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Invest to keep alive the spirit of bodybuilding

I was nonplussed when I read the revelations in the report, “S’pore Sports Council strips bodybuilding federation of NSA status” (Aug 17), and about the lack of funding in Singapore for bodybuilding since 2010.

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Edwin Teong Ying Keat

I was nonplussed when I read the revelations in the report, “S’pore Sports Council strips bodybuilding federation of NSA status” (Aug 17), and about the lack of funding in Singapore for bodybuilding since 2010.

It seems to be a minority sport here that lacks the support it gets in countries such as the United States, where the edifying effects of bodybuilding are acknowledged in sponsorship for competitions such as the renowned Mr Olympia and the Arnold Classic.

Bodybuilding entails more than pumping iron. It is similar to prominent sports such as rugby, football and athletics, where one must constantly surmount one’s limits, both physically and mentally.

Individuals in the aforementioned sports also build muscle and increase their strength, which is a milder form of bodybuilding. In this sense, bodybuilding is the bedrock of many sports.

Like in all other sports, bodybuilders must deal with pain and the stress of competition by having the composure to forge ahead. In it, the body is also likened to a form of art.

I hope that we do not judge a basket of apples by looking at one apple, with reference to the stripping of the Singapore Bodybuilding Federation’s status as a National Sports Association.

Doping is also seen in other sports, such as cycling and athletics, but their prominence and funding as a sport is not affected; it is the individual’s image that is blighted.

Perhaps organisations could invest in bodybuilding, whose benefits are myriad and often intangible.

The spirit of bodybuilding is encompassed within the sport’s contests. It is one of discipline, rigour and friendship.

For this flame to continue, there would have to be a federation that has the funding to organise local contests for bodybuilders to hone their talents so that they could one day represent Singapore in the global arena.

If not, the sport would indeed regress to the stereotype that it is merely continuous, sclerotic pumping for individuals with an inferiority complex.

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