Our best years are ahead': Speech by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Team Singapore Reception on 29 February 2024

1.  A very warm welcome to our Team Singapore Major Games athletes. It is wonderful having you here at the Istana this evening.

2.  Thank you all for flying our Singapore flag high over the last year: at the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia, 19th Asian Games and 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, and the Special Olympics World Games 2023 in Berlin.

   1.     In total, Team Singapore brought home 236 medals across the five major games in 2023.

   2.    At the Para Games, our athletes achieved their second largest away haul at the ASEAN Para Games, and clocked a comparable best performance at the Asian Para Games.

3.  But it isn’t just about the medals. It’s about what sports does for us. For our athletes themselves. And for all of us - we can be sitting next to each other in the stadium, or be in front of our TVs at the same time, cheering on our Team Singapore athletes, screaming when we miss a goal, and sometimes shedding a tear. Sports moves us, and stays in our memories, in ways that few other things do.

4.  I believe we our best years in sports are ahead of us. We can develop greater sporting excellence, among more Singaporeans. And through sports, both as participants and as citizens cheering on our teams, we will strengthen our shared identity and multiracial spirit.  

5.  Each of our Team Singapore athletes today are showing the way. We applaud what you are already achieving. But it’s not just the medals, but the stuff in you, that inspires and shows the way.    

   •   The grit and grace of Shanti Pereira, our fastest woman ever.

   •    The willingness to grow up and learn very differently, like Maximilian Maeder is doing, and which has already led him at 16 to become the youngest winner in a major world sailing competition.

   •     The mental stamina of Soh Rui Yong, the most outstanding long-distance runner in our history.

   •     The versatility of Quah Ting Wen, who was crowned best athlete at the Cambodia SEA Games.  

   •    The determination of Muhammad Diroy Bin Noordin, who initially struggled to pick up javelin and shot put skills, and became among the top ten para athletes in the world for the shot put.

   •     The resilience of wushu exponent Kimberly Ong, who has had a spate of injuries and underwent surgery months before going on to win a bronze at last year’s Asian Games.   

   •     The strategic gameplay of Yeo Jia Min, who on an intensely competitive world badminton stage is now ranked 19^th.

6.  And beyond those who have won top medals or who have already made it to the top ranks internationally, many others among you are showing the way: by overcoming the odds, doing very creditably against competitors from much larger countries, and setting personal best records in the last year.

Our best years are ahead

7.  Like I said, our best years are ahead.

8.  We now have a much stronger ecosystem for developing our sportspersons, from young.

   •     Much better infrastructure and coaching and specialist support for sportspersons.

   •     Better collaboration and partnerships among the different sport bodies and associations.

   •    More funding, including most recently through the Government’s $20 million top-up top of the One Team Singapore Fund, which provides dollar-for-dollar matching for donations towards Team Singapore athletes.

9.  To achieve our potential, we must take the lo¹ng view. Spot potential talents in every corner of Singapore early, groom them, ensure the flame in them doesn’t burn out too quickly, and help those who dedicate years to sporting achievement to have good careers even after they have peaked in sports.

10. I don’t intend to elaborate much on this today, but will just highlight three opportunities.

11. First, we can do more to develop the enthusiasm for sports and all-round sporting development from young, including in our neighbourhood schools.

12.  We have the ecosystem to make this possible. It will require a stronger emphasis on CCA participation from young, more regular exposure and training, and more opportunities for competition within and amongst schools.

13. Second, we do have to review over-specialisation at a young age. Studies find that it often does not lead to sustaining high achievement at the age when one usually peaks in sports. Associate Professor Kenneth Goh, who is also the secretary-general of Singapore Aquatics, explained this in an article he recently wrote in the Straits Times. As he put it, “instead of trying to identify talent early, young athletes should be given opportunities to participate in various sports for as long as possible.”

    •    The Junior Sports Academy programme¹ – which allows Primary 4 to 6 pupils to play four sports over a two-year period before they choose their co-curricular activity (CCA) in secondary school – is a good start.

    •     ActiveSG’s sports academies and clubs are also an opportunity in this regard. They give children the chance to participate in a diverse range of sports and activities from hockey to canoeing.

14. Related to this, we have to consider how secondary schools’ admission criteria can be designed so as not to over-encourage early specialisation among sporting enthusiasts in primary school.

15. Third, much further on in the journey, we can do more to help athletes in their working careers, both while they are still on their  sporting journeys as well as after they have peaked in sports. The corporate sector can and should play a larger role.

16. We are making good progress in flexible work arrangements and job rotation opportunities, so that sportspersons can still train intensively while pursuing their working careers. The companies under Sport Singapore’s Sports Excellence (Spex) Business Network² are setting the right example.

17. However, more will have to be done to help sportspersons, especially those who have dedicated most of their time to achieving in the sports, to transition to other careers after they have peaked. There are good examples internationally of how companies do this - and of how it helps both the sportspersons in transition as well as the image and culture of the companies themselves.

The Team Behind the Team

18.  Before I conclude, let me make special mention of the ‘team behind the team’.

    •     The coaches, sport scientists, medical personnel, and National Sports Associations.

    •   The Singapore National Olympic Council, Singapore National Paralympic Council, Special Olympics Singapore, and Sport Singapore.

    •     The wonderful volunteers of Team Nila.

    •    And credit too must go to the parents and family members of our athletes, some of whom make significant professional and financial sacrifices to support their sporting journeys.

19. This will be another busy year for Team Singapore, with the Paris Olympics and Paralympics happening from July, and several other World Championships and major competitions taking place.

20. My best wishes to each and every one of our athletes. May you soar, continue to fly our flag high, and inspire Singaporeans and the world.

[1] Run by MOE in collaboration with the National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI).

[2] The Spex Business network comprises over 60 corporate partners.