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Not just dreaming the Olympic Dream
By Loh Jing Hong
On 15 July, the Toa Payoh Sports Stadium bore witness to more than 3000 members of the public from different walks of life coming together as part of a special effort to complete ‘The Olympic Dream’ - a circum-navigation of the globe.
Initiated by the Student Volunteer Corps, the Olympic Dream is a series of fund-raising events which aims to increase public awareness and support for our local disabled athletes in their efforts to achieve sporting excellence and at the same time, lead a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. It is a prelude to subsequent fund-raising activities that would contribute to funds required by the athletes for the Paralympics in 2008.
This year, the Olympic Dream was co-organized by students from the Jurong Junior College.
The flag-off took place at 9.30 am, when Mr Teo Ser Luck, Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports arrived to launch the event. This is the second consecutive year that Mr Teo has shown his dedication and support to the ‘Olympic Dream’; he previously swam 10 laps in the 2006 Olympic Dream that saw the eventual completion of more than 5000 laps in an Olympic-sized pool by collective efforts of athletes and members of the public. Mr Teo also expressed in his opening speech that he sees a medal at the Paralympics as equally important as a medal at Olympics, illustrating his support for sports in both able-bodied and disabled arenas.
Bustling and enthusiastic youths and adults turned up at the sports stadium to support the event. They actively participated in the event by either donating directly to the cause, or completing 400m (one lap) either on wheels or on foot. Some families even specially made a trip down to contribute to the fund-raising activities. Local disabled athletes also joined in the event, like the wheelchair basketball players from Handicapped Welfare Association (HWA) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic, as well as Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nordin, who received the baton from Mr Teo Ser Luck during the morning rounds.
In appreciation for the public’s efforts, the organizing committee awarded the public with a certificate of completion for every 10 laps on foot or 20 laps on wheels, and a medal specially dedicated to those who endured through 50 laps on foot, or 100 laps on wheels.
The event was successful, thanks to the effort of the public and volunteers who believed that the ‘Olympic Dream’ should not simply be a ‘dream’, but that together, we can make it come true.
Reference:
Jurong Junior College & Student Volunteer Corps(n.d) Circle the globe in one day? Retrieved July 17, 2007 from http://olympicdream07.livejournal.com/
The Straits Times Stomp Interactive (n.d), Olympic Dream: going for gold. Retrieved July 17, 2007 from http://www.stomp.com.sg/mediaclub/bulletin/index2.html