S’pore Swimming Association inks sponsorship deal with Liberty insurance

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) has secured a four-year cash and in-kind sponsorship deal with Liberty Insurance.

The bulk of the sponsorship, which runs till 2020, will go towards supporting the association’s initiatives to groom the next generation of swimmers.

In addition, Liberty Insurance has been named as SSA’s official insurance partner, and this will see it provide coverage for athletes, staff, volunteers, technical officials and spectators.

Speaking at the sponsorship’s contract signing ceremony at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on Friday (Feb 17), SSA president Lee Kok Choy expressed his belief that this deal would go a long way in helping the association develop its youth swimmers.

“Beyond insurance, this four-year partnership will also see us working together to raise the overall profile of our SSA athletes in Singapore,” said Lee.

“We want to build on the momentum of support for our athletes following the Olympics, as part of this partnership we will be looking at marketing campaigns and other opportunities to profile and continue to build the next generation of medallists and champions for Singapore.”

Chang Sucheng, CEO of Liberty Insurance Singapore, added: “This partnership brings about several synergies, and highlights some fundamental values, such as a commitment to focus on the future, which both SSA and Liberty Insurance strongly believe in.

“The SSA has a very ambitious vision for aquatics, one in which we believe they have the infrastructure and people on board to achieve. We’re delighted to be able to come on board and help them make their vision a reality.”

This sponsorship was also welcomed by national swimmer Pang Sheng Jun, who said: “I’ve represented Singapore at many local and international competitions and this made me realise the importance of being protected – especially at large-scale events.

“So having proper insurance and protection will definitely allow me to compete with a peace of mind, and just focus on doing my best for the country.”

As part of the deal, Liberty Insurance was announced as the title sponsor of this weekend’s National Time Trials.

Along with last month’s TYR National Time Trials, this upcoming competition will allow competitive swimmers aged eight and above to participate without needing to meet a qualifying mark.

Following the signing ceremony, SSA and Liberty Insurance held a swim clinic for 88 participants who will be taking part in this weekend’s time trials.

This sponsorship with Liberty Insurance represents another coup for the SSA in its quest to transform Singapore into a world-class aquatic nation.

Last year, it inked a record S$1.6 million cash and in-kind five-year deal with apparel company TYR, which to date represents the association’s largest sponsorship tie-up.

In total, the SSA has secured over S$4 million in sponsorship since 2014. It currently also counts the likes of OCBC Bank, Neo Garden Catering, Volkswagen, Yakult and 100Plus among their corporate partners.