SEA Games 2015 Blog

Karti’s Story
Karti Amin, Assurance & Advisory Services Secretary & Deloitte SEA Games volunteer
[Karti has been with Deloitte for 41 years]

Almost five decades have passed, but it seems like just yesterday that I was a teenage athlete in Kaki Bukit Secondary School, training with the cross country running team. I never really felt that I was outstanding; just an ordinary athlete wanting to complete each race as best as I could with the passion (and sweat) that I had for my sport.

Even as I left that part of my life to enter the workforce and start a family, I have come to realize that - once an athlete, always an athlete. The adrenalin still courses through my veins every time a major sporting event comes to town, and I am enveloped in a wave of nostalgia as I watch these events, feeling the excitement of the competition, and yearning to be part of it all once again.

When Singapore hosted the SEA Games in 1973, 1983 and 1993, I was always a keen spectator, either watching the events 'live' on television or catching up on the results from the radio and newspapers – back then there were no mobile phones, computers and definitely no social media sites to visit!

The SEA Games is a historical sporting event and every time it came to our shores, I dreamt of the ordinary ‘me’ being part of something extraordinary, contributing a small piece to Singapore’s history. Thus, when I read the news that Deloitte has been appointed the Official Professional Services Partner for the 28th SEA Games and was seeking volunteers to be VIP ushers for the Games, my hand immediately shot up - to click the sign-up button with my mouse!

In a blink of an eye, I found myself with 200 other Deloitte volunteers at the first SEA Games team building session on 29 November 2014. I was so excited that I arrived at the Sports Hub very early and was the first Deloitte volunteer on site! During the session, I felt a great sense of pride to be sharing this experience with my fellow Deloitte colleagues - all of us dressed in our striking blue Deloitte polo shirts, building rapport with one another, united and enthusiastic to do our best. There was so much excitement and laughter in this first session.

Being the biggest sporting event in the region, this year’s SEA Games is all the more special as it coincides with Singapore’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. For me, having this chance to participate in the Games is an honour and a privilege.

When the time comes for me to perform my duty to represent my nation and Deloitte, my adrenalin will start to pump as hard as the athletes. And like those athletes, I am determined to give my utmost best, in terms of my service and hospitality towards the local and visiting VIPs, making the Games memorable for them.

I have been with Deloitte for more than 40 years and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me to cherish, and a legacy that I can share with my children, my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I look forward to telling my family this story, one of a dream fulfilled with my head held high.

Thank you, Deloitte and SEA Games, for giving the ordinary me such an extraordinary opportunity to be part of history.

Karti