<TABLE id=msgUN border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>Coffeeshop Chit Chat - SIA defends decision to sponsor NZ team!</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Not possible to fund every local sport, it says in response to ST letter </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Christopher Ong
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Singapore's dragon boaters (foreground) are upset that SIA sponsored New Zealand while they had to raise money for their trip to the World C?ships. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) has defended its decision to sponsor a New Zealand team over the Republic's World Championships junior dragon boat side, saying it cannot be supporting every local sport.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->Quotes
'The New Zealand team were staying in the same hotel as us and we saw the Singapore Airlines logo on their polo tees. It was a little disappointing that instead of sponsoring us, they sponsored a team from another country.'
ALYSSA LIM, NJC rower
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>SIA provides sponsorship in cash and in kind to local sports, ranging from the Singapore Sports School and the Singapore National Olympic Council to the Singapore National Paralympic Council, its spokesman Nicholas Ionides said.
'As much as we would like to, it is unfortunately not possible for us to support every sport, however,' he said.
'In this particular instance, the cooperation with the New Zealand dragon boat team was limited and was a local initiative by our New Zealand station to support the community we operate in.'
The national carrier was responding to a letter by Dennis Tan, the father of one of the Singapore dragon boaters, in The Straits Times Forum yesterday. He had expressed disappointment over SIA's choice of teams.
The Singapore team, comprising 45 National Junior College (NJC) students and four from Hwa Chong Institution, had won the World Championships Junior trophy in Prague from Aug 26-30.
Despite making their debut at the competition, Singapore won the award - given to the top Under-18 nation - by winning four golds, three silvers and one bronze. They had to fend off stiff competition from 24 other countries, including powerhouses China and Russia.
Tan's feelings were shared by members of the dragon boat team, among them NJC rower Alyssa Lim.
'The New Zealand team were staying in the same hotel and we saw the Singapore Airlines logo on their polo tees. It was a little disappointing that they sponsored a team from another country.'
However, it is not uncommon for international companies to sponsor sports teams from other countries.
For instance, South Korea's Samsung and AIG of the US sponsor Chelsea and Manchester United respectively in football's English Premier League. Closer to home, Dubai-based air carrier Emirates is the sponsor of horse racing's Singapore Derby.
The Singapore team had to shell out $120,000 to compete in Prague. The Singapore Dragon Boat Association helped by allowing the team free use of its boats for training and equipping each member with polo tees and competition singlets.
While the bulk of the money came from the schools and the students, the team raised an additional $10,000 by collecting recyclable items like old newspapers and drink cans and selling them, said team manager and NJC physics teacher Yong Yuen Cheng.
Getting sponsors was tough, said Yong. 'We started looking for sponsors last October but most of the organisations either never replied or rejected us.
'Only the National Youth Council was kind enough to sponsor us with $5,000. It is quite discouraging. But we did not approach SIA for sponsorship, so I don't think we can blame them.'
Members of other sporting associations confirmed that securing sponsorship for local sports is never easy.
Low Teo Ping, who heads the Singapore Rugby Union and SingaporeSailing, blamed the current economic crisis.
But Cyrus Medora, executive director of Netball Singapore, said sports sponsorship is growing with increased awareness created by the 2010 Youth Olympics and the recent Asian Youth Games.
Still, rower Clement Neo of NJC felt local sponsors could do more for home-grown teams.
He said: 'We were representing Singapore at a big event, so we could do with some support from our own people.'
[email protected]
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD>Not possible to fund every local sport, it says in response to ST letter </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Christopher Ong
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Singapore's dragon boaters (foreground) are upset that SIA sponsored New Zealand while they had to raise money for their trip to the World C?ships. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) has defended its decision to sponsor a New Zealand team over the Republic's World Championships junior dragon boat side, saying it cannot be supporting every local sport.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story -->Quotes
'The New Zealand team were staying in the same hotel as us and we saw the Singapore Airlines logo on their polo tees. It was a little disappointing that instead of sponsoring us, they sponsored a team from another country.'
ALYSSA LIM, NJC rower
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>SIA provides sponsorship in cash and in kind to local sports, ranging from the Singapore Sports School and the Singapore National Olympic Council to the Singapore National Paralympic Council, its spokesman Nicholas Ionides said.
'As much as we would like to, it is unfortunately not possible for us to support every sport, however,' he said.
'In this particular instance, the cooperation with the New Zealand dragon boat team was limited and was a local initiative by our New Zealand station to support the community we operate in.'
The national carrier was responding to a letter by Dennis Tan, the father of one of the Singapore dragon boaters, in The Straits Times Forum yesterday. He had expressed disappointment over SIA's choice of teams.
The Singapore team, comprising 45 National Junior College (NJC) students and four from Hwa Chong Institution, had won the World Championships Junior trophy in Prague from Aug 26-30.
Despite making their debut at the competition, Singapore won the award - given to the top Under-18 nation - by winning four golds, three silvers and one bronze. They had to fend off stiff competition from 24 other countries, including powerhouses China and Russia.
Tan's feelings were shared by members of the dragon boat team, among them NJC rower Alyssa Lim.
'The New Zealand team were staying in the same hotel and we saw the Singapore Airlines logo on their polo tees. It was a little disappointing that they sponsored a team from another country.'
However, it is not uncommon for international companies to sponsor sports teams from other countries.
For instance, South Korea's Samsung and AIG of the US sponsor Chelsea and Manchester United respectively in football's English Premier League. Closer to home, Dubai-based air carrier Emirates is the sponsor of horse racing's Singapore Derby.
The Singapore team had to shell out $120,000 to compete in Prague. The Singapore Dragon Boat Association helped by allowing the team free use of its boats for training and equipping each member with polo tees and competition singlets.
While the bulk of the money came from the schools and the students, the team raised an additional $10,000 by collecting recyclable items like old newspapers and drink cans and selling them, said team manager and NJC physics teacher Yong Yuen Cheng.
Getting sponsors was tough, said Yong. 'We started looking for sponsors last October but most of the organisations either never replied or rejected us.
'Only the National Youth Council was kind enough to sponsor us with $5,000. It is quite discouraging. But we did not approach SIA for sponsorship, so I don't think we can blame them.'
Members of other sporting associations confirmed that securing sponsorship for local sports is never easy.
Low Teo Ping, who heads the Singapore Rugby Union and SingaporeSailing, blamed the current economic crisis.
But Cyrus Medora, executive director of Netball Singapore, said sports sponsorship is growing with increased awareness created by the 2010 Youth Olympics and the recent Asian Youth Games.
Still, rower Clement Neo of NJC felt local sponsors could do more for home-grown teams.
He said: 'We were representing Singapore at a big event, so we could do with some support from our own people.'
[email protected]
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Obviously in name only 
