Humbled by sportmen's sacrifice

YOU might say I'm the antithesis of a sportsman.

I sink like a stone when I take to the swimming pool. After years of trying, I still have trouble riding a bike.

Compared to the likes of swim queen Quah Ting Wen or middle-distance runner Zachary Ryan, my teenage years were divided only between schoolwork and a few modest co-curricular activities. So I draw tremendous inspiration from how these athletes have devoted entire years of their lives to a punishing daily regimen of top-level training, on top of schoolwork.

That is why I will support our accomplished young athletes at the AYG.

Before they can even drive or vote, they have already done more than most: achieve the peak of physical prowess, make their mark in history with record after record, and carry the hopes of an entire nation.

I feel humbled by the maturity and discipline shown in the sacrifices they have made in their teens.

Singapore needs more people like them, and they deserve our support because they best represent the ideals of hard work and accomplishment that we, whatever our vocation, share as a nation.

Jonathan Lin, 20, has a place to read economics at Princeton University.

I empathise with their struggles

AS AN ex-national debater, I understand what it feels like to be ambitious and wanting to accomplish things which may seem beyond our capabilities.

We put in not hours, but months and even years of hard work in the hope of some day being able to compete professionally and let our talents be recognised internationally.

I remember the arduous journey of progressing from inter-class to inter-house debates, before fulfilling my life-long dream of debating at national level after two years and at least 40 practice debates.

Looking back at those long hours sacrificed to perfect each case and hone every line, I realised I started out without even dreaming I could make it to the highest level.

I am sure our youth athletes share this same feeling with me.

Now that we have the perfect platform for our young sportsmen to showcase their skills on a regional level, I will definitely be cheering them on when they take to the field for the biggest game of their lives.

Nicholas Lim, 20, has a place to read business at NTU.

Do support homegrown athletes

I WILL definitely be rooting for Singapore's young athletes when I watch them live at the badminton and basketball events.

It is important that we support our local-born young athletes as part of a larger focus on local youth development in sports.

Ordinary Singaporeans could attend more local youth events, the media could dedicate more pages to youth sports, and sports associations should also focus more on grooming young local athletes instead of only scouting for foreign talents.

Should youth development be successful, then we can avoid an over-reliance on foreign imports, and the associated accusations that we are buying a shortcut to success by importing 'ready-made' talent.

While many Singaporeans may frown upon the fact that our entire silver-winning Olympics table-tennis team was China-born, I am sure we will all be united in joy and national pride should our homegrown athletes win medals this time.

Calvin Ng, 22, is a second-year mathematics student at NUS.

Local sports just can't measure up

THE only sporting event that has ever been of interest to me would be how English football club Manchester United would fare without the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez.

By the same token, I would rather muse about the relative strengths of European football leagues than keep track of the achievements of our athletes at the Asian Youth Games.

I am not alone; many of my friends would also rather watch foreign sports like the NBA Championships or the Thomas Cup than tune in to live coverage of the AYG.

This speaks volumes about the appeal local sporting events have compared to overseas sports.

Simply put, the level of the playing field is uneven. Foreign sports feature players of a calibre and fame far outstripping that of local athletes. The mass appeal and support for them is just not there as a result.

Sad, but true.

Jonathan Liautrakul, 19, has a place to read arts and social sciences at NUS.

It's not just about us

COMING from the host country, I'll not only cheer on our Singaporean participants, but participants from all 44 countries.

I believe we should not just support our home-grown talent because without the international participants, the AYG will not be what it is - a showcase of young sportsmanship. And in the spirit of sportsmanship, everyone should be supported.

No matter how well trained our Singaporean athletes are, there is always something we can learn from our foreign friends.

It's true that Singapore has outstanding talent in areas like swimming, table tennis, and water polo. But to improve ourselves even further, we should also observe how our foreign competitors play out in the field.

We should never underestimate them and instead see them as equals. Indians are not just good at cricket and Indonesians at badminton - those are stereotypes we must overcome to learn from them.

This way, we can begin to shake off the notion that Singaporeans are self-centred and arrogant with regard to our neighbours.

Oliver Sayson, 20, is currently serving his National Service.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.