New publication charts Singapore’s sporting heritage

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Sport Singapore (SportSG) a new book, Sport In Singapore: The Rocky Road To Kallang Park, has been published.

Launched at the National Museum of Singapore on Saturday, the 339-page book has been authored by Nick Aplin, Sport Singapore’s Deputy Director of Sport Heritage.

Chronicling Singapore’s pioneer athletes, Sport In Singapore: The Rocky Road To Kallang Park also charts the country’s sporting transformation from the late 1940s to 1973, when the old National Stadium officially opened.

The Singapore Sports Council, which was what SportSG was formerly known as, was also formed that year.

The book is the second part of a trilogy, with the first in the series, Sport In Singapore: The Colonial Legacy, published in 2019. That text explored the development of sport in Singapore in the colonial period, from the early 19th century up until self-government was established in 1959.

The third book, Sport In Singapore: Visions For Change, will be launched later this year.

Among stories told in the book is that of Abdul Wahid Baba, a policeman who was paralysed from waist down after being shot in the back in 1950 and went on to become the first man to represent Singapore in an international sporting event for the disabled.

Abdul Wahid competed in javelin, table tennis and snooker at the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth and later became an advocate for wheelchair sports.

Besides Abdul Wahid, other athletes featured include weightlifter Chay Weng Yew, who finished sixth out of 22 at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics despite not having a coach.

Advising that the trilogy is “aimed at reminding Singaporeans of our history and to encourage us to learn from the past”, SportSG Chairman, Kon Yin Tong stated “we recognise the importance of Singapore’s sporting heritage and want to formalise a record of it.”

Dr Aplin said he wanted to include pioneer athletes who had played a part in the Singapore sports scene, but whose names may have been forgotten, noting “we can discover interesting things about sport in the past, find out who are the pioneers who are largely unknown, and give them the acknowledgement they deserve.”

Former national swimmer Patricia Chan, who was at the launch, felt he had done a “sterling job” with this book.

The winner of 39 South-east Asian Peninsular Games golds from 1965 to 1973 commented “this book made me more acutely aware that… you can choose to build on past legacies, or throw (them) away.”

Former national water polo vice-captain Yip Ren Kai, who was part of a review panel for the book, felt that the stories resonated well with his experiences.

Yip, who was part of the SEA Games gold-winning teams in 2005, 2007 and 2009, added “(the book) keeps us motivated with the journeys that our predecessors went through. It is important for us to hold their legacies. As an athlete, sacrifices will always have to be made, but the returns we get are immeasurable.”

Image from the launch of Sport In Singapore: The Rocky Road To Kallang Park (from left): Author Dr Nick Aplin, SportSG Chairman Kon Yin Tong, Singapore Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua and SportSG Deputy Chief Executive Toh Boon Yi.