'Complex' Singapore UPS ITS PROFILE IN SPORTS
HE LATEST SEA GAMES HOST MAKES A STATEMENT OF INTENT
Government or national politics aside, the “most unpopular nation” status changes hands every two years in Southeast Asia. In other words, such a label falls to any country that hosts the SEA Games. However, after the curtain came down on the last SEA Games in Singapore a few days ago, feelings have been somewhat ambivalent. Awe, cynicism and scepticism have been mixed about the latest host, who did predictably well on the medal tally and overall organisation of the Games.
Needless to say, Singapore is a complex country. It is rich but many things are lacking or found by some to be superficial. Its competitiveness is certainly the highest in Southeast Asia but the questions are whether it’s sustainable and whether the country is tied too much to the shaky western economies. Politics is stable but the country is aging faster than its neighbours. Democracy has drawn praise as well as frowns depending on where you stand.
The “superficial” part of Singapore has involved human efforts to make up for what the country lacks in terms of resources. Having had to buy water from Malaysia, Singapore is boasting one of the world’s best water recycling and management technologies. Having been a small nation where natural “green spaces” were scarce, Singapore has created man-made gardens and turned them into a world-renowned tourist attraction. It was once an environmentally unfriendly country, but Singapore now is a perfect blend of modernisation and green spaces created and preserved by men, and one of the nicest nations to live in.
Now, some similar approaches have been applied by Singapore to raise its profile in sports. Doubters point to the advantages of being a host to dismiss alarm about Singapore’s sporting ascension.
Admirers point to the fact that many gold medals won by Singapore were accomplished through genuine athletic excellence, not judges’ bias. Those in between noted that Singapore’s SEA Games success, though laudable, owed a lot to human “imports”. Great athletes from other countries have changed nationality and been welcomed to Singapore with open arms.
Before hosting the latest SEA Games, Singapore has set several standards, some of them strange or contradictory. Its anti-corruption drive has worked well despite the fact its political system does not have the strongest opposition. Its freedom of expression issues fly in the face of its business environment, which is one of the world’s most transparent and attractive to investors. A small country with virtually no natural resources, it has done remarkably well not just in surviving but also in associating itself with modernisation.
What Singapore always came up short in was how its athletes did internationally. Most wealthy and “open” nations usually do well in sport, but Singapore was one of the few exceptions. However, the country used the latest SEA Games to demonstrate a strong desire not to be left behind by its neighbours. Whether or not the desire can be extended to strong and consistent performances by its athletes outside the country we will know in two years time, in Malaysia, which Singapore broke away from several decades ago.
Malaysia won over 60 gold medals in Singapore and will be itching for “payback”. Singapore, meanwhile, will be hoping to keep its good momentum going and nowhere else is better for doing it than Malaysia. The 2017 SEA Games, thus, will be an arena for two neighbours with big points to prove when they slug it out again.
