SINGAPORE: This year’s Asian Games, which drew to a close on Sunday (Oct 4), marked several highs for Team Singapore.
Singapore’s athletes brought home a total of two golds, nine silvers and seven bronzes, across nine different sports, ranging from traditional powerhouses for the republic like sailing and swimming, but also included breakthrough performances in badminton and golf.
Singaporean fencers, long a dominant force at the SEA Games, also had their best-ever showing at the Asian Games with three impressive medals.
Beyond the final medal tally, the grit and determination displayed not just by the medal-winners, but all the athletes who entered the fray in Japan, provided much gripping entertainment and excitement for Singaporeans following the action.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
But sports fans are notoriously hard to please. Much has been made of the fact that the two golds secured in Nagoya were Singapore’s lowest in nearly 30 years. This should be balanced against the fact that the nine silver medals was the highest in history.
Progression in sports is rarely a predictable straight line. In many cases, myriad factors will determine if an athlete stands on the top step of the podium – including individual preparation to achieve peak form at the right moment, conditions of the field of play on the day of the competition, and the form of competitors.
Thus, the two golds bagged at this year’s Asian Games, compared to the three achieved at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, do not necessarily demonstrate a lack of progress.
Instead, the fact that the 2026 team of mostly debutants set 10 national records and achieved 23 personal best performances should highlight that they had prepared well and delivered their very best.
Further context that should be considered includes the fact that bowling, a sport that Singaporeans have typically performed well in, was excluded from this year’s Games.
The fact that Team Singapore is bringing back medals across a broader range of sports is also heartening. Singapore can potentially look ahead to more events and athletes contributing to the tally in the future.
Another criticism that has surfaced in the wake of the Games is the fact that no medal targets had been made public prior to the competition.
Sport Singapore officials said in their post-event assessment that the athletes had met “internal medal projections”, which raised questions over why such projections had not been made public when taxpayers’ funds had been used to fund the sporting endeavours.
Singapore’s regional rivals like Indonesia and Malaysia had announced their targets, but the Singapore officials said this could increase the pressure on athletes and coaches.
There might also be concern that the inability to achieve declared targets would be seen as a failure.
While I can understand this position, I am reminded of a quote by American track sprinter Michael Johnson: “Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity.”
He not only welcomed the pressure that came from declaring his own competition goals, but even sought to push himself further, most famously by asking his sponsor to make a pair of shimmering gold shoes to wear in the 1996 Olympic competition.
This could have been a foolish move that deliberately raised the stakes, but he embraced it to motivate himself and maybe even seed some fear or doubt in the minds of his competitors.
Perhaps this is a perspective that could help national athletes, coaches and officials in the event that medal targets are set and made public.
I believe it is good to set targets that might be seen as aspirational or a stretch based on current levels. When I was president of Fencing Singapore some 15 years ago, I told the media that we aimed to win five gold medals at a SEA Games.
At that time, we were struggling to bring back more than one or two golds, and some commentators called my comments unrealistic, among other less polite adjectives.
We didn’t achieve that target, and I explained the team’s performances without apologising for setting out the goals publicly. I believed it was the duty of sport leaders to signal clearly where we want the sport to go, and also our confidence and belief in our athletes to get there.
At last year’s SEA Games in Bangkok, Team Singapore fencers cemented their dominant status in the region by winning a record eight gold medals out of a possible 12, improving on their seven-gold haul two years earlier.
The seed of success is planted through high targets and goals set today, as long as there is public awareness that success in sports will not always be linear, and that sometimes losses are merely stepping stones to future wins.
As we look ahead to the 2029 SEA Games which will take place at home in Singapore, I am sure that the expectations on Team Singapore will grow in the next three years.
Rather than shy away, athletes can welcome the home ground support, and seize the opportunity to achieve something for the country and themselves.
My dream for Team Singapore is to top the medal table at the 2029 SEA Games. We have never achieved this feat, but it is something that any host nation can and should aim for.
We came close in 2015 when we last hosted the biennial sports event. We have demonstrated in Nagoya and elsewhere that they have what it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder against the best sporting talent in the region.
I will be the happiest Singaporean if we achieve that lofty goal. In the meantime, the journey there will bring invaluable lessons as we continue working towards becoming a true sporting nation.
Nicholas Fang is a former national fencer and triathlete, and a former sports administrator. A former Nominated Member of Parliament, he was Chef de Mission for Team Singapore at the 2015 SEA Games, and is managing director of sports consultancy Novastella.
Continue reading...
