Athletes’ character matters as much as performance

The report “The boy who didn’t cry foul” (April 27) about the Raffles Institution soccer player who refused a given penalty brings cheer to those who value fair play and integrity in sports. This is especially so when it is a school athlete who demonstrated those values of sportsmanship during a competition, when there is much at stake.

I hope this act will be an example to other school athletes, their coaches and teachers. Doing the right thing in sports (and other areas) in difficult situations reflects good character and values.

In our schools’ pursuit of sports honours and medals, we should recognise that the complete athlete not only demonstrates performance, but also moral and social character. Athletes train to excel in their sport, but also make decisions during training and competition which show integrity and respect to their peers.

The Ministry of Education has been emphasising the inculcation of values in schools’ curricular and co-curricular activities. Do the schools and staff have the necessary skills and tools to infuse values and shape the character of our athletes and students? Character development and values education take time and effort that go beyond ad hoc programmes.

Teachers should be the ones to facilitate character development, rather than external vendors engaged by the schools for ad hoc workshops. There are tools schools can use that are contextualised to local needs, such as Sport Singapore’s Game for Life toolkit.