Leon Perera on motion calling for clear and achievable goals for sporting success
Singapore needs to set national goals for what it wants to achieve in the sporting arena. This should cover four areas - first, achieve and celebrate excellence in sports in general; second, focus state resources most on those sports where regional and global excellence can be feasibly achieved, as well as on football; third, apply the communications machinery to highlight athletes’ successes and inspire mass participation in sports; and fourth, convert that mass interest into a vibrant business ecosystem so that the sports industry becomes sustainable and attractive. MP Leon Perera made these points in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6). He also argued for a more aggressive approach of uplifting less celebrated sports, by studying Singapore’s regional and world-class athletes in these fields, focusing more funding on them and trying to spark more public attention on them. He gave the examples of darts, e-sports, powerlifting and billiards. Another area the Government must look at is investing enough, and early enough, in talent. This will require rigorous, scientific early-stage identification of “potentially amazing athletes” and directing funding drawn not only from the state but also philanthropic donors and corporate sponsors. Finally, Mr Perera said Singapore must create a commercially viable sports ecosystem. He asked if it is doing enough to train a cadre of professionals who have the necessary sports business management and marketing skills. He suggested providing sponsored training abroad as such best practices are abundant in countries like the US and UK where sports is often a thriving, multi-billion-dollar industry.
Singapore needs to set national goals for what it wants to achieve in the sporting arena. This should cover four areas - first, achieve and celebrate excellence in sports in general; second, focus state resources most on those sports where regional and global excellence can be feasibly achieved, as well as on football; third, apply the communications machinery to highlight athletes’ successes and inspire mass participation in sports; and fourth, convert that mass interest into a vibrant business ecosystem so that the sports industry becomes sustainable and attractive. MP Leon Perera made these points in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6). He also argued for a more aggressive approach of uplifting less celebrated sports, by studying Singapore’s regional and world-class athletes in these fields, focusing more funding on them and trying to spark more public attention on them. He gave the examples of darts, e-sports, powerlifting and billiards. Another area the Government must look at is investing enough, and early enough, in talent. This will require rigorous, scientific early-stage identification of “potentially amazing athletes” and directing funding drawn not only from the state but also philanthropic donors and corporate sponsors. Finally, Mr Perera said Singapore must create a commercially viable sports ecosystem. He asked if it is doing enough to train a cadre of professionals who have the necessary sports business management and marketing skills. He suggested providing sponsored training abroad as such best practices are abundant in countries like the US and UK where sports is often a thriving, multi-billion-dollar industry.
Popular Shows
