Forum: Refreshed master plan boosts disability sports opportunities
We thank the writer for his letter 'Athletes with disabilities deserve equal space, coverage and respect' (April 10) and for showing his support for athletes with disabilities.
Inclusion through sport is powerful. We believe that sport transforms mindsets and builds inclusivity, where persons of all abilities can engage with one another and create shared experiences.
The disability sport movement in Singapore has grown from strength to strength. In 2015, we hosted the Asean Para Games for the first time and also opened the first inclusive gym at the Enabling Village. A year later, we launched the Disability Sports Master Plan (DSMP) to raise awareness of disability sports and expand opportunities for sports participation among persons with disabilities.
Since then, we have made sports facilities and programmes more accessible for the disability community. Sports participation among persons with disabilities increased from 28 per cent in 2015 to 46 per cent in 2023. Between 2016 and 2023, 55,000 persons with disabilities participated in disability sports activities.
The refreshed DSMP 2024, launched in November, will further enhance the awareness and accessibility to disability sport activities for persons of all abilities. This includes ensuring that all mainstream schools conduct programmes for students to experience disability sports by 2028.
For those who aspire to achieve greater heights, we have also expanded support.
For instance, in 2022, we launched the ActiveSG Para Sport Academy for young para-athletes to train under qualified coaches. Team Singapore para-athletes have done us proud at international games such as the 2023 Asean Para Games and 2024 Paris Paralympics. It was heartening to see Singaporeans cheer and support our Paralympians during the open-top bus parade last year.
In September, we will be hosting the World Para Swimming Championships at the Sports Hub. We hope people will support our para-athletes who will compete against the best para-athletes from the world.
We will continue to identify opportunities to profile stories of persons with disabilities who play sports regularly as well as those who support persons with disabilities to do so. We hope that this will help to increase awareness of disability sports, promote regular participation, and encourage caregivers to support their loved ones to stay active through sports.
We look forward to working together with different stakeholders and the wider community, including the writer, to build a more inclusive and sustainable sporting ecosystem in Singapore.
Lim Tze Jiat
Senior Director, Sports Division
Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
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