SINGAPORE: Sports programmes are only as good as the people running them. The same can be said of athletes. Sure, they do have to have talent and drive, but without the right coach to develop and challenge them, even the most gifted may never reach their full potential.
On Apr 1 (Tuesday), the Singapore Sport Institute and the National Youth Sports Institute were brought under one umbrella under the newly established High Performance Sport Institute (HPSI). The Singapore Sports School will also be consolidated under HPSI at a later date.
Centralisation, in theory, streamlines operations and creates a more cohesive, sporting infrastructure.
But as someone who trained and competed as a national swimmer for 17 years, I can’t help but wonder if this is the solution to Singapore’s most pressing sporting challenges?
To me, the most pressing issue isn’t infrastructure. You can put everyone under one big umbrella, but without the right people leading these initiatives - whether as coaches, technical specialists or administrators - we risk losing an opportunity to truly level up Singapore sport.
I’ve seen firsthand what a great coach can do.
I was blessed to have swimming come naturally to me. “Talented”, is what people used to say of me. But talent alone was never enough, because there are many talented swimmers in Singapore.
At age 11, I was already the fastest swimmer in Singapore. But I needed someone who could take me further. Someone who could nurture my strengths, strengthen my weaknesses, and drive me to push through the tough sets without breaking me.
At that time, I could not find that coach here, so I went overseas.
There, I was exposed to new and different ways of coaching and had access to sports specialists that I never even knew existed. I grew faster and stronger, eventually becoming part of a relay team that broke the world record.
A single coach can influence hundreds, if not thousands, of athletes. Imagine if Singapore had just 10 exceptional coaches, we’d be looking at thousands of young minds and bodies being shaped and nurtured to their full potential. That’s where the change truly happens.
That’s why I worry when that while centralising Singapore’s sports institutions is a logistical and strategic move to streamline resources, it risks missing the mark if it doesn’t prioritise empowering the people behind the systems.
Having people in positions who understand the intricacies of high-performance sports is crucial. It’s the vision, expertise and passion of these people that will make the difference
Coaches are not just teachers; they are also mentors, motivators and tacticians.
Technical specialists work behind the scenes to ensure athletes are optimised in every aspect of their training. A biomechanics specialist, for instance, can analyse the efficiency of one’s stroke and race plan through data, and pinpoint weak points that can help an athlete shave off those few precious milliseconds between finishing on a podium or not.
A nutritionist ensures an athlete’s body is properly fuelled to support elite training. Michael Phelps - the most decorated Olympian of all time - was famously told to consume 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day, about five times more than an average person.
Then there are sleep specialists, whose jobs are to ensure athletes get adequate rest by analysing their sleep cycles and identifying disruptions caused by training schedules, stress, anxiety, diet or travel.
These are but a few specialists that a single athlete needs to work with. Their work may not make headlines, but it directly impacts how fast an athlete runs or swims, how quickly they recover and how consistently they perform. I believe that it’s their expertise that will give our athletes an edge and help elevate Singapore sport on the global stage.
Yet there’s a tendency to stretch our best people too thin. This, to me, is one of the most significant challenges in Singapore sport.
Due to hiring constraints, many sports science specialists are expected to juggle multiple hats, from teaching to running workshops, administration and even academic duties such as writing research papers.
Being pulled in so many directions takes away time they could otherwise spend honing their expertise or working closely with athletes. The result is a diluted impact on athlete development. And in a small country like Singapore where every role has a far-reaching effect, the lack of true specialists can hinder our athletes’ growth.
If we want Singapore sport to thrive, we must give our specialists the space to specialise. If we want our athletes to excel at the highest levels, we need professionals who are solely focused on refining the techniques, strategies and systems that bring about elite performances - not spread too thin to make a difference.
Then there’s the ever-contentious debate over local versus foreign talent. Should Singapore import sporting professionals, or build them from within?
My short answer: Both, but do it better.
Local professionals have invaluable insight into the local culture and the unique challenges of Singaporean athletes. Foreign professionals, on the other hand, bring global experience drawn from world-class programmes and fresh perspectives that can lift out standards.
I was fortunate to be coached by the late Mr Kee Soon Bee, a legendary figure in Singapore’s swimming circle. He shaped the careers of generations of national swimmers over decades and was a fatherly figure to many of us.
I’ve also trained under coaches from the Netherlands, Australia and the United States. Yes, they were more advanced in their coaching methods, but they were not around for decades. When they left, their expertise left with them.
To this end, it’s worth considering if foreign specialists who come to Singapore should be required, as part of their employment condition, to mentor and groom local talent. This would go ways in helping our local professionals continue the work long after they’ve moved on.
Finally, when we talk about sports in Singapore, there’s often an oversized focus on winning medals, especially at the international level.
Medals matter, of course. They bring visibility and validation. But they cannot be the only measure of success.
A true sporting nation is one where participation, sustained development and culture are just as important as podium finishes.
Success means making sports part of our everyday lives, embracing sports as part of our lifestyles.
The future of Singapore sport depends not just on infrastructure, but on people. Not just the athletes on the field, but also those who guide them there.
Former national swimmer Joscelin Yeo is a four-time Olympian who also won 40 gold medals in the SEA Games during her 17-year swimming career. Yeo, a former Nominated Member of Parliament, is now the co-founder of Into The Wild, which organises wilderness camps for children.
Continue reading...
