DBS in $3.5m sponsorship of next year's SEA Games

With Singapore marking 50 years of independence next year, DBS Bank will celebrate the occasion with a $3.5 million sponsorship of the 28th South-east Asia (SEA) Games and its dragon boat and sailing races.

The sponsorship will be used to support several SEA Games programmes aimed at boosting community and corporate participation in the Games, making it an event for everyone in Singapore.

The country's biggest water sports festival, the DBS Marina Regatta, will be held in conjunction with next year's SEA Games.

In a statement released yesterday, Sim S Lim, DBS Bank's Singapore Country Head, said: "We are honoured to be an official sponsor of the SEA Games and to celebrate our nation's 50th birthday by rallying the community together to enjoy the SEA Games.

"We are also excited about bringing a bigger DBS Marina Regatta, as part of our efforts to bring the Bay to the people, and the people to the Bay.

"In addition to the exhilarating dragonboat races, a host of exciting activities will be lined up for everyone to celebrate this momentous occasion."

Besides the races, the DBS Marina Regatta will deliver two weekends of celebratory activities, including music acts and a Cosplay festival.

Prizes for the dragonboat races will also be increased from $195,000 to $213,000 - one of the highest for the sport.

The number of race participants could also increase to more than 3,800.

Next year's SEA Games will be held from June 5 to 16, the first time the Republic will play host since 1993.

The biennial event will feature around 4,900 athletes from 11 countries competing across 36 sports.

CONCURRENT

The DBS Marina Regatta's open and women races will be held on May 30 and 31, while the mixed races will be held on the same weekend as the SEA Games' dragonboat races in early June, which will be hosted concurrently at Marina Bay and the National Sailing Centre.

To promote local sporting talent, the annual National Inter-Schools' Dragon Boat Championship, which is open to all secondary schools and junior colleges, will also be held at Marina Bay in conjunction with the DBS Marina Regatta for the first time.

Other community initiatives planned include drawing out pioneers and selected community groups to witness the SEA Games opening and closing ceremonies.

"Through this partnership, it reinforces the Singapore South-east Asia Games Organising Committee's (Singsoc) efforts to foster ownership amongst Corporate Singapore and, more importantly, to build a legacy beyond the Games," said Singsoc executive committee chairman Lim Teck Yin.