Kenn Foundation’s First Sponsorship of a Sporting Event
Fostering a More Equitable and Inclusive Society
The world series will be hosted for the first time in Asia, from 10-12 May at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. Kenn Foundation has donated 3,000 limited edition plush bears that can be adopted by fans for just $20. All proceeds go to the organiser Singapore Disability Sports Council. We are thrilled to be able to do our part in supporting the athletes and fostering awareness of disability sports in Singapore. This is Kenn Foundation’s first sponsorship of a sporting event, and we cannot imagine a better event to be a part of. It is in line with our vision to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
Adding to the fanfare, each of the 15 Team Singapore athletes representing Singapore in the competition has designed one special bear reflecting their own personalities. These one-of-a-kind plush bears are already available for auction here.
There have been many firsts for Paralympian (and Nominated Member of Parliament) Yip Pin Xiu, and, come May, it will be time for yet another first in her swimming career. The veteran swimmer will form part of Singapore’s first para swimming relay team comprising Theresa Goh, Toh Wei Soong and Eugene Png, for the Singapore 2019 World Para Swimming World Series.
We are excited to see which bear will clinch the highest bid! Pin Xiu and Theresa’s bears, for example, make an exclusive offer – the two bears have been joined by their hands, and will be auctioned together. We asked the Paralympian-friends what inspired their designs.
Braving the Waters, Together
TG:
I chose to dress my bear up as a narwhal because I really like them. Narwhals are the unicorns of the sea – sounds mythical but they are actually real! The 4 hearts on the bear represent my Chinese name, as my Chinese characters have four hearts in them. My mom did the crochet, we gave her the concept. Hahaha…
PX:
Mine is a mermaid. It is a mythical creature but ever since I was young, I’ve always felt a huge sense of freedom whenever I was in the water. I relate to dolphins, and sea creatures, because they have a lot more freedom in the water than they do have on land. That’s where the inspiration for the mermaid came about.
We sewed our bears together because, ever since I’ve started swimming competitively, I’ve always had a friend beside me, a mentor beside me, who’s going through this journey with me. We feel it’s important for people to show that sometimes it’s ok having somebody else in life with you, going through this journey with you. In fact, it’s more than “ok”, it’s Great!
KF:
How have you been preparing for your competition?
TG:
There hasn’t been a real off-season for us. We have been training consistently and working on finetuning our strokes, starts and turns.
KF:
Is there anything else you are looking forward to in this event?
PX:
It’s going to be the first time we have a relay team! In the fifteen years I’ve been swimming competitively, I’ve never swam in a relay team.
This time, for me, personally, it’s going to be really exciting. Usually when you swim a single event, it’s just yourself; but when you’re swimming in a team event, there’s going to be a lot more pressure to do well for everybody, and it’s going to be fun.
KF:
Thank you so much, Theresa and Pin Xiu. We wish you all the best!