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In this explainer, find out...
What are the key building blocks of Singapore’s sports scene?
What are some recent Government initiatives to develop the sports scene?
What are some similarities and differences in how other nations support their sports scene?
Introduction
17-year-old Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder recently ended Singapore’s eight-year Olympic medal hiatus by clinching a bronze medal. Singaporeans celebrated with Maeder, especially as the victory coincided with our 59th National Day. This achievement energised the public and the Government reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing Singapore’s sports scene, including emerging niche areas such as kitefoiling.
The National Day Rally 2024 and initiatives such as the Kallang Alive Masterplan and the President’s Challenge underscored this proactive approach. Former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) and national fencer Nicholas Fang emphasised that these initiatives were not a knee-jerk reaction to the “post-Olympics afterglow”, but a reflection of the importance of sports as an integral part of Singaporean society.
This Policy Explainer looks at the key building blocks of Singapore’s sports scene, and how they have contributed to Singapore’s sporting success. It then explores recent initiatives introduced by the Government to increase sports participation and increase Singapore’s competitiveness at elite sporting competitions, before evaluating and comparing them with those in other countries.
Building Blocks of Singapore's Sports Scene
Following Singapore’s independence in 1965, the Government emphasised that sports development had the ability to foster nation-building and racial harmony. By acting as a common denominator, sports provide Singaporeans with a shared space to interact regardless of race or religion. To promote “Sports for All”, the Government also prioritised increased investment in sports programmes and facilities to widen accessibility to sports. In 1996, S$250 million was invested in integrating and upgrading sports facilities of regional sports. Since then, “Sporting Singapore” was introduced in 2001 as a strategic blueprint to transform Singapore into one of Asia’s top ten sporting nations by 2010. Vision 2030 is the Government’s latest blueprint, recognising sports as key to nurturing individual growth and strengthening community ties.
Defining Sporting Success
Sporting success has traditionally translated to winning medals and bringing national pride on the international stage. This can be seen from schemes like the Major Games Award Programme, where medal-winning athletes would be rewarded with cash payouts in proportion to the level of competition and position that they placed in. This scheme has been in place since the 1990s, and saw over S$2 million awarded to medallists at the SEA Games and Asian Games in 2023.
The Government is also progressively moving towards broader definitions of success. Notably, in August 2024, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong emphasised that sports is “not just about medals”, but also about “grit and determination”, as well as doing one’s best and “pushing the limits”.
On the other hand, success for athletes is more personal. Some athletes like Joan Poh want to be able to inspire more youths across society to fulfil their dream. Others like Goh Chui Ling and Bryan Ng see success as going beyond oneself and staying true to their faith through the trials and tribulations of sport. For these athletes, success is often not centred around achievement alone.
However, barriers remain in Singapore for athletes to pursue sports as a career. This is mainly driven by the inadequate institutional and developmental support for athletes. Athletes are expected to finance their sporting expenses out-of-pocket. This financial burden is exacerbated by the fact that limited private sponsorships are available for Singapore athletes. Furthermore, athletes often give up sports in favour of academic pursuit out of pragmatism. Sports is usually seen as an unviable career, becoming merely a hobby for most Singaporeans.
Recent Government Initiatives
In recent years, the Government has introduced revised and targeted initiatives aimed at cultivating a culture of sports participation across all demographics and increasing Singapore’s competitiveness at elite sporting competitions. This section spotlights some of these recent initiatives.
Encouraging Public Participation
Disability Sports Master Plan
Public participation in sports is encouraged through policies that increase accessibility, particularly for persons with disabilities (PwD), and affordability of sports. The launch of programmes like the Disability Sports Master Plan aims to make community participation in disability sports more sustainable and present, thereby improving their quality of life. The Master Plan takes a three-pronged approach of raising awareness of disability sports, increasing community participation opportunities, and increasing participation amongst students in schools.
SportsCares
Similarly, programmes are also launched to increase the affordability of participating in sports. For example, SportsCares aims to increase children and youth's access to quality sports programmes for low-income families. Through SportsCares programmes, bursaries and scholarships, at least 480 children and youths have since picked up new sports. Additionally, more sports facilities are also made available through the Dual-Use-Scheme where school sports facilities are made available for public use.
By extending the participation of sport to PwDs and the general public, it inspires the Singapore spirit of resilience, where obstacles are turned into opportunities. By extension, this provides a common language of sportsmanship. On an individual level, participating in sports also helps hone qualities like leadership, resilience and tenacity that can be translated to different areas of one’s life.
Enhancement of Sporting Facilities
Kallang Alive Masterplan
The Kallang Alive Masterplan, first announced in 2019, includes a series of infrastructure projects designed to bring more sporting and recreational facilities to central Singapore. Some of these projects are the Kallang Football Hub, the Singapore Tennis Centre and the Kallang Alive Loop.
At the National Day Rally 2024, two further developments were announced to improve the training environment for Singapore’s student-athletes. Firstly, the Singapore Sports School will be relocated from Woodlands to Kallang. The central location allows easier access by a broader base of student-athletes. Additionally, Singapore’s National Training Centres, Sports Science and Sports Medicine facilities will be consolidated into a single, integrated hub. This eliminates student athletes’ need to travel between different venues. Most notably, student-athletes will be able to study and train with Team Singapore athletes directly, fostering a collaborative environment with opportunities for mentorship and guidance.
