Team Nila, Singapore’s national sport volunteerism movement, celebrated its largest cohort of honourees to date at the 2026 Team Nila Awards, recognising 633 volunteers for their dedication and service, a nearly 50% jump from 2025. Now in its sixth year, the awards continue to spotlight the people powering Singapore’s vibrant sporting ecosystem.
This year also marked the debut of a new accolade: the Team Nila Volunteer Leader Award, presented to three volunteers who went above and beyond in guiding, uplifting, and inspiring their peers.
The ceremony was graced by Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Senior Minister of State for Education, who presented certificates to the award recipients.
Building Momentum Towards 2029 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games
During the event, volunteers were given an exclusive look at Team Nila’s upcoming initiatives aimed at expanding and strengthening the volunteer community ahead of major sporting milestones, including the 2029 Southeast Asian Games and ASEAN Para Games.
A key highlight is Team Nila on the Move, a new outreach initiative that will bring the movement directly to sports centres, schools, and community events. The programme aims to raise awareness about sport volunteerism and inspire more Singaporeans to join the vibrant Team Nila community.
Celebrating the Spirit of Volunteerism
The 2026 awards recognised contributions across Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories, reflecting a volunteer force that collectively contributed over 220,000 hours in 2025.
Volunteers played crucial roles across major sporting events during Singapore’s SG60 celebrations, including the World Aquatics Championships – Singapore 2025, Toyota World Para Swimming Championships 2025, HSBC SVNS, and Singlife Nations Cup. Their responsibilities spanned event operations, accreditation, liaison duties, Team Nila Beats, and supporting Little Team Nila volunteers cheering on Team Singapore athletes.
The new Volunteer Leader Award recognised individuals who took on significant leadership responsibilities and exemplified passion, empathy, and teamwork. Among them is Ms Patricia Teo, also a Gold award recipient, who has volunteered with Team Nila for over a decade. She led volunteer teams during the 2025 Toyota World Para Swimming Championships and played a key leadership role during the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
Strengthening the Volunteer Community Through New Initiatives
To support its growing base of over 60,000 volunteers, Team Nila announced several new engagement and development programmes built around three pillars: Play More, Support More, and Jio More.
Play More
Creating avenues for volunteers to bond and build skills through quarterly sports days and additional workshops in first aid, refereeing, sport announcing, and leadership.
Support More
Introducing the Home of Team Nila, a dedicated space for volunteers to connect, collaborate, and celebrate the unique Team Nila spirit.
Jio More
Anchored by Team Nila on the Move, this outreach effort will bring sharing sessions to ActiveSG Sport Centres, schools, and community events. Special engagements will target children aged five to 12 to grow the Little Team Nila programme and nurture early passion for sports and volunteerism.
