SEA Games 2015: Interview with Lawrence Wong

Did Singapore reach the gold medal standard for its organization of the just-ended SEA Games? Mr Lawrence Wong,...
Posted by 938LIVE on Tuesday, June 23, 2015

More pathways should be available for athletes to pursue higher education: Lawrence Wong
The Minister of Culture, Community and Youth says there should be assurance that student-athletes can continue with academic pursuits, and at the same time, they should be given sufficient space and support to pursue sporting excellence.
By Abhishek Ravikrishnan, Channel NewsAsia, 23 Jun 2015

The Singapore Sports School should build on the success of the recently-concluded SEA Games, said Minister of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Jun 23).

The school is currently undergoing a review, with the aim of becoming a national sports academy of excellence by the end of the next decade. The results of the review are expected soon.

About 40 per cent of Singapore's 84 gold medals at the SEA Games were won by past and present students of the Sports School, an indication that the institution is on the right track. 

Speaking on MediaCorp's 938 LIVE, Mr Wong said more options should also be provided for student-athletes who want to pursue higher education.

"That's one main idea that within the Sports School, there'll be more programmes leading up to a diploma and even pathways that can get them a university education, so that, there's assurance that the students can continue with their academic pursuits, but at the same time, giving them sufficient time and space and support to pursue sports excellence," he said.

Mr Wong said the programme should not just cater to Sports School students. He said it should assist student-athletes from other schools as well.

"We're seeing how through the Sports School, through the high-performance sports system that we've developed, we can extend some support to these student-athletes as well,” he said.

Mr Wong also touched on the subject of National Service for athletes. The Singapore National Olympic Council on Monday said it would push for greater flexibility for athletes serving National Service. He also said his ministry will continue to work with the Defence Ministry on a case-by-case basis.

“From the MCCY point-of-view, as long as there's a case to be made for an athlete, whether it's an exceptional athlete seeking deferment, or athlete seeking time-off for training in order to fly the Singapore flag high in an international competition or regional competition, we will help represent that athlete and we will bring that case to MINDEF and have that conversation,” Mr Wong said.

Currently, swimmer Joseph Schooling is the only athlete granted a deferment from National Service.

Do you know that close to 40% of Singapore's gold medals at SEA GAMES 2015 were won by Singapore Sports School (SSP)...
Posted by Lawrence Wong on Tuesday, June 23, 2015

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