UOB announces S$100,000 sponsorship for Singapore Tennis Association to support young talents
This tie-up is part of the bank’s broader 90th anniversary efforts to support children and students across South-east Asia
[SINGAPORE] UOB on Thursday (Jul 10) announced a S$100,000 sponsorship-cum-donation to the Singapore Tennis Association (STA).
The funds will go towards coaching and training expenses, entry fees for international tournaments and academic-athletic expenses such as tuition support.
To be eligible, players must meet certain criteria, including being ranked in the top 90 in the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) world rankings and showing academic excellence.
The first player nominated by the STA to receive the sponsorship is 19-year-old Bill Chan, who is ranked in the top 62 in the ITF Juniors Ranking and will be enrolling in Harvard University. He is the first Singaporean male to compete in the junior events of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
In an interview with The Business Times, Chan said UOB’s support “pushes me to keep doing my best in this journey”.
He has been a full-time athlete since 2023, and is currently serving National Service. He will soon be preparing for the Davis Cup and Sea Games, which he said are his main competitions for the rest of the year.
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Jasmine Quek, president of STA, said: “This inspirational initiative continues to create meaningful opportunities… Our partnership with UOB affirms our shared belief in sport as one impactful platform to uplift and empower the next generation.” Leonard Tan, head of group corporate social responsibility (CSR) at UOB, added: “With Bill Chan being a rising star, we want to support him and his cohort in achieving greater heights in the sport.”
UOB’s sponsorship is part of the bank’s broader 90th anniversary efforts to support children and students across South-east Asia.
“UOB positions its CSR (efforts) around art, children and education. This plays into a larger story of helping youths advance, progress and learn new things – and we use their stories to inspire other children and youths,” he said.
The bank focuses on providing opportunities for holistic education, such as digital and experiential education. “It’s a very broad-based experience and education offering that we provide, and sports is one of the elements that we are trying for the first time,” Tan noted.
On Thursday, UOB also held a dialogue for 300 youth beneficiaries from low-income backgrounds. Chan was one of the speakers, along with 25-year-old Bian Tong, UOB Wee Cho Yaw Future Leaders Award scholar and director of jazz collective The Jazzlings.
Also among the speakers was 22-year-old Stephy Chien, who was named most promising artist of the year in the emerging artist category of the 2023 UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore).
The trio shared about their experiences and the challenges they faced in their respective areas of sport, music and art. Chan and Bian both told BT that they hope to inspire the youth beneficiaries in the audience by participating in the dialogue.
As part of its 90th anniversary, UOB has committed to provide education programmes to 250,000 students and children across Asean over the next five years, with an aggregate impact of S$120 million.
This year, UOB hosted various community projects and financial literacy programmes and will continue its efforts, as well as support national programmes such as The Purple Parade.
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