The National Day Parade last Sunday (Aug 9) could have ended on a spectacular note. Because of poor winds, the delayed last part of the Formula Kite event at the Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to end a couple of days earlier, finally took place on Aug 9, Singapore time.
If Max Maeder, our kitefoiling world champion, had clinched a gold medal on National Day, the celebration at the Padang and from Tuas to Tanjong Rhu would have been deafening.
But, ah well, an Olympic bronze was also something. Well done, Max. His was only the sixth Olympic medal Singaporeans had ever won – the other five being swimmer Joseph Schooling’s gold in Rio de Janeiro, one silver and two bronzes in table tennis in Beijing and London and one silver in weightlifting in Rome. Max is only 17. He should be in his prime come Los Angeles 2028. Golden years ahead.
What now?
Singapore has been trying to get its act right in promoting sports. A system is now in place. How to do more, to maintain the momentum is the challenge.
The rewards and incentives for the major games are already there. It is nice to get medals but there must always be compensation and reward for effort, sacrifice and bringing honour to the country.
So individual gold medallists will get $10,000 (SEA Games), $40,000 (Commonwealth Games), $200,000 (Asian Games) and $1,000,000 (Olympics), with a cut-off for multiple repeat successes.
Edwin Tong, the de facto Sports Minister, was right: CNA quoted him as saying:
“It’s not so much just funding, but also the mindset, the culture of wanting to be in sports, and to excel and to find a pathway to success through sports…
What’s important for us is to have a wide pool of athletes, as many as possible, playing in sports, have a clear pathway for high performance, and also have many entry points into high performance sports.
That way we can maximise the potential and have as many Singaporeans represent Singapore at as high a level as possible.”
Singaporeans need to have a reset in the way they view themselves and sports itself.
Be clear about what we are and what we are good at. We have a proud history of doing well in sports like swimming, water polo, badminton, table tennis, bowling and athletics, at least at the SEA Games or Asian Games.
We have been winners. This is definitely not a sports-indifferent country, contrary to what many naysayers and cynics like to say.
The country has produced its share of champions and achievers. Besides Max and Joseph Schooling, think of Wong Peng Soon (badminton), Tan Howe Liang (weightlifting), the table tennis girls, runner Chee Swee Lee (Asian Games 400 metres gold medallist), swimmer Junie Sng, the all-conquering water polo teams through many SEA Games until recently – and Ang Peng Siong about whom I have a small story to tell.
Ang was the world’s fastest swimmer in the 50-metre freestyle in the 1980s. He competed in the 100-metre freestyle in Los Angeles in 1984 because there was no 50-metre event. He missed the final but won the highly competitive B consolation race.
I was writing the Straits Times leader (editorial) on that day and wanted to do a comment on his sporting achievement. The editor and I had a long argument before we finally agreed to have that leader to congratulate him.
We must recognise the exceptional passion and commitment that will inspire others.
I totally agree again with Edwin Tong. Talking about badminton player Yeo Jia Min’s narrow loss in the round of 16, he said:
“I think Jia Min was a standout moment. We all felt so much for her. I was there watching her in person, and the moment that last shot went marginally out, we all felt it deep in our hearts.”
Finally, after all these years, sports may have arrived in Singapore. We are supporting our sportsmen and women more and more.
Tan Bah Bah is a former senior leader writer with The Straits Times. He was also managing editor of a magazine publishing company