16 Oct 2014

Rajah & Tann is Official Legal Partner of the 28th SEA Games 2015

Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP is the Official Legal Partner of the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the firm and the Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) announced today.

As the official and exclusive Legal Partner, Rajah & Tann will advise, prepare and negotiate the various legal documentation necessary for SINGSOC’s hosting and staging of the Games in Singapore from 6-15 June 2015. These include agreements on sponsorships, media rights, marketing, merchandising, licensing, venue, logistics, ticketing, and participation by athletes and torch relay runners.

Rajah & Tann will also review risk factors and advise on legal liability management, doping control rules and procedures, and the resolution of competition-related disputes that may arise from or during the Games, as well as provide legal support on matters relating to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Rajah & Tann’s Managing Partner and Chairman of Rajah & Tann Asia, Mr Lee Eng Beng, Senior Counsel (PBM) said: “We are extremely proud to be an Official Partner of the SEA Games. It is an ideal platform for us to show our support for sports and the community in the region, especially since we have offices in almost all of the countries that are participating in the SEA Games. And being Asian, we know what it takes to foster a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie amongst the diverse cultures in the region. Coincidentally, we also have amongst us staff of the firm who are former SEA Games athletes.”[1]

Chief, Community and Corporate Outreach for SINGSOC Mr Toh Boon Yi said: “Rajah & Tann is one of the few law firms here and in the region that has the specialised expertise in sports law, and believes in the value of sport and in supporting community events. This makes them both an ideal partner and ambassador of the spirit of the 28th SEA Games, which we look for when co-creating this sporting extravaganza. We will be working closely with Rajah & Tann for their legal counsel, and create a legacy that our local sports eco-system can tap on.”

Mr Lau Kok Keng, Head of Intellectual Property, Sports and Gaming at Rajah & Tann, said: “In recent years, the firm has established a sports law practice that has seen us representing some of the marquee names in international sports as well as advising on major sporting events. As sports law encompasses other areas of practice such as employment, contract, intellectual property, media and tort law, a firm like Rajah & Tann with its full spectrum of legal services and depth of experience and expertise across eight countries in Southeast Asia, can offer significant advantage to our clients in both the sporting and business community.”

Rajah & Tann Singapore is part of Rajah & Tann Asia, Southeast Asia’s largest legal services provider with more than 500 lawyers from nine offices in the region with eight in Southeast Asia that include Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

[1] See Annex on biographies of athletes

 

About Rajah & Tann Asia

Rajah & Tann Asia brings together leading law firms and lawyers in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, with each offering the highest standards of service to locally-based clients while collectively having the capacity to handle the most complex regional and cross-border transactions and to provide excellent legal counsel seamlessly across the region. With more than 500 lawyers, all working towards one shared goal, we are lawyers who know Asia and who give our clients home advantage.

About the 28th SEA Games

The 28th SEA Games will be held from 5 -16 June 2015, with Singapore Sports Hub as the main venue for the Games. Organised by the Singapore Southeast Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC), the Games is held in conjunction with Singapore’s 50th anniversary and will host more than 7,000 athletes and officials from 36 sports. Adopting the theme of Celebrate the Extraordinary, the Games will celebrate triumph of human spirit - be it in sports or daily lives; in success or in the grit to try again and again; in winning or in merely being at the start line. The 28th SEA Games will show the people of the Southeast Asia that success ultimately comes to ordinary people with extraordinary dreams. It’s not about having a champion, but inspiring the champion that is inside each of us.

 

Follow us on:

28th SEA Games Website: www.seagames2015.com

28th SEA Games Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/SEAGAMES2015 

 

Annex: Biographies of Athletes

Chia T-Chien

T-Chien represented Singapore in Women’s Waterpolo at the 26th SEA Games held in Indonesia in 2011. She had also participated in other competitions including the Commonwealth Waterpolo Championships in 2006, Asia Championships in 2009 and the 25th SEA Games in Laos where Women's Waterpolo was played as an exhibition sport. As it was the first time Women's Waterpolo was officially part of the SEA Games competition, there was added pressure on the team to win the gold medal given their previous notable performances. With the competition being close to the pulse of most Singaporeans, national pride, purpose and determination brought the team even closer throughout their training.

In the months leading to the SEA Games, T-Chien juggled training alongside changes on the professional front to read law. She had also suffered ligament tears, sprains, inflamed tendons and other injuries caused by the rigorous training that took place almost daily for a year but overcame these challenges with her team mates and defeated Indonesia in the finals to win the first ever gold medal for Women's Waterpolo at the SEA Games. T-Chien also graduated with a law degree and is currently preparing for the Bar examinations.

With the SEA Games experience behind her, T-Chien recognises the values of discipline, perseverance and good time management as enduring traits that would see her through her stint as a trainee lawyer where she will once again be required to display a competitive spirit tempered with a sense of fair play.

 

Daphne Li

Daphne represented Singapore in the 1997 Jakarta SEA Games in Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics. Despite having missed out on the 1995 Chiang Mai SEA Games due to a fractured arm incurred during a training session, her passion and love for the sport and desire to represent Singapore in a regional meet made her persevere after the recovery of her broken arm in the pursuit of a dream.

Much of Daphne’s guiding beliefs from a personal and professional perspective has mostly resulted from her participation in competitive sports. She cites close friendships and peer encouragement as necessary social skills to forging strong team spirit and synergy. Daphne believes that humility and respect for others would exemplify true sportsmanship.

As an Associate Director of Business Development in Rajah & Tann Singapore, Daphne strives to achieve the same standards of high performance and excellence in the course of her work just as she had done so during her days as a gymnast representing Singapore in the SEA Games.

 

Fiona Chee

Fiona was talent spotted to train with the National Women’s Hockey Team in 1980 and went on to represent Singapore at various international hockey tournaments. Upon a stringent review process, she was subsequently selected to represent Singapore at the Asian Games in New Delhi, India, in 1982 and the SEA Games, Singapore, in 1983.  As athletes had limited training resources then, many were left to continue their fitness regime outside of the playing field. The camaraderie with her team mates led to a silver medal for the home team in the 1983 SEA Games.

In recent times, Singapore athletes have the support of companies, family and friends along with many other avenues to enhance their training processes. Fiona opines that resilience and the passion for excellence are instrumental to achieving sporting glory. While sacrifices are inevitable in the course of attaining one’s goal, commitment to a passion would pave the way towards achievement.

As a Senior HR executive of Rajah & Tann Singapore, Fiona sees parallels between her employer and the SEA Games, in that both provide a platform for nurturing the best talents in Southeast Asia – the former in the legal profession, and the latter in the world of sports.