Pritam Singh on motion calling for clear and achievable goals for sporting success
Muhammad Ali was systematically denied a boxing licence in the US and did not fight professionally during some of the best years of his sporting life due to his stand on the Vietnam War. In many sports, people wear their hearts on their sleeves and it is not unusual to find that sports attracts its fair share of the strong-minded and the strong-willed. Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh highlighted this trait in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6), as he urged the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) to reconsider its decision not to select distance runner Soh Rui Yong for the upcoming Asian Games. He said Soh’s latest non-selection will “seriously curtail his ability to run and medal for Singapore ever again”. Mr Singh pointed out that unlike fixed-term suspensions for violent conduct or criminal offences, SNOC’s blanket non-selection forces Soh’s sporting career into limbo for an unknown period. He said it is not unreasonable for SNOC to expect sportsmen and sportswomen to exhibit discipline. But it should take a “more forgiving attitude” towards Soh. He noted that SNOC has a track record of forgiving athletes who had fallen short and allowed them to compete for Singapore. Mr Singh said the core of the issue appears to be a spat that arose when Soh challenged SNOC’s nomination of another athlete for an international sportsman award. “The current impasse makes everyone look like who they are really not. SNOC has done much work in promoting Singapore sports, bringing sponsors on board and raising the esteem of sports in the minds and hearts of Singaporeans and many parents in a very big way. But in the eyes of many Singaporeans, on the Soh Rui Yong matter, SNOC as the highest sporting body in Singapore, comes out looking petty, even as many also believe Rui Yong needs to learn from the past and draw a line and focus on his sporting career,” he said. He hopes officials, if not the minister in charge of sports, can intercede to prevent the parties from reaching a point where Singapore sport “cuts off its nose to spite its own face”.
Muhammad Ali was systematically denied a boxing licence in the US and did not fight professionally during some of the best years of his sporting life due to his stand on the Vietnam War. In many sports, people wear their hearts on their sleeves and it is not unusual to find that sports attracts its fair share of the strong-minded and the strong-willed. Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh highlighted this trait in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6), as he urged the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) to reconsider its decision not to select distance runner Soh Rui Yong for the upcoming Asian Games. He said Soh’s latest non-selection will “seriously curtail his ability to run and medal for Singapore ever again”. Mr Singh pointed out that unlike fixed-term suspensions for violent conduct or criminal offences, SNOC’s blanket non-selection forces Soh’s sporting career into limbo for an unknown period. He said it is not unreasonable for SNOC to expect sportsmen and sportswomen to exhibit discipline. But it should take a “more forgiving attitude” towards Soh. He noted that SNOC has a track record of forgiving athletes who had fallen short and allowed them to compete for Singapore. Mr Singh said the core of the issue appears to be a spat that arose when Soh challenged SNOC’s nomination of another athlete for an international sportsman award. “The current impasse makes everyone look like who they are really not. SNOC has done much work in promoting Singapore sports, bringing sponsors on board and raising the esteem of sports in the minds and hearts of Singaporeans and many parents in a very big way. But in the eyes of many Singaporeans, on the Soh Rui Yong matter, SNOC as the highest sporting body in Singapore, comes out looking petty, even as many also believe Rui Yong needs to learn from the past and draw a line and focus on his sporting career,” he said. He hopes officials, if not the minister in charge of sports, can intercede to prevent the parties from reaching a point where Singapore sport “cuts off its nose to spite its own face”.
Popular Shows
