The Beginning
The idea of establishing a specialised school for young sportspeople was mooted by the Committee on Sporting Singapore (CoSS) in 2000. On 14 March 2001, Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Minister for Community Development and Sports (MCDS), the forerunner of MCCY, announced in Parliament the Government’s approval of a sports school.
A $75 million complex was built on a 7-hectare site in Woodlands, and upon completion, took the address, 1 Champions Way.
More than 1,200 12- and 13-year-olds participated in the sports selection trials in August 2003. Eventually, 141 were selected for places in eight sports academies – Badminton, Bowling, Football, Netball, Sailing, Swimming, Table Tennis and Track and Field. This pioneer batch started its academic year as Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 student-athletes on 5 January 2004, and moved into the boarding school, Olympus Lodge, on 25 January 2004.
Read more about this topic: Singapore Sports School
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