Sports Safety Committee Unveils its Detailed Report
2 Dr Benedict Tan said, “The Committee has put forth a comprehensive report on sports safety standards and systems to be in line with international best practices. We have reviewed the major aspects of sports safety, ranging from pre-participation screening to medical support plans. Now that the Committee has completed its work, we are looking forward to the government working with the people and private sectors to put into practice what the Committee has proposed.”
3 The Sports Safety Committee’s review has covered five key areas:
a) Pre-participation screening
b) Public education
c) Safe sports facilities
d) Medical coverage for sports events
e) Surveillance, evaluation & follow up
(Please see Annex B (below) for details on the recommendations.)
4 Mr Teo Ser Luck, Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports (MCYS) added, “Singapore is on track to becoming a world-class sports hub. More events, both local and international, are seeing higher participation than ever before. It is important that the sports safety guidelines are in place for NSAs, sports events organizers, schools and other organizations to ensure that everyone plays safely and sport is beneficial to health.”
5 Mr Oon Jin Teik, CEO, Singapore Sports Council said, “SSC is fully committed to raise the level of sports safety awareness in Singapore. The Sports Safety Committee’s work will help us develop comprehensive and cost-effective plans. Some of the Committee’s key recommendations such as promoting basic sports safety awareness to the public and making available self-administered questionnaires can be implemented in the short term. Other recommendations such as the proposed central repository for data collection and analysis would need further study and crystallization. But please be best assured that SSC takes safety very seriously.”
6 SSC will be launching a month-long online public consultation on 26 September 2007 to seek additional inputs and ideas from the wider sports community and members of the public on the Committee’s findings and recommendations. The public can give their views by accessing SSC’s corporate website http://www.ssc.gov.sg/. Thereafter, SSC will review the comments received and assess the feasibility of the Committee’s recommendations before developing an implementation plan by the end of the year.
Sports Safety Committee
Formed in July 2007, the sports safety committee was appointed by MCYS and SSC to review sports safety practices in Singapore and make recommendations to minimise the incidence and consequences of catastrophic injuries, and sudden unexpected death during sports participation, be it during training or competition.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Mr Quah Soon Aun
Manager, Group Communications
DID: 6340 9663
HP: 9762 7601
Email: quah_soon_aun@ssc.gov.sg
Gayle Wong
Assistant Director
Group Communications, Singapore Sports Council
DID: 6340 9820
HP: 9753 3273
E-mail: gayle_wong@ssc.gov.sg
About Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) was formed on 1 October 1973 as a statutory board of the Government of Singapore, established by an Act of Parliament under the SSC Act of 1973. It comes under the umbrella of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. The SSC operates various sports facilities located all over Singapore, and its main function is to promote sports participation to all Singaporeans.
Please visit the SSC website at http://www.ssc.gov.sg/ for more information on SSC.
ANNEX A: Sports Safety Committee Members
Chairperson
1. Dr Benedict Tan
Head and Senior Consultant Sports Physician, Changi Sports Medicine Centre Changi General Hospital
Members
2. Prof Venkataraman Anantharaman
Senior Consultant, Department of Emergency Medicine
Singapore General Hospital
3. Dr Terrance Chua Siang Jin
Deputy Director, Head & Senior Consultant, Cardiology Department
National Heart Centre
4. A/Prof Fabian Lim Chin Leong
Head, Military Physiology Lab,
DSO National Laboratories
5. Major Bob Tan
Assistant Director, Community Preparedness Branch
Public Affairs Department
Singapore Civil Defence Force
6. Mr Samuel H Tso
Business Director (ASEAN)
DuPont Safety Resources
DuPont Company Singapore Pte Ltd
7. Ms Delphine Fong
Deputy Director, Sports Safety
Singapore Sports Council
8. Mr Daryl Woodford
Industry Officer
Institute of Technical Education
9. Mr Mohd Yazed Bin Osman
Assistant Director, Sports Business
Singapore Sports Council
10. BG Bernard Tan
Director, Military Intelligence
Singapore Armed Forces
11. Mr Tian Mong Chin
Assistant Chief Commissioner
St John’s Ambulance Brigade
12. Mr Paul Fong
General Manager
Singapore Waterski & Wakeboard Federation
13. Mr Ang Wee Hiong
Chairman
Singapore Schools Sports Council
14. Mr Goh Ek Piang
Chairman
Singapore Primary Schools Sports Council
ANNEX B: Fact sheet on Sports Safety Guidelines Recommendations
The Sports Safety Committee was appointed by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) on July 2007 to review sports safety practices in Singapore and make recommendations to minimise the incidence and consequences of catastrophic injuries and sudden unexpected death during sports participation, be it during training or competition.
