IN FOCUS: With six Olympic medals in 76 years, how can Singapore improve on its tally?

SINGAPORE: Win at all costs. That was Joseph Schooling’s approach to chasing – and securing – a historic gold medal for Singapore in the 2016 Olympics, and the retired swimmer remains unapologetic about it.
“For me, winning was the most important thing, not getting second, not getting third, and surely not just being there to participate,” the 29-year-old told CNA.
“Having this yardstick of winning medals – winning gold medals – was very important to my success, because that pushed me day in and day out, to be better than those around me.” 
Such a result-driven approach would appear to put Schooling at odds with some of his country’s official messaging in the wake of the Paris Olympics in August. 
In a key speech that same month, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke about Singapore’s performance at the recently concluded Games, and said that sports was “not just about medals” but also “grit and determination”, doing one’s best and “pushing the limits”.
He also urged a deeper culture shift among athletes and the public when it comes to defining success in sport. 
A few days later, Minister for Community, Culture and Youth Edwin Tong also said that leaving aside medals, Singapore’s athletes had come “first” for other sporting qualities such as determination and fortitude while competing, as well as pride in representing their nation.  
In his speech, titled “a new path to sporting success in Singapore”, Mr Tong announced several moves to achieve this, including a new scholarship for student-athletes.
On the back of Singapore kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder clinching a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, the minister has also pledged more support to athletes in niche and uncommon sports.
But will this strategy – comprising both concrete measures and calls for a mindset change – necessarily translate to sporting success? And what would such “success” look like going forward, for a country that’s tallied six medals in 76 years of competing on the biggest stage for sports?
Singapore has sent athletes to the Olympic Games since 1948.
Its first Olympic medal was won in Rome 1960 by weightlifter Tan Howe Liang, who took silver in the lightweight category. 
In the 1990s, the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) devised a scheme to reward medal-winning athletes. Called the Major Games Award Programme, it provides a cash payout to athletes who finish on the podium at the Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and South East Asian (SEA) Games.
The largest award is S$1 million (US$700,000) for athletes who win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Despite these incentives, there was an Olympic medal drought spanning over 40 years, which prompted SNOC to launch Project 0812 in 2006.
This programme funded a select group of athletes preparing for the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
In Beijing 2008, Singapore took home its first Olympic medal in 48 years, with a silver for the table tennis women’s team of Feng Tianwei, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu. 
This was followed by two bronze medals in London 2012, for Feng in the women’s singles as well as the same women’s team that finished second four years prior.
In Rio 2016, Joseph Schooling became Singapore’s first and to date only Olympic gold medalist, after winning and along the way, setting a then-Olympic record in the men’s 100m butterfly. 
In 2018, short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh became the first Singaporean to qualify for the Winter Olympics.
In this year’s Paris Olympics, kitefoiler Maeder’s bronze made the 17-year-old Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist.
Singapore’s high-performing athletes have long had to deal with the perception that pursuing their sport seriously could set them back in their careers. 
This has lingered throughout wushu exponent Kimberly Ong’s time in the sport, especially when many of her national teammates were dropping out to focus on their studies.
“There’s definitely this societal stereotype that academics are more important than sports, and (that) there’s a longer runway if you pursue your academics over sports,” said the 21-year-old, who clinched a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games. 
“I feel like a lot of our talent pool is being lost because of these kinds of considerations.”  
The pressures faced by parents can weigh just as heavily, even though the prime minister said in his speech that parents are now more convinced to support the dreams of high-performance athletes.
Ong’s mother Pauline Sim recalled that when her daughter was transferred in 2018 from a mainstream secondary school to the Singapore Sports School, many friends approached the family to ask why they were “sacrificing her academics for the sake of her sports”. 
“We were very shocked back then, as we had never intended for her to give up pursuing academic excellence – we just wanted her to enjoy better support in terms of her sports while continuing to study hard and achieve desirable grades,” said the 51-year-old. 
This appears to be what the government also hopes to achieve, by introducing a scholarship for undergraduate student-athletes.
While Ong is already on a university scholarship, juniors such as her younger sister Kassandra might stand to benefit. 
“We’ve always had to go under external academic scholarships, like from the universities or other ministries,” said Ong. 
“So I think (the new scholarship) would definitely ease (my junior’s) concerns about the future, because in one way, it kind of reassures them that there’s support in terms of the academic area.” 
Responding to queries from CNA, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth (MCCY) said that mindsets towards pursuing a sporting career are changing.
For instance, more talented young Singaporeans are taking sports more seriously and parents are also becoming more supportive of their children’s sporting careers. 
The spokesperson added that through the new schemes, the government wants to “assure aspiring and current athletes that they can pursue sporting excellence without worrying too much about education and employability”. 
