Time to revisit Singapore’s money-for-medals scheme?

Whether it’s S$1 million for an individual Olympic gold medal or S$10,000 for a Southeast Asian (SEA) Games equivalent, the logic of Singapore’s Multi-Million Dollar Awards Programme (MAP) is simple.

Win and be rewarded, in world-beating amounts of money.

Neighbour Malaysia had a similar incentive scheme that came close to Singapore's, but theirs was a one-off offer of a gold bar worth over S$750,000 for any of its winning athletes at the 2012 London Olympics.

Sporting powerhouses like the United States pay S$31,000 for gold, while Great Britain’s Olympic champions have no such incentive for winning.

2008 Olympic bronze-medalist rower George Bridgewater, who spent the last two years working in Singapore during a competitive hiatus, told Yahoo Singapore there was no need for schemes like the MAP.

“I disagree with that system,” said the 31-year-old New Zealander, who has since returned to the sport full-time.

“I understand the concept of working for an incentive, but it wouldn’t necessarily incentivise an athlete who’s already given up so much of their life. I don’t think people need a million dollars at that point.”

The 2005 world champion added: “Besides, people don’t just work for money. With such a scheme it means that sometimes, you get the wrong people.”

Who’s in it for the money?

Through the MAP, which is sponsored by Singapore Pools and the Tote Board, the likes of swim star Tao Li has already earned over S$600,000 for individual medals alone, won at the Asian and SEA Games from 2005 to 2013.

Retired bodybuilder Simon Chua follows her chart-topping feat with his two Asiad golds in 2002 and 2006 worth a cool S$400,000.

Still, most Singaporean national athletes Yahoo spoke to said they were hardly ever motivated by the MAP.

“It’s never been in the picture in my pursuit for sports excellence,” said a national record-holder, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The key driving force is the desire to better my own performance and to achieve targets I set for myself.”

“I don't think the reward will be key motivation for anyone to work hard for a gold medal. I don't think any Singaporean will take the sports pathway to make money,” she observed. “Even (though) the MAP rewards S$1 million for an Olympic gold medal, no one I know of is training to achieve that.”

Top national triple jumper Stefan Tseng agreed. “It’s nice to be rewarded for all the hard work if you do win, but it never really crossed my mind," he said. "I didn't do it for the money. I just wanted to win. I never liked losing.”

"When I was competing as a student-athlete… it served more as a 'good-to-have', as it was already a privilege to be representing the country and that was the motivation for me to work harder,” a former national sportswoman reflected.

“On the other hand, I do see how it does motivate full-time athletes as (it) would serve as a bonus.”

What kind of athletes are we getting?

But with the highly lucrative bonuses offered by the MAP, will Singapore end up attracting the “wrong” people, as pointed out by Bridgewater?

One ex-Team Singapore athlete doesn’t think so. “Those who do achieve them truly deserve it for their time and effort,” she said.

National dragon boater Sean Chua echoed her sentiment, saying: "Be it representing Singapore for the country or for the money, I think if one can achieve the monetary reward through superb sports performance, we should recognize his/her effort, hence it doesn't really matter what kind of people the scheme may attract."

Others were more practical in their responses. “You will always get people who did it for the money, because they need to make a living." said Tseng. "You can't fault them."

"Some do it for passion and nothing else. I respect that," national wrestler Eddy Khidzer remarked. "But at the end of the day, athletes (also) need to eat, pay their bills and pay for training expenses."

But at least one athlete answered by re-opening Singapore sport's perennial can of worms.

"Yes, (MAP) will attract the 'wrong' kind of people," said a veteran sportswoman. "For example, foreign talents who can easily win medals at the four major Games."

In the second part to this story, we ask Singapore’s national athletes how the money from the MAP could be better spent. Read it here.