Yip Pin Xiu, Theresa Goh bank S$450k for Paralympic feats

SINGAPORE — Theresa Goh can recall a time when news about disability sports in Singapore was not even featured in the sports section of newspapers.

But its profile has since heightened immeasurably, thanks to the continued exploits of para-athletes like herself and fellow swimmer Yip Pin Xiu.

Yip’s two gold medals at the Rio Paralympics and Goh’s maiden podium finish — a bronze-medal feat — constituted Singapore’s best-ever finish at a Games and made the front pages, helping to put the spotlight on para-sports.

Along with their fellow Rio compatriots, the duo were honoured on Wedneday night (Dec 14) at a reception ceremony at Suntec Singapore. They also received a total of S$450,000 for their feats as Yip, 24, received S$400,000 in total, while fellow swimmer Goh pocketed S$50,000 for her bronze. 

The financial rewards were given under the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) Athlete’s Achievement Award programme (AAA), where one gold medal yields S$200,000. The AAA is funded by the Tote Board and Singapore Pools.

Goh, a veteran of four Paralympics, was very “honoured” and hopes that the SNPC and Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) can build on the increased awareness of disability sports, and raise participation numbers.

“We want to see the growth and more young athletes coming into the big picture, because we cannot do this forever,” she told the local media at the sidelines of the event. “And not just at the APG (Asean Para Games); there has to be continuity and long-term goals. 

“They cannot just come for one Games and then not show up the rest of the time. It has to be a commitment and something they want to do; of course (we are) not forcing anybody to do it, but we want to see growth in our sport.”

Yip, who won Singapore’s first-ever gold medal at an Olympics or Paralympics at Beijing 2008, hopes para-sports can move to the next level.

“We envision it having a bigger base of people, so when we want to pick a few for the elite level, there will be people,” she said. 

With 20 per cent of their awards being mandatorily channelled back to the SDSC, she added: “Really, we hope that these funds will go to the training and development and maybe the talent scouting of these people, and we also hope that these people will be committed to what they want to do.”

The pair were presented with their cheques by Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), SNPC chairman and SDSC president Kevin Wong, and Fong Yong Kian, chief executive of Tote Board. 

Both Yip and Goh were part of the 13-strong athlete contingent that flew Singapore’s flag in Brazil, along with 21 officials, and on Thursday, they were all praised by the minister.

“All of you have shown us what it means to be a champion — to overcome your personal challenges and pursue your dreams, to be counted among the world’s best, and to fly the Singapore flag high at the world’s biggest stage for para-sports,” Minister Fu said in her speech.

Ms Fu added that MCCY will strive to help foster the growth of disability sports.

“Our recent achievements in disability sports are bringing us closer to our vision of ‘Sport without Boundaries’, where every individual, regardless of ability, can lead healthy and fulfilling lives through sports,” she explained, before referencing a recent TODAY report on how participation numbers in disability sports have increased.

“This is precisely what we set out to achieve when we announced the Disability Sports Master Plan earlier this year on May 31. Through the Master Plan, we hope to encourage persons with disabilities to lead more active lives by providing better access and opportunities for them to participate in sports.”

Wong described the likes of Yip, Goh and Joseph Schooling, Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist, as “brands” that companies can hopefully recognise and support in the SNPC and SDSC’s push to increase participation.

“Four per cent of our population is disabled — that is 180,000 people, a large proportion,” he asserted. “We want to inspire the community to say ‘Hey we can go down this path together’, (because) we have these athletes who are trailblazers.”