The initiatives “help athletes at various stages and across various facets of their lives – so that they can thrive in both their sporting and non-sporting endeavours”, said the spokesperson.
May Schooling believes she “would have a lot less white hairs” if this level of support was available 15 years ago, when her son first burst onto the swimming scene. 
“It might have been easier for us as a family when the Schoolings decided to go on this path to the Olympics,” said the 69-year-old, an accountant at a manufacturing machinery business. 
Key parts of Schooling’s Olympic journey – such as financing his training in the United States – were “all on” his parents, said his mother.
Meanwhile, the other announcement of top-ups to the Central Provident Fund savings plan – for those under the Sports Excellence Scholarship (SpexScholarship) programme – will contribute to longer-term financial stability for athletes, said members of the fraternity.
“We are signalling to athletes and their families and support systems that sports does not have to be a losing proposition in monetary terms,” said former national fencer and triathlete Nicholas Fang, now the managing director at a sports consultancy. 
He added however that government efforts in this area might not suffice, and that there also has to be a more “robust ecosystem of support from the private sector via sponsorships”. 
For former national diver and Olympian Jonathan Chan, this – and lucrative deals in particular – have been sorely lacking in Singapore.
“If you really want to compare to other countries, the real difference is the amount of sponsorships they have,” said the 27-year-old. 
“If you’re a US athlete, you may have millions of people who know your name,” he said. “But in Singapore, we only have a 6 million (population), and (not all) really care about sports … if people don’t know you, brands won’t sponsor you.”
Nevertheless, some local firms have put their weight behind promising athletes. 
One example is the 4.5-year, seven-figure partnership between DBS Bank and kitefoiler Maeder.
Ms Karen Ngui, head of DBS Group strategic marketing and communications and DBS Foundation, told CNA the deal was in part due to optimism that Singapore’s sports scene will only grow stronger. 
She also tipped her hat to other corporate sponsors and initiatives like the refreshed President’s Challenge, and echoed the Prime Minister’s call to not fixate on medals.
DBS celebrates athletes “not only for their achievements but also for their journeys and experiences gathered along the way”. 
“Their attitude, spirit and commitment already make them winners, with or without a medal,” she said. 
After the Paris Olympics Mr Tong, the minister, said in an interview with CNA that Singapore will support promising athletes, even in new and less common sports. 
This has already been in the works, with Maeder and his kitefoiling – which is new to the Olympic roster – receiving public and private sector support after being noticed by local authorities in 2021.
Indoor skydiver Kyra Poh is another example. She has been included in the spexScholarship programme since 2022, despite her sport not featuring in any major Games – yet.
Ditto for wushu player Ong, who is a spexScholar despite her sport not being on the Olympic programme.
President of the Singapore Ice Skating Association Alison Chan said it was critical to support and invest in not just top performers but as a whole, the sport, its required infrastructure and all its athletes at different levels.
She pointed to how the ice skating community here was dealt a blow when the country’s only Olympic-sized rink was closed last year.
However president of the Kitesurfing Association of Singapore Ong Rong Quan said it was understandable that resources are limited.
“You can’t expect funding until you deliver something, so I think everything goes hand in hand,” he said. 
He added that most niche sports face the challenge in building a community from the ground up.
Efforts are already underway to draw more attention and participation to niche and emerging sports. 
Take the inaugural Singapore Urban Sports and Fitness Festival launched by local governing body Sport Singapore (SportSG) last month.
The festival featured the likes of street dance, fitness racing such as Hyrox, parkour and bouldering, and drew over 70,000 participants across two weekends.
Mr Roy Teo, SportSG’s chief of industry development and technology and innovation, told CNA the decision to hold this festival was due to sensing from the ground that interest in urban sports had grown over the past few years. 
The intention is to encourage mass participation, but the festival also recognises international trends of niche sports becoming more established globally.
In the recent Olympic Games, “non-traditional” sports such as skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, breaking and kitefoiling were on the menu. 
“There are more and more (of these) going into major sports events, and I think that’s a good thing,” said Mr Teo. “Who knows, we may have another champion from all these activities.” 
Expanding support for athletes in niche and uncommon sports is a viable way forward for Singapore, and “something to be excited about”, said Mr James Walton, sports business group leader at Deloitte Singapore & Asia Pacific.
“Since some niche sports are relatively new to the scene, the international playing field is more level compared to the more established sports,” he added.
“This in turn gives Singaporean athletes greater opportunity to shine on the world stage.” 
Some might ask, however, if Singapore should instead focus on a few sports with the potential to consistently deliver medals. 
That after all seems to be what other Asian sporting administrations as well as neighbouring countries are doing. 
