ABSTRACT
This chapter is a representation of the qualitative data gleaned from the thematic analysis of participant interviews and addresses research objective one (see Figure 4.1), which is to better understand Singapore's sports culture. By identifying and exploring the tiny variations and nuanced aspects within Singapore's sporting infrastructure and experiences of being an athlete in this system, this chapter examines the factors that influence Singapore's elite sport ecosystem, and its approach and impact on elite athlete development. As revealed, it was not only sufficient to possess passion and intrinsic motivation to pursue sporting excellence, but also the need for financial surety cushioned with a safety net of academic qualifications and mainstream job prospects. Sadly, even with an established and ideal institutionalised elite sporting system, elite sport progress was ultimately hindered by the need to fulfil policy-driven indicators, where athletes were only valued for their winning abilities, overlooking their health and well-being beyond the sporting area, culminating in an environment that emphasised the “measurable” rather than the “meaningful” (Figure 4.1).
