There is this debate about the promotion of Sports here. Could we ever churn out great sportsmen who are children of the land? We have imported talent, from shuttlers to swimmers and even the kopi-tiam table-clearers. What's happening to our people - the born and bred by natives?
Frankly, most have flown the coop, or are just too busy making ends meet to have left over to fuel the sports component for their kids. What has become priority is not swimming lessons, as much as tuition. Our education system, and securing of a job, doesn't include trophies for sports. When we fill out a job application, it's your educational qualifications that you fill in, along with schools that you've attended AND other relevant work experience. No one cares if you've done 5 different jobs if they are not related to the job you're applying for. There is no column for SPORTS.
If SPORTS does not have a priority from the start, then how will it ever be important enough for people to pay attention to. Take the athelete who have spent years training, yet perhaps never made it to any International Meets. He grows older and suffers from sports injury - no accolades but the injuries are still real. It's part of the game, some may say, but why bother, if at the end of the day, you've overworked your joints for none the better.
People excel in sports because firstly, they enjoy it. It's not having a world-class facility. It's having the opportunity to participate, regardless of connections, club memberships etc. In Brazil, the kids play football barefoot anywhere, not just a stadium with trimmed grass. It's their love of the game that drives them to perfection. AND for them, football can be a career. Over here, it's still a 'weekend' job.
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