Singapore Ocean Cup 2019 Truly a “Race Without Waste”
11/01/2019
Coca‑Cola Singapore and Singapore Paddle Club collaborate to prohibit use on all single-use plastics at two-day global event
SINGAPORE, 2 November 2019 – In an effort to address environmental challenges such as packaging waste and marine litter, Coca‑Cola Singapore has partnered with Singapore Paddle Club (SPC) for its annual Singapore Ocean Cup 2019 “Race Without Waste”, the biggest ocean paddling race in Asia which showcases outrigger canoe racing, surfski racing and stand-up-paddle racing.
This year, the Singapore Ocean Cup 2019 will be the first race of its kind that disallows the use of all single-use plastics throughout the two-day event, setting a global precedent to be adopted at all water- related sporting events. The theme for this year - “Race Without Waste”, is essentially to drive awareness and behavioural change on the importance of keeping Singapore’s environment free of waste.
“We frequently train on the waters around Sentosa island and the nearby southern islands for the last 15 years. We sometimes see turtles, flying fishes, dolphins swimming amongst trash and it is heart-breaking. This is why we’ve decided to make this year’s event a “Race Without Waste”, in partnership with Coca- Cola Singapore. We are using an international event such as this to drive home the importance of keeping our oceans and waterways clean as we want to create measurable and sustained change in society’s behaviour. We hope to see other sporting events to also adopt the same approach – reducing plastic and reducing waste,” said Frederic Cabay, President of SPC.
“We are delighted to work with the Singapore Paddle Club for the Singapore Ocean Cup’s 2019 Race Without Waste as it is in line with our World Without Waste vision for long-term sustainability. We believe that supporting global events such as this will not only set a precedent, but also be adopted at other sporting events. We believe that when we all come together through concerted, collective action, we can make a meaningful lasting difference to our environment,” said Sharon Tan, Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Coca‑Cola Singapore and Malaysia.
As one of the biggest ocean racing events in Asia, the Singapore Ocean Cup 2019 has attracted over 560 entries from around the world – including paddlers from the UK, Russia, Germany, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil, who will compete in Stand Up Paddling (SUP), Surfski and Outrigger Canoeing races. Some of the big names in outrigger championships present are Corrina Gage and Johnny Puakea, paddling legends who have coached teams that medal at world championships.
The event was officiated by Kimokeo Kapahulehua, founder of the Kimokeo Foundation, and Frederic Cabay, President of SPC.
In an effort to address environmental challenges such as packaging waste and marine litter, Coca‑Cola Singapore has also partnered SPC for its “Ocean Clean-Up, Adopt an Island” programme. Both parties will be working towards reducing marine debris around the coastal areas of Lazarus Island.
Through this programme, Coca‑Cola Singapore and SPC will jointly conduct frequent clean up trips to Lazarus Island, whereby each trip will see up to 50 people paddling outrigger canoes to the island, spending two to three hours collecting plastic and non-organic rubbish to tackle the issue of waste on the island’s shores. The goal is to remove all waste and maintain this through regular clean-ups. All the collected waste will then be brought back to the mainland and taken to the appropriate disposal or recycling facilities.
Taking on a collaborative approach to deliver real, sustainable impact, the Coca‑Cola Singapore-SPC “Ocean Clean-Up, Adopt an Island” partnership will also be extended to both secondary and tertiary education institutes and Singapore-based corporations. This aims to help Singaporeans of all ages do their part in reducing and correctly recycling waste, highlighting that plastic, glass and aluminium can be given a second life. Efforts will also be made to partner with government-led initiatives such as ‘Active-Agers’, to work with all communities towards a cleaner and greener Singapore.
For Coca‑Cola Singapore, these initiatives tie in with its wider World Without Waste initiatives globally, which is to collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of the packaging sold by 2030. It also supports the Singapore Government’s 30 by 30 vision of reducing waste sent to landfills by 30% by 2030. Since 1995, Coca‑Cola has been the lead sponsor of the world’s largest volunteer effort benefiting the marine environment through its partnership with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Clean-up. Over the course of that partnership, the company has helped mobilise millions of volunteers across over 100 countries, to clean up 220 million pounds of trash from coastlines globally.
For media queries, please contact:
White Rook Advisory, on behalf of Coca‑Cola Singapore
Pang Yan Wei
Director
Contact Number: +65 9003 5436
Email: yanwei@white-rook.com
Singapore Paddle Club
Frederic Cabay
President
Contact Number: +65 9023 4181
About Coca‑Cola Singapore
The Coca‑Cola system in Singapore manufactures, markets and distributes more than 40 different beverages options in Singapore, of which 60 percent are lower or no sugar options to help people in Singapore enjoy the great tastes they know and love while managing their sugar intake. In addition to our namesake Coca‑Cola drinks, some of our leading brands in Singapore include: Fanta, Sprite, A&W, Schweppes, Minute Maid juices, Aquarius isotonic drinks, Heaven and Earth teas, Authentic Tea House, Georgia coffee, Dasani waters, glacéau vitaminwater and Zico coconut water. Coca‑Cola has been refreshing Singaporeans for over 80 years and is committed to making a lasting, positive difference in the local community.
For more information about Coca‑Cola Singapore visit: www.coca-cola.com.sg.
About Singapore Paddle Club
The Singapore Paddle Club is a non-profit club formed in 2004 at Sentosa Island, Singapore, by a small group of ocean paddling enthusiasts. The club now has over 170 Singapore based members of all ages from more than 30 different countries. Although all are amateur athletes, many have significant international experience. SPC club members have won world and Asian titles in disciplines such as Stand Up Paddleboard and Surfski. The club has won many medals (including a number of world titles) at the Club Crew World Dragon Boat competition which is held every two years. The club regularly participates in overseas outrigger canoe races, the most recent being the International Va’a Federation’s World Distance Championships for outrigger canoeing. The Singapore Ocean Cup, now in its 11th year, is one of the biggest ocean racing events in Asia. In 2018, the race had over 400 paddlers competing over 2 days across multiple ocean paddling events. The Singaporean Ocean Cup is now an established event on the global paddling calendar and attracts teams and champions from around the world.