Singapore’s athletes brought home a total of two golds, nine silvers and seven bronzes, across nine different sports, ranging from traditional powerhouses for the republic like sailing and swimming, but also included breakthrough performances in badminton and golf.
Singaporean fencers, long a dominant force at the SEA Games, also had their best-ever showing at the Asian Games with three impressive medals.
Beyond the final medal tally, the grit and determination displayed not just by the medal-winners, but all the athletes who entered the fray in Japan, provided much gripping entertainment and excitement for Singaporeans following the action.
CNA Games
Show More Show Less
PROGRESSION IN SPORTS
But sports fans are notoriously hard to please. Much has been made of the fact that the two golds secured in Nagoya were Singapore’s lowest in nearly 30 years. This should be balanced against the fact that the nine silver medals was the highest in history.
Progression in sports is rarely a predictable straight line. In many cases, myriad factors will determine if an athlete stands on the top step of the podium – including individual preparation to achieve peak form at the right moment, conditions of the field of play on the day of the competition, and the form of competitors.
Thus, the two golds bagged at this year’s Asian Games, compared to the three achieved at the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, do not necessarily demonstrate a lack of progress.
Instead, the fact that the 2026 team of mostly debutants set 10 national records and achieved 23 personal best performances should highlight that they had prepared well and delivered their very best.
Further context that should be considered includes the fact that bowling, a sport that Singaporeans have typically performed well in, was excluded from this year’s Games.
The fact that Team Singapore is bringing back medals across a broader range of sports is also heartening. Singapore can potentially look ahead to more events and athletes contributing to the tally in the future.
Related:
UNDER PRESSURE
Another criticism that has surfaced in the wake of the Games is the fact that no medal targets had been made public prior to the competition.
Sport Singapore officials said in their post-event assessment that the athletes had met “internal medal projections”, which raised questions over why such projections had not been made public when taxpayers’ funds had been used to fund the sporting endeavours.
Singapore’s regional rivals like Indonesia and Malaysia had announced their targets, but the Singapore officials said this could increase the pressure on athletes and coaches.
There might also be concern that the inability to achieve declared targets would be seen as a failure.
While I can understand this position, I am reminded of a quote by American track sprinter Michael Johnson: “Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity.”
He not only welcomed the pressure that came from declaring his own competition goals, but even sought to push himself further, most famously by asking his sponsor to make a pair of shimmering gold shoes to wear in the 1996 Olympic competition.
This could have been a foolish move that deliberately raised the stakes, but he embraced it to motivate himself and maybe even seed some fear or doubt in the minds of his competitors.
Perhaps this is a perspective that could help national athletes, coaches and officials in the event that medal targets are set and made public.
Related:
I believe it is good to set targets that might be seen as aspirational or a stretch based on current levels. When I was president of Fencing Singapore some 15 years ago, I told the media that we aimed to win five gold medals at a SEA Games.
At that time, we were struggling to bring back more than one or two golds, and some commentators called my comments unrealistic, among other less polite adjectives.
We didn’t achieve that target, and I explained the team’s performances without apologising for setting out the goals publicly. I believed it was the duty of sport leaders to signal clearly where we want the sport to go, and also our confidence and belief in our athletes to get there.
At last year’s SEA Games in Bangkok, Team Singapore fencers cemented their dominant status in the region by winning a record eight gold medals out of a possible 12, improving on their seven-gold haul two years earlier.
The seed of success is planted through high targets and goals set today, as long as there is public awareness that success in sports will not always be linear, and that sometimes losses are merely stepping stones to future wins.
GEARING UP FOR 2029 SEA GAMES
As we look ahead to the 2029 SEA Games which will take place at home in Singapore, I am sure that the expectations on Team Singapore will grow in the next three years.
Rather than shy away, athletes can welcome the home ground support, and seize the opportunity to achieve something for the country and themselves.
My dream for Team Singapore is to top the medal table at the 2029 SEA Games. We have never achieved this feat, but it is something that any host nation can and should aim for.
We came close in 2015 when we last hosted the biennial sports event. We have demonstrated in Nagoya and elsewhere that they have what it takes to stand shoulder to shoulder against the best sporting talent in the region.
I will be the happiest Singaporean if we achieve that lofty goal. In the meantime, the journey there will bring invaluable lessons as we continue working towards becoming a true sporting nation.
Nicholas Fang is a former national fencer and triathlete, and a former sports administrator. A former Nominated Member of Parliament, he was Chef de Mission for Team Singapore at the 2015 SEA Games, and is managing director of sports consultancy Novastella.
Continue reading...