Sports minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also announced in Parliament recently that MCYS will form a committee to look at the educational and career options of national athletes.

On the hardware side, MOE is committing funds to build an indoor sports hall for every school in Singapore. 70% of schools will also have an artificial pitch.

144 primary school athletes received certificates at the first graduation ceremony of the MOE-JSA programme.

Because Singapore has a relatively weak sports club culture, the first exposure to organised sports for many young children is through the physical education (PE) classes and school sports teams. This year, the SSC and the national sports associations (NSAs) started the Satellite Centres for Sports Development. The aim is to give young children a basic introduction to a sport and centres are up and running for three sports -- sailing, basketball and wrestling.

For primary school children with potential, MOE has, since 2008, set up the Junior Sports Academies (JSA). So far, there are 21 junior academies and they are training a total of 930 student athletes. MOE's target is to have 22 junior academies for 11 sports by 2012.

For students aged 13 to 18, MOE has set up the Youth Sports Academies. These academies will take in graduates of the junior academies, as well as secondary-level students who show potential. Three academies were set up in April 2010.

The academies are recent developments that complement the existing Singapore Schools elite and development squads that have been around for awhile.

MCYS set up the Singapore Sports School in 2004 to deepen the talent pool. The school is still a work in progress as not it does not cater to all sports (e.g. hockey, basketball). Also, some elite youth athletes also do not automatically go to the school and prefer to study in schools that have had a longer history of producing sporting and academic achievements. However, that has not stopped the Woodlands-based school from producing six World and two Asian Games champions. Twenty-two of the 131 Singaporean athletes at the recent Youth Olympic Games were from the Sports School.

The relatively young Singapore Sports School has produced a number of World and Asian Games champions.

The Sports School is also making the post-secondary pathway clearer for student athletes. In 2011, the Republic Polytechnic-Singapore Sports School diploma in sports and leisure management will come on stream. The Sports School has also started the six-year International Baccalaureate diploma programme for the 2010 Sec 1 batch.

Outside of the Sports School set up, Republic Polytechnic and Nanyang Polytechnic also graduate students in sports-related diplomas.

For student athletes aiming for a sports-focused university education in Singapore, only Nanyang Technological University currently offers a sports degree.

One of the biggest barriers for male athletes is National Service. Elite athletes generally enlist for compulsory military service at 18 to 21 years old, the peak of their physical prowess. However, deferment or time off for training is only decided on a case-by-case basis. In Singapore's current political context, National Service will always take priority over an individual's sporting ambitions.

There are many amateur leagues in Singapore catering to the different sports but the lack of viable professional leagues makes turning professional an option only for the very few.

A biennial Singapore Games was mooted in Parliament recently, to give young athletes more opportunities to take part.

The S.League, a 12-team professional football league, suffers from poor attendances after 16 years. An average of only 214 tickets sold at S.League games for the period 30 August to 5 September 2010. It is the only professional league in Singapore and receives significant funding from Singapore Pools to maintain operations.

The ASEAN Basketball League will enter its second year in October 2010. The league and its six franchise teams are privately owned. The Singapore franchise team, the Singapore Slingers, gave professional contracts to eight elite Singaporean ballers last year. Crowd attendance in the first season did not exceed 2,800 for the home games at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

A biennial Singapore Games was mooted in Parliament recently. That is conceived as a games to give not just the elites, but also the average club athlete, a chance to take part. The hope is to maintain the momentum generated by the Youth Olympics and give both athletes and volunteers a focal point on a national level. Until more details emerge, it is hard to judge how this will translate into job opportunities for both athletes and non-athletes interested in the sports industry.

For most Singaporean elite athletes in Singapore, turning professional is not a viable option currently and so the pursuit of educational qualifications will remain a strong motivation to ensure job security after finishing school.

For more information on MOE sports-related programmes, visit:

• Programme for School-Based Excellence
• MOE's approach to Physical and Sports Education
• Junior Sports Academies
• Youth Sports Academies