“FOCAL POINTS” THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND

Separately, SportSG will also establish Para Sports Community Hubs to increase the base of aspiring para sports.

The first five such hubs will be piloted across the island by the end of this year, with more to be established by 2030.

These centers will be at Pasir Ris Sport Center (bocce), Heartbeat@Bedok (swimming and table tennis), Jurong West Sport Center (swimming and para-cycling), Yio Chu Kang Sport Center (athletics and badminton) and Delta Sport Center (goalball ). ).

Boccia, which means bowling in Italian, is a target ball sport played by athletes in wheelchairs. Goalball is based almost entirely on sound, being created for those who are blind or have low vision.

These centers will serve as “focal points” to engage sports enthusiasts and newcomers to disability sports, MCCY said.

All ActiveSG sports centers will also have a calm room by the end of 2030, starting with a pilot calm room in each area by the end of 2025.

“Sports facilities that are accessible ensure that people with disabilities can enjoy and practice sport in these facilities in an enabling manner,” MCCY said.

“SportSG will continue to improve access to and within ActiveSG’s sports facilities so that people with different types of disabilities find them accessible.”

There are also plans to increase the number of coaches registered on the National Register of Coaches who can coach disabled people from around 120 today to 300 by 2030.

MCCY also said that a national training center for parasport will be located at Team Singapore’s Kallang headquarters.

“HTSG (Home of Team Singapore) will host the National Para-Sports Training Centre, with dedicated training facilities to meet the needs of selected para-sports. This facility will help foster a stronger TeamSG spirit and further develop disability sports in Singapore.” the ministry added.

“The strategic moves reflect Singapore’s commitment to inclusion and mark a significant step in expanding sporting opportunities for people with disabilities so that everyone has opportunities to train, play and compete together in sport,” added Dr. Teo-Koh Sock Miang, who is chairman. of SDSC, Singapore National Paralympic Council and Special Olympics Singapore.

“We believe that through sport, we can build a more inclusive society that fosters empathy and improves the well-being of people with disabilities. Together, we will build a sports ecosystem where people of all abilities can participate and thrive.”