The Committee has reviewed five key areas of sports safety:
i) Pre-participation Screening.
ii) Public Education
iii) Safe Sports Facilities.
iv) Medical Coverage for Sports Events
v) Surveillance, Evaluation & Follow-up
Summary of Sports Safety Committee’s Recommendations
(i) Pre-Participation Screening
The committee recommends a tiered, risk-based approach from simple self-administered questionnaire to full medical check ups by a doctor. The degree would depend on the level of physical activity.
The recommendations for pre-participation screening are:
o Compulsory screening for Professional Athletes and Carded Athletes
o Compulsory annual pre-participation screening National Representatives and National Training Squad Athletes (including sports school athletes)
o Voluntary pre-participation screening for Club or School Representatives and Competitive Club or School Athletes
o A self-administered pre-participation questionnaire at least annually and prior to joining a club, competition, course or organized sports activity for Recreational, Non-Competitive Athlete
(ii) Public Education
The committee recommends initiatives to make all individuals aware of safety issues such as recognizing danger symptoms and understanding the effects of overtraining.
The recommendations for public education are:
o All individuals should at least be aware and conscious of sport safety, and educated on common sports injuries and causes of sudden death
o Promote the need to recognize symptoms and act accordingly
o Promote the Importance of regular physical activity
o Promote the Importance of complying with sports safety guidelines
o Promote the importance of first-aid, CPR, and AED training
o Promote the effects of overtraining and the importance of not overtraining
o Promote the fact that exercise is a total approach to general wellbeing, and not just for aesthetic purposes
(iii) Safe Sports Facilities
The committee recommends that facilities should be staffed and equipped based on the risk profiles of their clientele. Each facility should also have its own medical emergency plan.
The recommendations for safe sports facilities are:
o There should be cardiovascular screening of all new members and/or prospective users
o Facilities with free uncontrolled usage of equipment (parks, hotel fitness centres etc) should have questionnaires made available
o Advisory, education on signs and symptoms of an impending cardiovascular event
(iv) Medical Coverage for Sports Events
The committee recommends that a risk assessment matrix for the various sports, according to the level of cardiovascular activity and contact & collision risk.
The recommendations for event medical coverage are:
o Level of medical support should commensurate with risks involved
o Each sport/event risk management policy to take into account factors like location and participation skills level
o There should be rapid access to respective equipment
o All sports facilities and NSAs are to be equipped with AEDs and trained personnel
o There should be an adequate number of AEDs available for sports events
o First aid kits/boxes are to be visible, accessible, well stocked and well maintained. Medical bags carried by doctors for field cover to contain resuscitation equipment
o Safety vehicles (for water events) should facilitate transfer of casualty in and out of boat
o Risk assessment checklist
(v) Surveillance, evaluation and follow-up
The committee recommends the setting up of a central repository to capture data for sudden deaths and serious adverse events. This will help enable organizers, associations and other sporting partners to perform a more extensive check.
The recommendations for surveillance, evaluation and follow-up are:
o Set up of central repository of data, with definition of minimum data set
o It will be the responsibility of NSAs, stakeholders and event organizers to compile data, with follow up and evaluation
o Dedicated inspectorates to verify compliance to provide rules and guidelines