SINGAPORE — Sign-up figures for the ActiveSG membership, the national movement by Sport Singapore to get Singaporeans to stay active and keep fit, have hit more than 181,000 since the initiative was launched less than two weeks ago. Sports Singapore revealed this in response to a reader’s letter to TODAY and said the sign-up rate “speaks volumes about Singaporeans’ interest in capitalising on this initiative to get active”.

The ActiveSG movement targets Singaporeans and permanent residents of all ages and abilities. Membership is free and each ActiveSG member receives 100 ActiveSG dollars, which they can use to sign up for sports programmes and utilise facilities at various ActiveSG sports centres islandwide.

Sport Singapore said it aims to sign on 200,000 to 250,000 ActiveSG members in a year, though its vision is for every Singaporean to become a member eventually.

Said Mr Lai Chin Kwang, Sport Singapore’s chief of sports club group: “We have already begun working with some small and medium enterprises on engaging their staff through sport to enhance morale, develop leadership skills and team effectiveness.

“The responses we have received thus far have been very encouraging, and over the next few months, we will continue to roll out our programmes for organisations.”

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said the sign-up rate was an encouraging response. “It’s still early days and I hope to see more people sign up as ActiveSG members, to use the ActiveSG$100 to access many activities and facilities nationwide,” he added.

For Ms Charlotte Lee, a 19-year-old student at Temasek Polytechnic, the perks of the membership were what spurred her to sign on.

“It makes booking and accessing information about facilities more convenient. Also, it costs me S$2.50 per trip to the gym, so the ActiveSG$100 perk can last me a very long time.”

However, National University of Singapore undergraduate Nadira Kamal Udeen, 20, said she has not signed up for it as she has access to the school’s gym.

“Since I do not need to use the facilities, I might as well let other people use it,” she said.