Singapore, 12 June 2026 – The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and EFGH today announced a five-year sponsorship partnership aimed at strengthening support for Team Singapore and advancing Singapore’s sporting ambitions at the major Games.
As part of the sponsorship, EFGH will also support the introduction of a new meritorious awards initiative at the Singapore Sports Awards to recognise coaches who have made significant contributions to Singapore sport.
The initiative marks the first time such awards will be introduced specifically to honour the dedication and impact of coaches supporting Team Singapore athletes, with the inaugural recipients to be recognised at this year’s Singapore Sports Awards. Recipients of the meritorious award will receive a certificate and a cash award of S$2,000.
The partnership will support Team Singapore athletes competing at major Games, including the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Southeast Asian Games starting from the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games all the way to the 2030 Ahmedabad Commonwealth Games.
Bringing this new initiative to life, the SNOC also unveiled the finalists for the 2026 Coach of the Year award. The winner will be announced at the Singapore Sports Awards on 3 July 2026 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. In recognition of the outstanding contributions of coaches across Singapore sport, all other finalists will receive the newly introduced meritorious award and accompanying cash prize, made possible through EFGH’s support.
The 2026 Coach of the Year finalists are:
1. Eugene Chia Kin Weng (Swimming)
2. Sherman Cheng Feng Yuan (Sailing)
3. Luis Filipe Vitorino Cunha (Athletics)
4. Rasic Lazar (Basketball)
5. Gavin Joshua Lee Tse Peng (Football)
6. Joel Lye Jun Hao (Kickboxing)
7. Ng Boon Hock (Wushu)
8. Zhang Zhen (Gymnastics)
Mr Mark Chay, Secretary-General of the SNOC said: “We are delighted to welcome EFGH as an official partner of SNOC and Team Singapore. Partnerships such as these play an important role in strengthening the sporting ecosystem and enabling our athletes and coaches to pursue excellence on the international stage. We are especially encouraged by EFGH’s commitment towards recognising coaches through the new meritorious awards initiative, which acknowledges the invaluable role coaches play in shaping sporting success.”
Mr Dennis Ng, Executive Chairman of EFGH said: "Coaches change lives one athlete at a time. Yet for too long, their contributions have been felt but not formally counted. This partnership with SNOC gives us the opportunity to help change that and to put recognition where it belongs, alongside the medals and the podiums."
Mr Gary Tan, National Head Coach and Performance Director at Singapore Aquatics (and two-time Coach of the Year winner in 2018 and 2023) said: “Athletes may stand on the podium, but there is always a team working tirelessly behind them. This initiative sends a strong message that coaches are valued as an integral part of Singapore’s sporting ecosystem. Recognition like this motivates coaches to continue striving for excellence and supporting athletes in achieving their dreams.”
The collaboration reflects both organisations’ shared commitment to uplifting Singapore sport and inspiring future generations of athletes and coaches.
About Embed Financial Group Holdings
EFGH is a Singapore-headquartered digital financial infrastructure group that partners with governments, regulated financial institutions and enterprises to deploy embedded finance at scale. Its capabilities include programmable payments, embedded insurance, cross-border digital systems and blockchain-based trust infrastructure. EFGH operates via a B2B2C model across markets in Asia and Africa. EFGH has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with a U.S.-listed special purpose acquisition company, ahead of a proposed listing on a major U.S. exchange.
About the Singapore National Olympic Council
The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) is the national non-profit organisation that coordinates the selection of Singaporean athletes for competition at the major games such as the Olympic Games, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Southeast Asian Games. Singapore's involvement in the Games is resolutely anchored in the Olympic ideals that were first espoused by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, in 1894. For more information, please visit www.snoc.org.sg Follow the SNOC on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SGOlympics and @SGOlympics on Instagram.
Media Contact
Embed Financial Group Holdings
Eugene Leow
Co-Founder and Deputy Group CEO
eugene.leow@efgh.xyz
Tel: +65 9877 9801
Therese Lim
Communications Associate
therese.lim@efgh.xyz
Tel: +65 9247 4244
Singapore National Olympic Council
Ho Shu Fen
Mobile: +65 97938443
Email: hoshufen@snoc.org.sg
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