious Moo Soon Chong Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award (Secondary): “2020 was an important year for me as I hit a milestone in my table tennis career by ranking third in the world. It is very special to win this award this year as 2020 was a very difficult year. I feel grateful and honoured as this award puts me alongside the many great athletes from the past. The award has also motivated me to work harder to achieve my goals.”

Recipient of the same award from the post-secondary level, shooter Ho Xiu Yi, shared similar sentiments. She said, “It has been a long eight-year journey for me as a student-athlete in Sports School. To be able to get this award as I graduate from the school serves as a sweet ending for me as a student-athlete here. As it is only given to outstanding student-athletes in the school, it is definitely a significant achievement for me.” Xiu Yi is currently working towards qualifying for the 2021 Olympic Games.

During the ceremony, Principal Ong Kim Soon acknowledged and appreciated the hard work and heart-work put in by student-athletes and staff in 2020. He shared, “Despite a quieter 2020, it was heartening to witness our student-athletes’ continued display of resilience and excellence in all aspects of life – in sport, studies and character, so I’m especially proud of our award recipients who role-model and inspire their peers to strive for excellence.”