SEA Games athletes need full support

SINGAPORE — As the nation gears up to host the 28th SEA Games from June 6 to 16, Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) president Tan Chuan-Jin said it is important local athletes get all the support they need to perform well.

Singapore last hosted the regional biennial event in 1993 and pressure will mount on the athletes — most of whom have never competed at the Games on home soil — to deliver medals. As this builds up, they will have to learn to deal with the high expectations from the public and the media, but the respective National Sports Associations (NSAs) must ensure the athletes are conditioned to perform their best.

“My hope is that they train as hard as they can, train smart ... stay free of injury, and be ready to peak and perform their best when the time comes,” said Tan, who is also the Minister for Manpower.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 2015 Singapore Canoe Marathon at the Sports Hub yesterday, Tan added that instead of succumbing to expectations and pressures, Singapore athletes must turn this to their advantage, adding that much will also depend on home fans getting behind the athletes.

Said Tan: “It is also important for us as Singaporeans and supporters to figure out how best should we support them so they know there is this expectation, but in a positive way that can be converted into very positive energy.”

With Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam — and occasionally Malaysia and the Philippines — dominating the regional Games in recent years, Tan said success by Singapore athletes should not be measured only by medal count.

Since 2001, Singapore has finished either fifth or sixth in the medal tally and the SNOC president said: “We know where we stand from SEA Games to SEA Games. We’ve been hovering around particular positions, but right now I would rather not focus on specific positions.

“Importantly, we have to provide as much support as we can to the sportsmen and sportswomen in their preparations so that they can peak at that stage and then see where it goes.”

The Singapore Canoe Federation (SCF) is one NSA targeting to do better than two gold medals and as many silvers and bronzes won in the 2013 Myanmar Games. In the last month, it has sent its paddlers to China and Italy, respectively.

SCF adviser and Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said the kayak team will also head to Johannesburg, South Africa, at the end of next month.

They will train there until early April before competing in the South African Canoe Sprint Championships, which will see top European athletes participating.

“We will be pitting our athletes against the best in the world,” said Lee. “In kayak, the Europeans are extremely strong, so it makes good sense for them to have a feel of where they stand.”

Lee added with the SCF moving to the Sports Hub, the canoe and kayak teams have intensified their training for the SEA Games at the Water Sports Centre.

They are also working with the Singapore Sports Science Institute (SSI) to impart technical expertise to their athletes.

“We’ve brought in people from SSI with their sports science to help our athletes with their posture, movements and techniques to add that extra value to their sport,” said Lee.

“We have an expectation our team will do better at this year’s SEA Games, but across the region the level of competitiveness for the sport is going up. So we are ever mindful of the competitors in the region and that is why we need to level up with our training and our science.”