A Singaporean Team or Team Singapore? - Youth Olympic Games 2010

With the advent of the Youth Olympics in 2010, Singaporeans will see the arrival of thousands of young sportsmen around the world. Even though these sportsmen have a huge diversity of backgrounds, some coming from China, others from Indonesia, and even from poverty-stricken countries like Africa, they are all representing their homelands, and fighting to bring back glory for their nation.

However, a very different scenario can be found in the Singapore team. In fact, it seems to be a mix-mash of different nationalities. Hence, comparing the Singapore Team to the teams from other nations, should these players of foreign origin be allowed to represent Singapore in international sports meets?

Sportsmen live by the ideals that sports is guided by, namely “Higher, Faster, Stronger”. The ultimate aim of sportsmen is to achieve the aforementioned goals, and nothing else. However, when a sportsmen represents his country, his role changes slightly. He becomes an ambassador of his country, embodying the ideals of sport and his country alike.

Bearing this in mind, what benefits would foreign talent bring to Singapore?

Foreign talent is a source of expertise. It is undeniable that the addition of foreign talent into our midst will bring about an exponential increase in expertise. These are players of considerable standard, and that is why they were handpicked to join the Singapore Team in the first place. Take for example, Ronald Susilo who has repeatedly brought back the gold for Singapore. In training, the other players of native origin will definitely be able to gain much from his expertise.

It is important to realize that foreign talent is a necessity in Singapore. The nature of our country is such that we have a relatively small population. This makes the appearance of exceptional sporting talent pretty rare. Without foreign talent, Singapore would be unable to hold her own on the world stage. In fact, the same phenomenon can be observed in other industries such as commerce, where an increase in jobs being allocated to foreign talent has yet again sparked public outcry.

Moreover, introducing foreign talent into the Singapore team also fulfills the fundamental aim of sports. The exchange of ideas and expertise will lead to an overall increase in standard, as both parties stand to gain much knowledge from each other. For example, as quoted from the website for the Youth Olympic Games 2010, Singapore coaches are of the “highest standard”. Hence, the ideals of “Higher, Faster, Stronger”, which underlie the fundamental aims of sports, will be promoted.

However, the issue of national pride will come into question. Will the nation be receptive to a team which is purely Singaporean but fails to bring back the medals, or to a team that is a mix-mash of nationalities, but brings Singapore glory on the global stage?

The state of belonging to a country is not solely determined by birth origin. Social integration and an embrace of the country’s culture are also factors. In the example of Tao Li, you do not see Singaporeans labeling her as foreign talent. Rather, Singaporeans have embraced this sportswoman, and has been christened as truly part of Team Singapore.

People like Ronald Susilo are also being integrated into society, as seen from McDonald advertisements that repeatedly expose us to this outstanding sportsman.

So at the end of the day, do we want a true blue Singaporean Team, or will we move on and accept the conception of a vibrant and diverse Team Singapore?

You decide.