Providing Support for Athletes
Sports Excellence Scheme
In addition to monthly CPF top-ups, the Sport Excellence (spex) Scholarship scheme now includes the spexEducation Undergraduate Scholarship, offering funding for athletes pursuing undergraduate studies.
Starting September 2024, eligible athletes can select from two career tracks. The “Dual Career” track caters to athletes pursuing their undergraduate studies while training and competing. This aims to alleviate the financial stress for athletes while they balance between sports and academics. On the other hand, the “New Career” track caters to athletes focusing on their undergraduate studies after retiring from competitive sports. It offers full tuition coverage for local and overseas sports-related degrees. Upon graduation, athletes can have a smooth career transition into the sports sector with backing from Sport Singapore (SportsSG).
Through these distinct tracks, the scholarship acknowledges athletes’ diverse academic goals and provides them with sufficient flexibility. With the increased financial and employment support, aspiring and current athletes can now pursue both their sporting and academic aspirations without having to choose between them.
Encompassing Diverse Forms of Sports
Singapore Urban Sports and Fitness Festival
SportsSG launched the first edition of the Singapore Urban Sports and Fitness Festival (SGUSFF) in August 2024. The event brought together athletes to showcase a variety of different sports like street dancing, fitness racing, parkour and more. The diverse lineup aimed to increase engagement and sports participation by leveraging the rising popularity of different urban sports amongst teens and young adults. Events like this also provide an opportunity for such sports to develop in and attract talent to Singapore.
Esports
Besides physical sports, esports is also developing greater traction in Singapore. The Singapore Esports Association was founded in 2018 to promote and facilitate the participation of Singapore in regional and international esports competitions. To date, they have fielded esports teams in events like the 2021 Southeast Asian Games. Further, the Singapore Cybersports & Online Gaming Association (SCOGA) formed an esports academy in partnership with the National Youth Council to coach young talents, provide career guidance, and increase social engagement in esports.
With strong digital infrastructure, a domestic audience of over 0.7 million viewers and growing Government support, Singapore has the potential to grow into a major player in this new sport.
National Service Disruptions
The Government is also open to considering National Service (NS) disruptions for sportsmen across a variety of sports, albeit on several conditions such as a satisfactory discharge of one’s military duties. Deferments, which are longer terms of disruptions, are considered for exceptional athletes representing Singapore at international competitions. In an interview with CNA in August 2024, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong mentioned that there are “a couple of new emerging sports that have become very popular with Singaporeans […] If we've got a great athlete who is in a niche sport, we will support that athlete.”
Comparisons Between Singapore and Other Countries
Sports is an integral part of many societies, and several approaches have been taken to develop the sporting scene and performance at various elite competitions. These approaches include allocating resources efficiently, supporting one’s athletes, as well as developing a wider socio-cultural appreciation of sports.
Maximising and Prioritising Resource Allocation
Smaller countries tend to have less resources, including land, talent and finances, to support the pursuit of all categories of sports. These limited resources tend to be dedicated towards specific sports to enable these athletes to succeed at the elite level. For example, a robust, physical and organisational infrastructure exists in South Korea to support the training of winter sports, which are less feasible in Singapore’s tropical climate and small land size.
Further Monetary Support Towards Athletes
Smaller countries also tend to have well-defined developmental pathways to becoming a professional athlete. For example, the Tailored Athlete Pathway Support Programme in New Zealand gives grants to support developing professional athletes. This enables a sense of financial security and solidifies turning professional as a serious career option. Similarly, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund also pledged in 2024 to invest US$38 billion in gaming companies by 2030. This includes acquiring several companies to promote esports in the country, such as ESL, one of the world’s largest esports tournament companies, in hopes of building Saudi Arabia as an esports event hub.
Cultural Appreciation of Sports
Only recently since the late 20th century did Finland’s status as an Olympic juggernaut begin to decline. Sports initially played an important role in building national identity and patriotism in Finland. However, based on recent surveys, priorities like good personal relationships and health have risen in importance in people’s lives whilst issues like Finnish independence have become less important. This implies a changing set of social values and priorities that has decoupled Finland’s national identity from sporting success.
Conclusion
As we celebrate the remarkable achievements of our athletes, we must recognise both their dedication and the initiatives that support their journeys. The Government has continuously invested in the sports scene, providing athletes with increased accessibility, financial resources and career opportunities. This allows them to pursue their dreams with greater confidence. In light of this, our community has a role to play — by broadening our definitions of success across a diverse range of sports, supporting our athletes, and embracing a more active lifestyle ourselves. Together, Singapore can be propelled to greater heights, strengthening her presence on the global stage and inspiring the next generation of champions.
This Policy Explainer was written by members of MAJU. MAJU is an independent, youth-led organisation that focuses on engaging Singaporean youths in a long-term research process to guide them in jointly formulating policy ideas of their own.
By sharing our unique youth perspectives, MAJU hopes to contribute to the policymaking discourse and future of Singapore.
The citations to our Policy Explainers can be found in the PDF appended to this webpage.
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