DREAMING BIG

At the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, our athletes delivered the country’s best SEA Games performance to date, coming in second at the final medal tally.

As Team Singapore’s chef de mission in 2015, I remember clearly the euphoria and pride felt across the nation as we placed ahead of other regional sporting powerhouses. But I also recall feeling a mild pang of regret.

After all, most other host nations of the SEA Games often leverage the home-ground advantage to take aim at the top step of the podium. As a former national athlete, it was always clear to me that our regional rivals often invested relatively more into sports, which made it challenging for us to dominate the regional games as we would have liked to.

The government’s preparations for the 2029 Games are heartening for the sports community for a number of reasons.

For one, the full-time equivalent training support is meant to provide what an athlete needs to be able to commit fully to his or her sport, without needing to worry about maintaining a day job to pay the bills.

SportSG will also look at improving support services in sports science, education, career development, family planning, financial literacy and personal growth. Such efforts support Singaporean athletes in their sporting endeavours and in achieving elite performances at major games.