ABSTRACT
After the Japanese Occupation ended in September 1945, Singapore experienced a brief period of British Military Administration. During the next three years of rehabilitation under civil administration, sport in Singapore became an instrument of identity creation. Administrators and stakeholders strove to establish an international profile. There was a desire to forge a Pan-Malayan sporting body and then the priority was to join the Olympic Movement. Tensions arose between interdependent organizations and the individuals representing interest groups. Civil administrators were predominantly British. The Chinese, who retained strong affiliations to nationalist China, represented the vast majority of the population. These two communities had their own ideas on how best to promote sport. A complicating factor was the growing threat of communism and the transition in political power in China. Two plans evolved that created a unique setting for representative sport in Singapore. Membership of the International Olympic Committee was the first step for athletes aspiring to represent the new Singapore Colony team itself. For the Chinese there was an alternative path. They became motivated to attend the China Games in Shanghai, with the hope that it would lead to selection for the China team at the Olympic Games in London.
