Singapore committee tasked to create lifelong sporting opportunities

Reducing the drop-off in sports participation after full-time education; developing integrated pathways to create sports champions; creating more opportunities for regular sports participation at all stages in life; rooting out bad sportsmanship while inculcating values and building character these are just a few of the outcomes the newly formed Sports Pathways Committee (SPC) aims to achieve in the coming years.
One of the 20 recommendations under Singapore's Vision 2030 initiative, the recently established 11-member SPC consists of key stakeholders across the value chain in the education, defence and community sectors.
The SPC will focus on coordinating and integrating policies and programmes across organisations. It will cover the following areas:

Developing integrated pathways to create sports champions 

• Rationalising and optimising national competition frameworks and schedules
• Developing a national talent identification and development framework 
• Integrating the work of National Sports Associations with the school sports system
• Introducing a more integrated academic and sporting curriculum in schools that allows more students to achieve both academic and sporting excellence 

Inculcating values and character through sport

• Introducing National Standards for Youth Sport (see details below) for youth 18 years and under to enjoy sports and grow through participation in sports
• Introducing programmes in schools that will promote the values of resilience, fair play, teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship and a winning spirit

Creating more opportunities for recreational sports in schools

• Including a review of how to leverage and enhance existing programs such as Sports Education Program and Super Sports Clubs

Coordinating the development of sports spaces

• Optimising the design, development and usage of publicly funded sports spaces for use by schools and the public 

Lim Teck Yin, the Chairman of the Sports Pathways Committee and Chief Executive of the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) explained "there are many plus points in our sports system today that provide opportunities for youth to play sport recreationally and excel to the elite level where they can serve as an inspiration to others and build national pride. 

"We are also beginning to better appreciate the value that sport can bring to inculcate positive values and build character. Thus, an opportunity exists to harness and integrate the collective strengths of all key stakeholder groups in the value chain to give us exponential returns in the years to come. This will ultimately result in more people, in all age groups, having more opportunities to participate in sport regularly."

In line with the objectives of the SPC and Vision 2030, the SSC has launched the National Standards for Youth Sports (NSYS) to lay the foundation for youth to have an enriching sporting experience.

The NSYS envisions that "every youth should be given the opportunity to have positive experiences in sports as it will lead towards a pathway for lifelong sports participation. The NSYS aims to provide a healthy, wholesome and encouraging environment for youth to enjoy sport. The NSYS principles and standards are designed to address issues in sports such as abuse, favouritism, cheating and poor sportsmanship."

The NSYS is a framework featuring three principles and nine standards that illustrate the behavioural guidelines for everyone involved in youth sports. 

The first principle 'Place the youth's interest before yours' emphasises the provision of equal opportunity for youth to play in a safe and non-threatening environment. 

The second principle 'Be a role model' stresses the importance of every individual being actively involved and using sport as a channel to inculcate values in youth. 

The last principle 'Have fun, winning isn't everything' highlights that winning is part of the sporting journey rather than the final destination, whereby every sporting experience for the youth should be challenging, fun, memorable and supports their holistic development.

From September 2011, SSC conducted a series of workshops for more than 600 coaches and sports instructors to raise awareness of the NSYS among key stakeholders, including sports officials, coaches and parents in addition to youth. Jurong West Primary School participated in a pilot project from July to September 2012 where 1,700 of its students were introduced to NSYS through their assembly sessions, interactive games and classroom activities. The supporting materials, which comprise activity books and coloring sheets, have been designed to appeal to primary school children. SSC will also explore introducing similar materials that cater to other age groups.

An online guide for parents was also recently developed to highlight the roles and involvement of parents in their children's journey through sport. SSC will continue to work with the MOE to reach out to students and coaches of Co-Curricular Activities to promote the principles and standards of NSYS.

Image: The Color Run, Singapore.

8th June 2012 - SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL AND NATIONAL SPORTS ASSOCIATIONS TO IMPROVE PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT