Going for gold
From Third to First World yes, but not in sports which remain Singapore's great under-achievement. It now wants to catch up with help of foreign talents.
Mar 26, 2002

A bit of history was recorded last week in Singapore sports, soccer in particular.

Brazil-born Egmar Goncalves has become the first foreign footballer to take the oath allegiance to become a Singapore citizen.

The popular striker, 31, is one of two players to have scored more than 100 S-League goals.

He joined 200 other foreigners to become citizens, including China-born Dong Enxin, 20, one of Southeast Asia's best shot-putters.

The 130-kg Singapore champion is one of six Mainland Chinese throwers brought to Singapore two years ago.

The others are awaiting news of their citizenship status, but their hope is not too bright unless their performances improve dramatically.

The other footballer who scored 100 League goals, Mirko Grabovac, 30, a permanent resident who hails from Croatia, will soon follow the Brazilian in getting his Singapore papers.

Once sworn in, the two players will be able to represent the republic, which lacks world-class scorers.

Earlier this month China-born table tennis player, Li Jiawei, now a 20-year-old citizen, won the title "Best Sportswomen in Singapore of the Year."

Jiawei was training in Beijing when the news broke. She had won it for hitting gold - and led the women's team to victory - for Singapore at the recent Commonwealth Championships and Sea Games.

In recent years, competition-minded Singapore has been in a hurry to catch up in one area, sports, that it fares poorly when compared with its neighbours.

Great in trade and commerce, with a strong streak to win, this city has been nothing more than an also-ran in many competitive sports. No more if it has its way.

Despite a stressful recession, the city will go ahead and spend S$1 billion trying to catch up.

Half will go towards infrastructure, old and new, while the rest will be spent on people, training, coaches, rewards - and luring in foreign talents. It is also considering whether or not to vie as hosts for the 2008 Commonwealth Games.

Over the years an increasing number of foreigners has responded to the attractions from different continents, the biggest number being in football, Singaporeans' greatest love.

There are scores of teens that have the potentials in badminton, table tennis, athletics and hockey.

The influx has changed several sports in Singapore, some dramatically.

It may only be the beginning. For the first time, the government is taking a serious interest in competitive - as distinct from exercise - sports. That means winning gold medals.

It wants to be the 10th best sporting nation in Asia. It can't do it without foreign talent.

Under Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, when the nation was struggling with poverty, winning medals in sports was last in the list of priorities. Sports had meant keeping fit, building a "rugged society" rather than winning.

With higher living standards now, Singaporeans are not content with their nation just taking part and doing its best. They want victories, and the younger political leaders are putting a lot of resources to breed - or attract - winners.

Officials have scoured China's provinces to spot school or youth champions in table tennis, badminton, and field and track athletes. Gymnastics could be a future target.

Others seek out very young promising Indonesian badminton and tennis players. All these youths are offered training and study courses in Singapore.

A comprehensive schedule is laid out for their courses and careers - their performances watched, analysed. The good ones are offered citizenship. The failures are packed off.

Sports is just an extention of what is already taking place in other areas, where Singapore is stretching out a welcoming hand to skilled foreigners, ranging from students to workers, from research scientists to performing artistes.

So why not in sports? At any rate, ministers argue, emigrating sports stars have long become a trend in the world.

Half the players in France's World Cup winning team, just as America, are immigrants. In table tennis, ex-Chinese champions are turning up to don state colours for the West.

Singapore's population base is too small to throw up world-beaters.

Besides, the country has had no passion or special abilities in sports - unlike medium-size countries like Australia, Cuba, South Africa or even New Zealand and Malaysia.

It is a generation lost due to weak interest or poor official support. It is, in fact, the Singaporeans themselves who are to be blamed, too.

The 3.2-million people are among the competitive in the world but their energy is channeled mainly to getting a degree or earning a living, with little time for sports except maybe to watch it.

One reporter said: "This is a country where young people spend much of their weekends with tutors instead of with playmates just so they have a fighting chance at a slot in a prestigious school and a good job later."

Money and sports don't mix, parents often tell their kids and they get annoyed if they spend too much time taking part in sports.

"What will an athlete do when he grows old, say at 35 or 40?' sportsmen often ask. Not many can become coaches.

Changes have been dramatic in the past two years even as Singapore slid into recession.

The government set up a Sports Ministry last year under Community Development Minister, Mr. Abdullah Tarmugi. Earlier this month Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong launched an initiative that safeguards a top athlete's future.

In the scheme, the state virtually ensures the talented will look after their non-sports concerns, including their education, careers, help them retire and insure them against premature retirement because of injury.

To assure parents that career and sports do mix, the ministry is establishing Singapore's first sports school that will open its doors in 2004.

Swimmers, athletes, table-tennis players, badminton shuttlers, sailors and ten-pin bowlers will form the bulk of the first intake of students.

Abdullah said his ministry had decided to focus on providing training in these individual sports for the inaugural batch of 150 students. Building of the residential co-educational secondary school at Woodlands will begin in the middle of this year.

"We will also consider the most popular team sports among the male and female students, football and netball, if there is sufficient student intake to make up the teams," said Abdullah.

It will also admit disabled swimmers and athletes.

Ultimately, it is the athletes and the public that will decide if Singapore can be a great sports city. PM Goh wants it to be among Asia's 10th best sporting nations by 2010.

Like qualifying for the World Cup football finals or making the Thomas Cup final by the same year, it is an overwhelming goal that probably can't be scored without foreigners.

Singapore needs to tread the ground sensitively, though. Some locals, including players, are opposed to foreigners donning Singapore colours.

The government obviously sees sports as a promoter of national pride, patriotism. If resentment rises among too many people, it may have an opposite impact.

So far, there is no sign of it. Most people say it's a good idea if it means Singapore winning more gold medals.
Seah Chiang Nee