On Apr 1 (Tuesday), the Singapore Sport Institute and the National Youth Sports Institute were brought under one umbrella under the newly established High Performance Sport Institute (HPSI). The Singapore Sports School will also be consolidated under HPSI at a later date.
Centralisation, in theory, streamlines operations and creates a more cohesive, sporting infrastructure.
But as someone who trained and competed as a national swimmer for 17 years, I can’t help but wonder if this is the solution to Singapore’s most pressing sporting challenges?
To me, the most pressing issue isn’t infrastructure. You can put everyone under one big umbrella, but without the right people leading these initiatives - whether as coaches, technical specialists or administrators - we risk losing an opportunity to truly level up Singapore sport.
Related:
IT'S NOT WHERE THAT MATTERS - IT'S WHO
I’ve seen firsthand what a great coach can do.
I was blessed to have swimming come naturally to me. “Talented”, is what people used to say of me. But talent alone was never enough, because there are many talented swimmers in Singapore.
At age 11, I was already the fastest swimmer in Singapore. But I needed someone who could take me further. Someone who could nurture my strengths, strengthen my weaknesses, and drive me to push through the tough sets without breaking me.
At that time, I could not find that coach here, so I went overseas.
There, I was exposed to new and different ways of coaching and had access to sports specialists that I never even knew existed. I grew faster and stronger, eventually becoming part of a relay team that broke the world record.
A single coach can influence hundreds, if not thousands, of athletes. Imagine if Singapore had just 10 exceptional coaches, we’d be looking at thousands of young minds and bodies being shaped and nurtured to their full potential. That’s where the change truly happens.
That’s why I worry when that while centralising Singapore’s sports institutions is a logistical and strategic move to streamline resources, it risks missing the mark if it doesn’t prioritise empowering the people behind the systems.
Related:
Having people in positions who understand the intricacies of high-performance sports is crucial. It’s the vision, expertise and passion of these people that will make the difference
Coaches are not just teachers; they are also mentors, motivators and tacticians.
Technical specialists work behind the scenes to ensure athletes are optimised in every aspect of their training. A biomechanics specialist, for instance, can analyse the efficiency of one’s stroke and race plan through data, and pinpoint weak points that can help an athlete shave off those few precious milliseconds between finishing on a podium or not.
A nutritionist ensures an athlete’s body is properly fuelled to support elite training. Michael Phelps - the most decorated Olympian of all time - was famously told to consume 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day, about five times more than an average person.
Then there are sleep specialists, whose jobs are to ensure athletes get adequate rest by analysing their sleep cycles and identifying disruptions caused by training schedules, stress, anxiety, diet or travel.
These are but a few specialists that a single athlete needs to work with. Their work may not make headlines, but it directly impacts how fast an athlete runs or swims, how quickly they recover and how consistently they perform. I believe that it’s their expertise that will give our athletes an edge and help elevate Singapore sport on the global stage.
Related:
MULTITASKING IS NOT HIGH PERFORMANCE
Yet there’s a tendency to stretch our best people too thin. This, to me, is one of the most significant challenges in Singapore sport.
Due to hiring constraints, many sports science specialists are expected to juggle multiple hats, from teaching to running workshops, administration and even academic duties such as writing research papers.
Being pulled in so many directions takes away time they could otherwise spend honing their expertise or working closely with athletes. The result is a diluted impact on athlete development. And in a small country like Singapore where every role has a far-reaching effect, the lack of true specialists can hinder our athletes’ growth.
If we want Singapore sport to thrive, we must give our specialists the space to specialise. If we want our athletes to excel at the highest levels, we need professionals who are solely focused on refining the techniques, strategies and systems that bring about elite performances - not spread too thin to make a difference.
LOCAL VS FOREIGN TALENT
Then there’s the ever-contentious debate over local versus foreign talent. Should Singapore import sporting professionals, or build them from within?
My short answer: Both, but do it better.
Local professionals have invaluable insight into the local culture and the unique challenges of Singaporean athletes. Foreign professionals, on the other hand, bring global experience drawn from world-class programmes and fresh perspectives that can lift out standards.
I was fortunate to be coached by the late Mr Kee Soon Bee, a legendary figure in Singapore’s swimming circle. He shaped the careers of generations of national swimmers over decades and was a fatherly figure to many of us.
I’ve also trained under coaches from the Netherlands, Australia and the United States. Yes, they were more advanced in their coaching methods, but they were not around for decades. When they left, their expertise left with them.
To this end, it’s worth considering if foreign specialists who come to Singapore should be required, as part of their employment condition, to mentor and groom local talent. This would go ways in helping our local professionals continue the work long after they’ve moved on.
Related:
IT SHOULDN’T BE JUST ABOUT THE MEDALS
Finally, when we talk about sports in Singapore, there’s often an oversized focus on winning medals, especially at the international level.
Medals matter, of course. They bring visibility and validation. But they cannot be the only measure of success.
A true sporting nation is one where participation, sustained development and culture are just as important as podium finishes.
Success means making sports part of our everyday lives, embracing sports as part of our lifestyles.
The future of Singapore sport depends not just on infrastructure, but on people. Not just the athletes on the field, but also those who guide them there.
Former national swimmer Joscelin Yeo is a four-time Olympian who also won 40 gold medals in the SEA Games during her 17-year swimming career. Yeo, a former Nominated Member of Parliament, is now the co-founder of Into The Wild, which organises wilderness camps for children.
Continue reading...