If children are talented in sports, do they know where to go? Do they know their pathway to success in their chosen sports?

I often wonder if a child should specialise in sports early. I am beginning to see more and more of such cases. Well, I could understand if it is a sport like gymnastics but I am beginning to see it in other disciplines too.

When I was in primary school, I read the newspapers every day without fail. Before you think I had a keen interest in world and social issues at such a young age, it was only the sports pages that I read. Then, we had great coverage on local soccer as we were in the Malaysia Cup. I could name every one of the 18 players, regulars and reserves.

It is the practice in some parts of Europe for sports competition to begin only at 15. Do you think this can be applied in Singapore where ranking and competition seem to be part of everything we do? Would it help in promoting sports?

We built the National Stadium and it was completed in 1973. Subsequently, more stadiums, sports complexes and swimming pools in the heartlands were built. We have the hardware but do we have the software, the culture? Do our youth embrace a sports lifestyle as the vision laid out by our first generation leaders? Does Singapore have a sports culture at all?