$15 million funding for Singapore youth sports development

It is good to hear that youth sports development in Singapore will be given a $15 million funding. A good one-third of this amount will be used to develope 70 of our country's elite athletes preparing for next year's Youth Olympics Games. The remainder will be used to boost some of Singapore's long-term talent development frameworks.

It is very encouraging to see that we are taking the long-term approach and investing in our own youth. As a Singaporean, I am glad to see that the $15 million in funding will be used in boosting local sports at the grassroots level, instead of scouting for foreign talent. Perhaps we can look forward to a day when an Olympic gold medal can be won by a Singaporean born and bred.

That being said, don't expect Singapore's international sporting success to be an overnight affair. Building a successful system of youth development programmes, frameworks and culture will certainly take time, effort and a lot more money.

Here's a link to the Straits Times article on 13 April 09 http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_362992.html