He Ting Ru on motion calling for clear and achievable goals for sporting success
Sporting success should not only be measured in terms of winning medals and doing well in various rankings, but also in terms of wider participation in sports across all segments of society. This should be explicitly measured through official performance indicators as part of a “developmental dashboard” for Singapore. MP He Ting Ru proposed this in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6). She said if Singapore wants to shift its focus towards holistic societal well-being instead of the “increasingly outdated measure” that is GDP, sports indicators are one of the first places it should look at. This is because access to sports needs to be a right for the public, especially as it embodies equality and other values that form the core of Singapore society. Sport is also instrumental to overall well-being and plays an important role in other national priorities such as fostering cohesion and creating sustainable good jobs. Ms He said sports and physical activity must be made fun from a young age and then sustainably incorporated into daily life. Sports spectatorship is also important, she said, and should be studied as part of the National Sports Participation Survey. She also called for a lot more effort to be put into growing broad, regular participation in sports for people with disabilities. With an increasing focus on mental health, Ms He urged Singaporeans to stand behind national teams and athletes through thick and thin. She added that national sports training programmes should adequately prepare young athletes for life as a pro athlete, including how to cope with pressure on and off the field, navigate media exposure and even make appropriate decisions on sponsorship and funding.
Sporting success should not only be measured in terms of winning medals and doing well in various rankings, but also in terms of wider participation in sports across all segments of society. This should be explicitly measured through official performance indicators as part of a “developmental dashboard” for Singapore. MP He Ting Ru proposed this in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6). She said if Singapore wants to shift its focus towards holistic societal well-being instead of the “increasingly outdated measure” that is GDP, sports indicators are one of the first places it should look at. This is because access to sports needs to be a right for the public, especially as it embodies equality and other values that form the core of Singapore society. Sport is also instrumental to overall well-being and plays an important role in other national priorities such as fostering cohesion and creating sustainable good jobs. Ms He said sports and physical activity must be made fun from a young age and then sustainably incorporated into daily life. Sports spectatorship is also important, she said, and should be studied as part of the National Sports Participation Survey. She also called for a lot more effort to be put into growing broad, regular participation in sports for people with disabilities. With an increasing focus on mental health, Ms He urged Singaporeans to stand behind national teams and athletes through thick and thin. She added that national sports training programmes should adequately prepare young athletes for life as a pro athlete, including how to cope with pressure on and off the field, navigate media exposure and even make appropriate decisions on sponsorship and funding.
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