By Matthew Mohan

New Partnership: Mr. Ben Tan Tiong Kheng, Chief Distribution Officer of Singapore Operations with Assc. Prof Lok Tat Seng, Director of Students during the cheque presentation. PHOTO: YJ MUN PHOTOGRAPHY

NTU’s sports teams will receive a boost after local insurance firm Great Eastern announced a contribution of $100,000 as part of a new collaboration with NTU.

The university will receive $50,000 annually over a period of two years. The money will assist NTU’s Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) in subsidising the costs of supporting and developing sports programmes.

Mr Chiang Chai Liang, SRC’s Assistant Director for Sports Excellence Support, said that the injection of funds will sponsor athletes participating in regional competitionsand provide grants for organising future sporting events.

He added that Great Eastern’s contribution will also allow the SRC to allocate more money towards good performance rewards for athletes and teams, as well as cost subsidies for athletes’ jerseys.

This announcement followed the unveiling of the NTU-Great Eastern collaboration at the 11th NTU Sports Awards late last month.The formalised partnership — the first of its kind between Great Eastern and a local university — is part of Great Eastern’s ongoing “Live Great” programme, which encourages Singaporeans to live healthily and actively.

Ms Tan Seck Geok, Head of Group Corporate Communications at Great Eastern, said that NTU was selected due to the university’s achievements in sports.

She said: “Our partnership with NTU is a natural fit given the University’s standing in the region, its strong sports culture, and its many sporting achievements at the varsity level and beyond.”

Mr Colin Chan, Great Eastern’s Chief Marketing Officer, said that the partnership would follow in the vein of existing sponsorships that exemplified the company’s focus on Singaporeans pursuing a healthy lifestyle.

These include signature events such as the Great Eastern Women’s Run and the Great Eastern Yeo’s S-League.

He added that while no concrete plans have been made, Great Eastern is looking forward to working with the SRC to involve the student body in sports.

He said: “Our involvement in NTU, specifically in the area of sport, comes from a very similar angle to our ongoing initiatives. We are encouraging people to live great by getting off (their feet) and getting active. (For example), we would be interested in NTU sending down teams of students for our run.”

Mr Chan further shared that these sporting initiatives would also allow the insurance giant to establish relations and interactions with NTU students.

He said: “We see universities as an important segment of people (who) are going to be future leaders in the country. We need to be in touch (with them) so we know what they will be looking for.”