Singapore, 3rd June 2023 – Global football star, Cristiano Ronaldo, was greeted by a rousing crowd of over 1000 youths chanting ‘SIUU’ as he stepped into Victoria Junior College.
The three-time Best FIFA Men’s Player was in town to support a series of Peter Lim Scholarships, one of them being the SOF – Peter Lim Scholarship, a cause he has championed for over a decade. The scholarship is aimed at helping young deserving sports talents pursue their sporting dreams without being hampered by financial constraints.
In 2010, philanthropist and businessman Peter Lim donated S$10 million to SOF to start the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship – the single largest donation solely funded by an individual in Singapore towards sports development. A further S$10 million was committed to the fund in 2019 to extend the Scholarship till 2030.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s relationship with Singapore and the Scholarship began over 10 years ago thanks to his friendship with long-time confidante Peter Lim, and he has returned regularly to the Republic since then.
At the Saturday event, the Portuguese forward shared his #BeSIUPER message to youths. Born from his famous ‘SIUU’ celebration, #BeSIUPER is Cristiano Ronaldo’s encouragement to youths to pursue their passions, bring a winning mindset to advance their goals and be willing to learn in order to keep improving.
He capped off his stage segment with another one of his photo opportunities that have become signature of his Singapore visits: surrounded by over 1000 youths – and this time all cheering ‘SIUU’ in the background to spread his #BeSIUPER message.
The sporting superstar then tried his hand at Padel ball with some youths and guests at the event to reinforce his message of being willing to learn – regardless of what level you begin at. A relatively nascent sport in Singapore, Padel ball was the perfect game to reflect Cristiano Ronaldo’s message because players start at a more level playing field. The Padel ball phenomenon has been picking up momentum, with many international sports stars like Cristiano Ronaldo taking interest in the game, and Mint Media Sports is leading the charge to develop the game in Asia. It is the fastest growing sport in the world, highly social and suitable for all age groups.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s support of the SOF – Peter Lim Scholarship was held against the backdrop of the Fun Fest event at the Marine Parade Cluster.
The SOF – Peter Lim Scholarship was established on 29 June 2010. Previous beneficiaries of the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship include Joseph Schooling (swimming), Shayna Ng (bowling), Martina Lindsay Veloso (shooting), Veronica Shanti Pereira (athletics) and Adam Swandi (football).
Olympians and international sport stars who have attended the ceremonies as special guests: Peter Kenyon, former chief executive of Manchester United Football Club and Chelsea Football Club (2011), Mr Mark Foster, former swimming Olympian and world champion (2012), Ms Danka Barteková, Olympian shooting bronze medallist (2013), Ms Logan Tom, Olympic volleyball medallist and Valencia Football Club footballers (2016), Mr Abhinav Bindra (2017), Mr Koji Murofushi and Mr Joseph Schooling (2018).
From 2011 to 2022, 4402 scholarships amounting to S$9.2 million were awarded to student-athletes from 54 sports.