YOG and Singapore's strange priorities

Singapore is a wealthy country, supposedly. I say "supposedly" because sometimes they say they haven't got any money. That was what we were repeatedly told, when we sought educational provision for Ainan. The Gifted Branch said: "There are no resources available" and "Chemistry classes are resource intensive." and the real kicker: "Why don't you find a private school and pay for it yourself?" We did. They wanted 600 dollars an hour for a lab class for Ainan! I don't know about you, but we couldn't pay that.

Now, we have already ascertained, from our experience, that the supposedly rich Singapore was unwilling to allocate sufficient resources to accommodate one prodigious child, educationally. So, it must, in fact, be a truly cash strapped nation, then? It must be a nation on the edge of financial collapse. Or perhaps, Singapore doesn't want a half-Malay boy to succeed and become an example to his particular minority race.

Imagine, then, my surprise when I learned that Singapore has spent 290 million US Dollars, so far, on the Youth Olympic Games, being held there. How odd. Surely Chemistry classes, for one child, would not have cost 290 Million US Dollars? Perhaps Chemistry teachers are much better paid than I had thought.

It is easy to see what is happening here. Singapore is able to make a goodly fraction of a billion dollars available, to host a high prestige event and draw global attention to itself...but it is not able to ensure the adequate intellectual growth of a single unusual child. Why? Because they don't see the prestige in it. They don't see any status raising, in it. There is not, in short, enough "gloss" in it, for them. Singapore is the land where substance, is always sidelined, for show.

The funny thing is, of course, that they did not have the imagination to see that Ainan's achievements also brought a lot of attention onto Singapore...and a whole lot more cheaply than the massive Youth Olympic Games did.

290 million US Dollars is a lot of money. Imagine if the top 1000 most promising children in Singapore were given an equal slice of that money. That would be 290,000 US Dollars each. That is enough to buy each of them the best educations in the world. Would that not make more true, substantial difference to Singapore than the froth of seeing young sportsmen and women - or sports girls and boys, prancing their stuff?

Now, I don't wish to be misunderstood. I have characterized the YOG, before, as an important outlet for young sports people to begin to make their mark in their necessarily short careers. So, I do support the idea. However, I think some things are more important, to a nation that wishes to be worthy, than that.

So, by all means have the YOG - but only AFTER you have fully satisfied all the educational needs, special or otherwise, of your citizens.

Some say that Ainan is not a Singaporean...well, he was born one, and so, in my view of what a country should provide for its natives, he should have been adequately provided for, educationally. He wasn't. Instead we have the Youth Olympic Games.

The expensive presence of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore proves one thing: there ARE resources available in Singapore...plenty of them. They are just not available to help promising kids realize their promise. At least, not intellectual kids...only for overseas young athletes to show theirs.

It should be noted that the Youth Olympic Games is three times over budget. This is quite telling. When the YOG organizers ran out of money, were they told: "There are no resources available." No. They weren't. They were given three times as much money as they had stated in their initial budget. You see, the world's eyes are on the YOG and Singapore...so Singapore will spend ANY amount of money necessary to make themselves look good in the world's eyes. Rather myopically, however, what they didn't realize, when they decided to be so stingy in support of Ainan, is that the world's eyes were on them, in his case, too - and what they eventually saw, did not make Singapore look wise, generous or far-sighted. It showed that Singapore lacked vision, or the ability to see the potential for long term benefit to Singapore, that Ainan represented. I use the past tense, because he has left, now, owing to their failure to support him.

It is very cheap to enable a gifted child to reach their fullest potential. It doesn't cost much. The educational infrastructure is already in place. All it takes is the willingness to make it available to the child. Singapore didn't have that willingness. It would have cost them, in truth, very little to do so. It has cost them much more, not to do so...and that cost can only grow over time, as Ainan contributes to other countries, in his life and not the one he was born in.

Singapore does have the "resources", to support every special child. One reason is that there simply aren't that many of them. The cost of doing so is certainly no greater than the amount of money magically materialized for the Youth Olympic Games. Perhaps this is another indicator that Singapore really doesn't want a homegrown intellectual class - because it is not willing to invest in growing one. It would rather have a glitzy international show, to spotlight Singapore. It would rather "invest" in its Formula One Night Racing and its Youth Olympic Games. What a shallow nation it is. It would rather support showmen than future thinkers. Thus, of course, it will get what it wants, ulimately: a nation that plays host to international gloss, but which has no INTELLECTUAL gloss of its own.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, 10, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, 6 and Tiarnan, 4, this month, please go to:
http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html

I also write of gifted education, child prodigy, child genius, adult genius, savant, megasavant, HELP University College, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, Malaysia, IQ, intelligence and creativity.

