SHUTTLING between different gyms, and having to juggle work and training for the Paralympics.

That was the situation Nur Aini faced.

"I am competing in the Paralympics' Powerlifting Women's - 45kg in Tokyo on Aug 26, and we usually train at the Active SG gym in Toa Payoh two to three times a week. But during the Circuit Breaker and heightened alert, the gym had to close, and I was lucky that the Singapore Disability Sports Council made arrangements for me to train at Singapore Sport Institute's premises during those periods."

However, the 29-year-old admitted that the changes in venues and training plans (for example, home-based training during Circuit Breaker) affected her mental state.

"Fortunately, there was open communication with my coach, and when I confided that I was not comfortable with all these changes, he would give me a pep talk. He said that there are a lot of things which are not within our control, but what I could control was my focus on training."

Her story is part of a series of short films - the product of a partnership between Singapore Pools and Reddentes Sports - featuring the para athletes' journeys, their aspirations and goals. The films were broadcasted on Sport Singapore's and Singapore Pools' social media accounts, and Mediacorp platforms, from August 2021.

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Singapore Pools' chief executive officer Lam Chee Weng said: "Singapore Pools is proud to bring to the audience a series of short films paying tribute to our para athletes in their quest to bring glory to Singapore even through the Covid-19 pandemic. We hope that Singaporeans will unite, cheer and support One Team Singapore as they fly our flag proudly in Tokyo this summer."

Victor Seah, senior lecturer of psychology at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), said that sports bring people together because it is a marker of social identity.

"By responding to and supporting sports teams that bear our social identity, we satisfy our need for affiliation, experience a sense of belonging and social support."

Ms Aini concurred and added that the special bond that team mates share is pervasive, and the supporters can feel it too. They, in turn, rally around the team they support.

"In the Asean Para Games in 2017, many people went to the airport to send us off. It felt like the whole nation was behind us, and it was very touching. Sometimes, when we lose strength in ourselves, we look for it in others, so it helps."

Singapore Pools has been an ardent supporter of sports and it contributed S$14.5 million to the construction of the first National Stadium and S$400,000 in grants to Singapore Sports Council (now renamed Sport Singapore) when it started operations in 1971 to help raise the standards of local sports.

CEO Mr Lam said: "We believe in nurturing aspiring athletes, to help them realise their full potential. Between 2004 and 2017, we have extended funding support, through Tote Board, to student-athletes at the Singapore Sports School via Singapore Pools Sports Excellence Scholarship (SPSES). Some of the former SPSES scholars include sprinter Veronica Shanti Pereira and table tennis player Clarence Chew Zhe Yu."

The company recognises that sports, especially soccer, can bring people together. Therefore, it is one of the four pillars under the company's iShine Community Programme.

Formed in 2003, iShine is a corporate and staff volunteerism initiative supported by the organisation, and championed by staff leaders.

In line with its support for sports development and excellence, Singapore Pools contributed S$9.7 million between 1995 and 1997 to S-League (now known as Singapore Premier League), which kicked off its first season in 1996. Singapore Pools continues its support through funding of the League's marketing efforts to bring more awareness to the games.

Besides the Tokyo Paralympics' publicity campaign, the firm also aims to build strong community bonds through other sporting projects, which include Football With A Heart (FWAH).

Since 2012, the company has been organising the FWAH event, in collaboration with Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Sport Singapore, to raise funds for the community. It has since organised six FWAH and has grown to be the largest corporate football fundraiser in Singapore. A record S$951,000 was raised in 2019 for nine charities with the support from over 50 corporates. To-date, a total of over S$3.9 million for 42 unique charities and social enterprises was raised.

Singapore Pools partnered SportCares Foundation to channel the funds raised from FWAH 2019 to support the Saturday Nights Light (SNL) Programme. The football development programme aims to inculcate values in youth-at-risk and to engage them through the values of team sports.

Ms Aini said that companies should help promote sports because it builds greater awareness of the sports and athletes.

"With more support from the community, it propels our spirits to keep fighting on."

Christine Ong, chairperson, Community Foundation of Singapore, added: "Singapore has progressed to a significant point where there is shared ambition and desire across business leaders and their ecosystem of staff, partners, and individuals for a collective societal culture change . . .

"A business with a strong DNA to give not only ensures that the wider community it operates in is positioned to thrive, but will also benefit from being able to conduct their business in a strong and stable environment. Anchored by this sense of care and shared purpose, businesses that do good will continue to inevitably progress and transform their organisations for the betterment of our future."