Left to right: Bob Gambardella (SSC), Oon Jin Teik (SSC), Teo Ser Luck (MCYS), Deborah Tan (Sports School), Dr Irwin Seet (Sports School). (Photo © Singapore Sports Council)
Kallang, Tuesday, September 14, 2010 — The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) recently announced a target of six medals at the 2016 Olympic Games. The target for the 2012 London Games is two.
“It takes 10 years to develop a world-class athlete,” said Bob Gambardella, when announcing the medal targets at a press conference at SSC. He is the chief of the Sports Development Group and the Singapore Sports Institute at the SSC.
Swimming, Table Tennis, Shooting, Fencing, Bowling and Sailing are the six sports that will received targeted investments.
What Oon Jin Teik, the chief executive officer of the SSC, took pains to emphasise was that the focus in the last six years has been the building of an ecosystem to support sporting success.
“Our priority is to build this ecosystem,” reiterated Teo Ser Luck, the senior parliamentary secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). “The amount of money we’re going to spend on sports will increase.”
“We build this system. We are not out to buy medals,” said Jin Teik, with reference to whether a policy of foreign talent will continue.
He also emphasised that going to a major games is about winning and not just experience anymore.
“It’s time to get away from going to a games to just gain experience. Experience can get gained but strive to win,” he said.
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