Sylvia Lim on motion calling for clear and achievable goals for sporting success

Sports-related injuries are a physical price that athletes have to pay. And the injuries do not go away when they stop competing; they must live with them. More is also known today about latent injuries that can emerge years later. With this in mind, Singapore’s sporting heroes should not have to worry about their medical bills, said MP Sylvia Lim in Parliament on Thursday (Jul 6). She noted that national athletes are currently covered with insurance only for as long as they represent Singapore, which is “clearly inadequate”. Ms Lim called for all national athletes to be provided with medical subsidies for life. She suggested setting up a multi-disciplinary task force to work on a scheme to give additional subsidies to former national athletes for their treatment costs for sports-related conditions, so long as treatment is sought in public healthcare institutions. To manage the costs to the national budget, the scheme should be scoped in terms of who should qualify and what the quantum of subsidies should be. Ms Lim said the task force could include medical and sports science scholars and professionals who can advise on the types of injuries and conditions associated with competitive sport, as well as Government officials from relevant agencies such as SportSG and the Ministries of Health and Finance.