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The true mark of a sporting nation is not just about top-down policies. Societal mindsets must evolve along with it.<\/p>\n
The struggle to balance consistent quality training with a full-time job or studies is something many Singaporean athletes face, including swimmers. This is why we need more stakeholders to come together to support our athletes, especially those from under-resourced backgrounds.<\/p>\n
So, while SA President Lien Choong Luen and his team work away in their boardroom on strategic alliances to fund our athletes, more local corporate entities should step in.<\/p>\n
We must learn to appreciate the value of sports, as an end in itself and not a means to an end. In the same vein, parents and coaches must be prudent in navigating the school system and the Direct School Admission, and not overtrain our young athletes just to get into a brand name school or to win a national school games medal in the short term.<\/p>\n
While the law of probability notes that a small population may yield a smaller talent pool, experience over the years suggests there is no shortage of gifted local athletes. Everyone, from parents and administrators to corporates, must recognise that talent development follows a non-linear path and demands patience.<\/p>\n
In a nation that prizes speed and efficiency, sports requires us to embrace a mindset of long term-ism.<\/p>\n
So, you see, this is a complex issue that requires many things to work in synchrony for athletics to join the party in subsequent SEA Games. Let us not take the recent conversations as a blame game, but a platform for us to see different views, examine them and take action for our athletes.<\/p>\n
Just like how Uncle Peng Siong extended a helping hand on that fateful afternoon in December 2000. That same Singaporean spirit can, and must, continue to live on today.<\/p>\n