Commentary: Let’s not continue with the blame game, says former national sprinter UK Shyam

SINGAPORE: The 33rd SEA Games may have come to an end, but a flurry of discussion continues to shine the spotlight on athletics and its medal returns. At a press conference on Saturday (Dec 20), the Singapore National Olympic Council chief Mark Chay said the athletics should “come to the party” when it comes to the medal hunt.

These comments, as I mentioned in an earlier interview, are reasonable. I do not think it is meant to discredit the landmark performances by athletes, such as Shanti Pereira who successfully defended both her 100m and 200m sprint titles and Calvin Quek who ended a six-decade wait for gold in the men’s 400m hurdles.

The latest performance by the Singapore athletics team – three gold, three silver and three bronze medals - is an improvement from my time as an athlete in the 2000s, and there is reason to celebrate.

That said, while the medal count is an objective comparative metric to tell us where we stand, we must also acknowledge that it doesn’t show the entire picture. It is not sufficient in telling the story of national records broken and personal bests that were set, nor does it capture the effort of a Games debutant who did not freeze under pressure.
 

The discussions over the past few days have opened up important conversations about Singapore’s athletics scene, its unique historical context and the fruitful efforts of its current administrators, while striking a balance with the harsh reality that the region has pulled ahead of us.

My admiration for our athletes has not wavered but sadly, we have to compare ourselves with others - that’s the essence of high-performance sports. My hope is that we recognise all these factors and turn our focus to what can be done for our athletes.

The life of a track