Incoming sailing chief Low says athletes here need to 'think like champions'

SINGAPORE - Table tennis delivered an Olympic medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Tao Li made history when she became the first swimmer from the Republic to qualify for an Olympic final, and she went on to finish fifth in the 100m butterfly two years ago.

But for consistency and overall results, SingaporeSailing has arguably been the most successful national sports association (NSA) over the last few years.

Terence Koh and Teo Wee Chin became the first Asian winners at the 2005 ISAF Youth World Championships when they won the boys' 420, the Republic sailors won five golds at the 2006 Asian Games, and Today Athlete of the Year nominee for 2009 Elizabeth Yin bagged world titles in the Byte (2007), Laser 4.7 (2008) and Laser Radial (2009) events.

Producing an Olympic medallist remains the big target for the NSA, and incoming SingaporeSailing executive director Edwin Low (picture) believes getting local sailors out of their comfort zones is key towards achieving that target.

"We must get our sailors to think like champions," Low, 53, told MediaCorp on Tuesday, a day after his appointment was announced.

"They have to want to do it themselves, everything has to internalised and not always spoon-fed to carry them through.

"It's very important for the sailors and parents to understand what it takes to be a world-class sailor.

"Yes, sacrifices, funds ... it's easy to say, but desire is one area where you can see the difference between local athletes and those abroad ... That's the difference between an Olympic sailor and one who has not made it."

Low wants the NSA's 13 club affiliates to become more involved in developmental plans, and he also hopes to get sailors to give back to the sport to ensure long-term renewal.

"They've gone through the system, and that's very important," said Low. "No point us trying to take the seat and not letting it go. It's no good to the sport. Continuity and succession planning are critical to moving forward."

OLYMPIC GOALS

Low, currently SingaporeSailing's secretary-general and high participation chief, steps into the hot seat on Feb 1, replacing outgoing CEO Andrew Sanders.

Since the news broke, Low, who partnered Tan Tee Suan to win the Hobie 16 gold at the 1983 SEA Games, has received dozens of congratulatory text messages and calls. An avid golfer, he joined SingaporeSailing in 1999.

Together with Sanders and current high performance chief Mark Robinson, he helped the NSA establish an infrastructure that earned the association an ISO 9000 certification.

While the association is one of the highest-funded NSAs here - SingaporeSailing will receive more than $1.5 million for the current fiscal year from the Singapore Sports Council - the sum is not enough to maintain the more than 1,000 sailors involved in all the programmes.

Preparing for the 2012 Olympics alone will cost at least $10 million. Promoting sailors into the Olympic Pathway Programme - it provides additional funding and support to elite national athletes with the potential to win an Olympic medal - would ease sailing's financial burden considerably.

"If our funding gets cut in half, what happens then? Its a concern for us, and keeps us on our toes," said Low.

"We're always trying to get sponsors. Hopefully, local firms can see the value in supporting our athletes. In Australia, if you're a world champion or an Olympian, companies will employ you to market them.

"Maybe we've not reached that level yet. If that can come true here, there's more hope for people to want to come in professionally."