MCYS MEDIA RELEASE NO: 32/2006

DATE OF ISSUE: 07/09/2006

DID : 63409663
FAX : 63452541

MEDIA RELEASE
IMMEDIATE

Attn: Sports / Duty Editor

Code of Athlete Management

Integrated Athlete Support for Sporting Excellence

As part of its on-going efforts towards an integrated athlete support system, the
Singapore Sports Council (SSC) has developed the Code of Athlete Management (COAM),
which formalises the key responsibilities and obligations of National Sports Associations
(NSAs), national athletes and the SSC.

2 Speaking at the SPEA-PESS PE and Sports Conference 2006, Mr. Teo Ser Luck,
Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
announced the implementation of the COAM, which will create a conducive environment in
support of Singapore’s national athletes and help bring Singapore a step closer towards our
Sporting Singapore vision.

3 The COAM represents part of the fraternity’s efforts to adopt an athlete-centred

approach in our sports excellence programmes. It will provide support to our elite athletes in
the best way possible, so that they can focus on their training and bring glory to the nation.

4 The COAM seeks to improve and enhance the development and management of elite
athletes. Specifically, the COAM has two key components. The first requires mandatory
compliance in effecting fair and transparent athlete selection policies, anti-doping policies,
and athlete agreements that articulate the athletes’ and NSAs’ roles and responsibilities
towards their sports.

5 Secondly, the COAM details the guidelines for NSAs in establishing a conducive high
performance environment towards achieving international success. These include providing
sufficient training and competition opportunities for athletes, performance monitoring, as
well as assistance in the development of the athletes’ education and careers.
6 Commented Mr Wayde Clews, SSC’s Chief for High Performance, “All athletes and
NSAs competing at the Asian Games in Doha this year will be required to fulfill the COAM’s
mandatory requirements before the commencement of the Games.”

7 “The NSAs are generally supportive and we are confident that all three parties – SSC,
athletes, NSAs – will be able to work hand-in-hand towards achieving the best outcomes. We
will work closely with the NSAs in achieving full compliance before SEA Games 2007,” he
added.

8 The COAM follows the recent announcement of the Programme for Elite Athlete
Career, or PEAC, in early March, as yet another step towards integrated athlete development
and support.

9 Dr Benedict Tan, Chairman of the Singapore National Olympic Council’s (SNOC)

Athletes’ Commission welcomes the initiative. “Athletes will wholeheartedly invest their
sweat and time into training only if they are convinced that the selection process is
transparent and meritocratic. As they train hard to get results, we have to do our part to
ensure that results lead to selection and other opportunities. It is important that all
stakeholders, including the athletes, NSAs, SSC, and SNOC, agree on some common
principles when it comes to selection, so the COAM is certainly a move in the right direction.”

Enclosure:

• Annex 1: Fact sheet on COAM

About SSC
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is Singapore's lead agency tasked with developing
sports in Singapore. Our vision is to create a Sporting Singapore where Sports is a way of
life. SSC aims to develop sports champions and create enjoyable sporting experiences for
Singapore through the three strategic thrusts of cultivating a sporting culture, achieving
sports excellence and creating a vibrant sports industry. Formed on 1 October 1973, SSC is a
statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and
Sports. Issued by the Singapore Sports Council on 31 July 2006.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Ms Charlotte Ong
Manager (Marketing Communications)
Group Communications
Singapore Sports Council
Tel: 6340 9663 / 9151 6992
Email: charlotte_ong@ssc.gov.sg

___________________________________________________________________
Issued by Singapore Sports Council on 7 September 2006.
 FACTSHEET

Code of Athlete Management (COAM)

Background

1. Singapore’s collaborative step towards identifying talented sportsmen and women, and
nurturing them to become elite athletes started with the inception of SPEX2000 in December
1993 which aimed to raise the standard of sports in Singapore as well as to nurture talented
athletes to win in regional and international competitions. The programmes entailed
developing sports talent, coaching resources, facilities and provision of financial and other
support to athletes and the National Sports Associations (NSAs).

2. The acceleration towards fortifying existing talent development systems was given a boost
with the launch of programmes and support initiatives guided by recommendations set out by
the Committee of Sporting Singapore (CoSS) over the years.

3. Each year, approximately 1,500 carded athletes are given access to training, educational and
professional support services to nurture and develop their talents including Sports Excellence
Training Assistance Grant (spexTAG), Sports Excellence Grant for Loss of Wages
(spexGLOW), Athletes Career & Training Programme (ACT), SPEX Study Grant, Career
Planning and Development Programme, amongst many.

Objectives

4. Developing local talents depends on collaborative effort from NSAs, athletes and the
Singapore Sports Council (SSC). With this in mind, SSC introduced the Code of Athlete
Management (COAM) that aims to create a conducive environment for developing and
managing elite athletes in Singapore.

5. The COAM initiative formalizes key responsibilities and obligations of NSAs, athletes and the
SSC to ensure effective management and implementation of programmes set out in the
COAM.

6. It comprises two key components:

• Part I: (Mandatory) Principles of effective athlete management.
• Part II: Guidelines on establishing an ideal high performance environment towards
achieving international success.

COAM: Part I – Mandatory principles of effective athlete management

7. NSAs are required to fulfill the three mandatory principles of athlete management:

• Establish and Implement Transparent Selection Policies to provide equal opportunities

and promoting fair competition;
• Implement Athlete Agreements to outline the support an athlete can and should expect
to receive from the NSA in return for efforts, performance, cooperation and conduct
required of a national athlete;
• Adopt the Anti-Doping Policy of the respective sports’ International Federations to detect,
deter and prevent doping practices as well as to promote doping education and
awareness to the athletes.

COAM: Part II – Guidelines on creating a conducive High Performance environment

8. Further to the mandatory requirements, the COAM also details guidelines of establishing a
conducive high performance environment from which athletes, coaches, officials and support
personnel can operate to achieve international success.

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 FACTSHEET

9. These include working hand-in-hand with SSC and other key stakeholders to fulfill
comprehensive planning to address critical success factors including:
• Fortifying high performance infrastructure and systems within NSAs
• Setting up athlete management and identification process
• Establishing detailed individual athlete development plans
• Developing comprehensive planning to address athlete and coach development needs
including elite coach development pathway
• Outlining comprehensive training opportunities for athletes
• Identifying competition opportunities and training programmes for athletes
• Seeking effective utilization of sports medicine and sports science
• Providing comprehensive athlete support so as to assist them in achieving balance in
their sport, education, career and personal development

[Please refer to COAM document for further details.]

Implementation timeline

10. The COAM will be implemented in phases for all major Games sports, starting with NSAs and
athletes bound for the 2006 Asian Games. They must fulfill the mandatory requirements of
the COAM. SSC will work closely with the remaining sports to achieve full compliance before
the 2007 SEA Games.

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