SINGAPORE: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Team Singapore athletes have been adapting their training at home and exploring different ways to learn new skills to maintain their competitive edge and readiness, whether in sports or in life.

As part of continuous learning for the athletes to build all-rounded competencies, Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) have jointly put together a Financial Literacy Webinar Series (FLW). The webinar series aims to equip athletes with the fundamental knowledge they need to better manage their personal finances and investments throughout their sporting careers and beyond. All athletes and their family members are invited to participate in this free webinar series.

“We are constantly on the lookout for ways to better support our athletes’ journeys both to the podium and in life. Through spexBusiness, we are excited to work with SGX on this new initiative. This is an ideal opportunity for our Team Singapore athletes to educate themselves on prudent financial management. This is an essential life skill, which would potentially serve them well in the years to come,” said Chief of Singapore Sport Institute, Toh Boon Yi.

Sharing SSI’s excitement on this initiative, Michael Syn, Senior Managing Director and Head of Equities, SGX, said, “A centrepiece of this collaboration with SSI is empowering and encouraging Singapore athletes to embark on their financial literacy journey early. Time is an important factor when it comes to compounding wealth. As our athletes focus on training in pursuit of national sporting goals, SGX Academy will equip them with the knowledge to start investing and managing their finances early.”

FLW will be led by SGX Academy who will provide a five-module programme twice yearly through its online training platform and will focus on the theme of regular investing through discipline and perseverance. The programme is open to all Team Singapore athletes, including spexScholars, carded athletes, and family members managing finances on behalf of young athletes.

Singapore’s Olympics gold medallist Joseph Schooling said, “Being financial literate is an important life skill, as it will not only help us during our sporting career but for the rest of our lives. This is a timely initiative which will go a long way to help us secure and safeguard our financial future.”

Athletes can easily access these online modules from anywhere at any time to complete the course amidst their busy schedules. Registered participants may login to attend the webinar via smartphones, tablets and laptops. The first module of the programme will begin on 20 June and will be conducted on Saturdays, from 2pm to 4pm.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, SGX Academy has been ramping up its online investor education efforts via webinars and Facebook. It launched its SGXInvest Telegram channel in April, where investors can get quick bite-sized market information on a timely basis to support their investing decisions.