Hong Kong, for one, emerged as a fencing powerhouse at the Paris Olympics, topping the sport’s medal table with two golds. It has been lauded for having a strong fencing culture dating back to the 1970s. 
And Malaysia has zeroed in on badminton while Thailand has enjoyed success in taekwondo and weightlifting.
Yet those in Singapore’s sports fraternity who spoke with CNA disagreed with this pathway.
“With a targeted approach there are fewer direct beneficiaries, whereas with an inclusive approach, more athletes will benefit,” said former Olympic sailor Benedict Tan, now an adviser to the Singapore Sailing Federation. 
“We have to find the sweet spot, but I’d rather ‘cover my bases’ and err on the side of inclusivity and diversity.” 
If support from the public is crucial in achieving goals such as more sponsorships, as the diver Chan suggested, how then can the Singapore populace be encouraged to back athletes through thick and thin – and to perhaps define success differently?
Sportspeople are no strangers to criticism when the public perceives them as falling short of expectations.
When Ong, the wushu exponent, attained a bronze at the Asian Games last year, an online comment told her not to be “too happy” with the medal.
Then there’s Schooling, who in the wake of his 2016 triumph shouldered intense scrutiny on everything from swim timings to weight and appearance.
It got to a stage where he was no longer obsessed and driven by Olympic gold, and was forced to change up what had worked so well for him for so long.
During this period, Schooling found that a greater emphasis on process over outcome worked better for him. In this there are echoes of Mr Wong’s point in his August speech, on how determination and doing one’s best count just as much as medals.
“He’s right, but we should see that as a baseline,” said Schooling. “We need to use this as a mantra and find a way to help athletes unlock their full potential.” 
Chan agreed that the two were not exclusive: Enjoying a sport and the journey can lead to results and that, as a whole, is success to him.
“When you look at Max (Maeder), when he’s competing there is joy, and even in interviews you can feel he loves his sport,” he said.
“Or like (Loh) Kean Yew, where you can see he has a real drive, and that is what drives other people, that inspires others to take up sports,” he said. 
Echoing the prime minister’s message, the MCCY spokesperson said that sporting success goes “beyond the medals we secure on international platforms”.
The spokesperson said that sport plays multiple roles in Singapore society.
“Sport is deeply rooted in the vibrancy of our community sports culture, nurturing unity, fostering resilience, and creating a platform for everyone to maximise their potential,” the spokesperson said. 
“We seek to foster a broad-based sporting culture that allows all Singaporeans to experience sports and unite in their support of our athletes.”
Those in the sports fraternity said it was less a case of Mr Wong saying to give up on medal aspirations, and more of broadening the criteria for success.
Dr Tan, the ex-sailor, said that while medal tallies and ranking tables are “established quantitative measures”, there are other factors such as spectator numbers and sports participation rates.
And Mr Fang from the sports consultancy described medals as part of the greater sum that is a country’s national sports programme, which includes mass participation and industry development among others.
Still, it would be a mistake to not focus on performance at all.
“Delivering results (at) competitions has the effect of uniting a nation,” said the former head of Singapore’s fencing and modern pentathlon associations.
“And inspiring one and all to dream big and commit to achieving our dreams.”
To Mr Fang, a milestone of sporting excellence for Singapore would be to do away with its famed Major Games Award Programme (MAP), which doles out the biggest cash rewards in the world for Olympic medals.
“In time, if we succeed in elevating the role and significance of sports in our national DNA, while also enhancing the broader support that athletes can receive in pursuit of their sporting endeavours, the MAP might become unnecessary,” he said.
“That might be a good thing for Singapore sports in general.”
To get to this state is a complex task with no “manual” to follow, said Mrs Schooling. 
“There is a clear strategy emerging (but) you can’t just press “play” and expect it to work.
“Whether there are still gaps, we will only know when we start the projects,” she added.
“And the people in charge of the projects must be flexible, adaptable and (must) keep making improvements and not just stick to standard operating procedures.” 
The younger Schooling, somewhat wistfully, said: “Many things are out of our control, but what we can control is the amount of support we can give our athletes, and how to raise not only certain sports, but collectively, our sporting level as a nation and to perform on a global scale.”
He added that the most urgent areas in need of change were the “public’s perception of how powerful sports can be” along with “corporates’ view of how valuable an athlete can be”.
And at the core of it is Singapore’s lone Olympic champion hoping that his country can slowly awaken to the magic of sport.
“Sports needs heroes. Sports needs a person or a team where the people can rally, unite around through good or bad,” said Schooling.
“That’s the real reason why people come to arenas to watch tournaments or competitions, because they’re invested in their team’s success.
“We need to fabricate that kind of environment in Singapore, and it’ll take time.”