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Youth Olympic Games 2010, IOC

Recognizing gifted athletes, and giving them opportunities, is just as important as recognizing gifted intellectuals and giving them opportunities, for growth, too. Sadly, many societies (outside of America, which already nurtures the athletically gifted among them), neglect those of athletic ability.

Singapore is one such country. For most of Singapore's history, sports have played little role in society, though some sporting figures have managed to make a career. The reason for this neglect has been a pragmatic one: sports were not regarded as financially rewarding. There was no significant home market for sports and so no high regard was given to those of sporting ability. It was seen as something without real significance. That, however, has begun to change in recent years. Indeed, in the year 2000, Singapore launched a Foreign Sports Talent Scheme (FST) in order to recruit overseas sporting talent, while young, give them residency, and launch them as Singaporean athletes. This was a bid to activate Singapore's sporting scene and place them on the world stage. It has had varying degrees of success and should be the subject of another post, at another time.

Singapore, today, has indicated its intention to hold the first Youth Olympic Games, in Singapore, in 2010. It is one of ten nations bidding for the right to hold this event. The other cities (nations) are: Algiers (Algeria), Athens (Greece), Moscow (Russia), Turin (Italy), Bangkok (Thailand), Guatemala City (Guatemala), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Poznan (Poland). Bidders have until October 26 to finalize their bids and plans.

The event is, according to Ng Ser Miang, Singapore's International Olympic Committee member, intended to "interest and appeal" to the young. To do so, traditional sports have been shelved or modified. Basketball will make an appearance as a three person game on a half-sized court. There could be beach wrestling. You read that correctly: wrestling on the beach. There will be a sailing event with specially adapted boats, "youth class boats", that cater for the strengths, abilities and limitations of younger athletes. The events are designed for athletes who are 14 to 18 years old.

IOC President Jacques Rogge has indicated that there will be a departure from the nationalism evident at all adult Olympic Games - for no national flags or anthems will be permitted at this one. Only the Olympic flag and Olympic anthem will be played at the medal award ceremony.

Mr. Ng Ser Miang said that the Youth Olympic Games would help educate youth on the core Olympic values of respect, excellence and friendship. He also suggested it could steer competitors away from over-training and doping.

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Permanent Secretary Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman of the Singapore 2010 bid committee said that Singapore's good track record in organizing events quickly would help it secure the event. This point is a fair one, since there will only be two and a half years to prepare for the event once the result is announced.

Now, I am happy to hear of this development, for it offers young athletes a new focus to their training and aspirations. It is a long way from childhood to the adult Olympic stage - placing this new stepping stone along the path will allow young athletes to focus themselves and compete against their age-mates and gain some idea of the wisdom of pursuing an adult athletic career once they fully mature.

Not that alone. Allowing young athletes an opportunity to win recognition for their talents, earlier in their careers, may allow them to make better use of the few short years that an athlete can truly say that they are at their best. There will be less wasted time for those athletes who succeed at this junior level. Sponsorship and support could be forthcoming much earlier on. I feel, also, that many more athletes are likely to develop their talents, what with a new arena to focus on and develop their skills for. It is possible that this new IOC initiative could have a wide-ranging impact on the development of athletes around the world. The IOC is to be commended.

The Youth Olympic Games is likely to spur many young athletes to train that bit harder and aspire that bit harder, such that more of them become athletes and win successful careers. The opportunities a win at the Youth Olympic Games could open up, could change their lives so much for the better.

Gift, of all kinds, is precious. Any initiative that is likely to give greater opportunity to the gifted, whatever their gift might be, whether intellectual, athletic, artistic, or other, is to be supported. The very richness and substance of a society depends on offering the best of opportunities to all who might have the gifts to avail themselves of them.

I, for one, will tune in, in 2010, to see the athletes of tomorrow, in their earliest public performances. I wish them - and the IOC - luck in this new endeavour. May it become an established athletic event.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged seven years and ten months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, four years and three months, and Tiarnan, twenty months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, gifted adults and gifted children in general. Thanks.)