Foreign Sports Talent Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Foreign Sports Talent Scheme is a scheme used by sports officials and organisations in Singapore
to scout and facilitate the migration of non-Singaporeans deemed to possess sports talent to play in Singapore colours in sporting events. Introduced in 1993 by the Singapore Table Tennis Association, it also aimed to boost local sporting standards by importing sporting expertise. A similar scheme, the Singapore Foreign Talent Scheme
, was introduced in 2000 but was limited to scouting talent for the Singapore national football team
.
In March 2008, it was announced in the Parliament of Singapore
that 54 athletes had benefited from the programme and received Singapore citizenship
, of which 37 were still in active training.
team in winning a silver medal
at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
, the country's first Olympic medal since 1960, reignited debate over the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme. Some critics said that the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) has relied too much on it, as the team comprised three China
-born players, Feng Tianwei
, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu
. On 19 August 2008, a correspondent to The Straits Times
wrote that he was not proud of the way Singapore had won its medal through a team of imported foreign-born players, one of whom was granted Singapore citizenship at the beginning of 2008. He continued:
A day earlier, STTA president Lee Bee Wah had said: "It doesn't mean that we should look at them [foreign-born table tennis players] differently because they're not born and brought up in Singapore. The important thing is that they have embraced Singapore and want to be a part of it. And they wanted so badly to win a medal for our country. We should not be harping on where they are born. I hope mindsets change." In addition, during his Mandarin National Day Rally
speech on 17 August, Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong
said:
The information above was obtained from .
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to scout and facilitate the migration of non-Singaporeans deemed to possess sports talent to play in Singapore colours in sporting events. Introduced in 1993 by the Singapore Table Tennis Association, it also aimed to boost local sporting standards by importing sporting expertise. A similar scheme, the Singapore Foreign Talent Scheme
Singapore Foreign Talent Scheme
The Singapore Foreign Sports Talent Scheme is a program run by the Football Association of Singapore to boost Singaporean football. Its goal is to attract foreign players in Singapore to change nationality and thus play for the Singapore national football team...
, was introduced in 2000 but was limited to scouting talent for the Singapore national football team
Singapore national football team
The Singapore national football team is the national association football team of Singapore. The team comes under the organization of the Football Association of Singapore...
.
In March 2008, it was announced in the Parliament of Singapore
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of the Republic of Singapore and the President jointly make up the legislature of Singapore. Parliament is unicameral and is made up of Members of Parliament who are elected, as well as Non-constituency Members of Parliament and Nominated Members of Parliament who are appointed...
that 54 athletes had benefited from the programme and received Singapore citizenship
Singaporean nationality law
Singaporean nationality law is derived from the Constitution of Singapore and is based on jus sanguinis and a modified form of jus soli...
, of which 37 were still in active training.
Debate
The achievement of Singapore's women's table tennisTable tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
team in winning a silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, the country's first Olympic medal since 1960, reignited debate over the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme. Some critics said that the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) has relied too much on it, as the team comprised three China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
-born players, Feng Tianwei
Feng Tianwei
Feng Tianwei is a Singaporean table tennis player, ranked sixth in the world as a singles player as of April 2011. Born in China, she began training in Singapore in March 2007 and commenced her international career in competitive table tennis the following month...
, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu
Wang Yuegu
Wang Yuegu is a China-born Singaporean table tennis player who is ranked among the top ten players in the world. Wang made her inaugural appearance as a Singaporean on the International Table Tennis Federation Pro Tour in June 2005 at the Volkswagen Korean Open in Suncheon, South Korea, where she...
. On 19 August 2008, a correspondent to The Straits Times
The Straits Times
The Straits Times is an English language daily broadsheet newspaper based in Singapore currently owned by Singapore Press Holdings . It is the country's highest-selling paper, with a current daily circulation of nearly 400,000...
wrote that he was not proud of the way Singapore had won its medal through a team of imported foreign-born players, one of whom was granted Singapore citizenship at the beginning of 2008. He continued:
A day earlier, STTA president Lee Bee Wah had said: "It doesn't mean that we should look at them [foreign-born table tennis players] differently because they're not born and brought up in Singapore. The important thing is that they have embraced Singapore and want to be a part of it. And they wanted so badly to win a medal for our country. We should not be harping on where they are born. I hope mindsets change." In addition, during his Mandarin National Day Rally
National Day Rally
The National Day Rally is an annual address that the Prime Minister of Singapore makes to the entire nation, on the second Sunday after August 9, the country's National Day...
speech on 17 August, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Singapore
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs.The office of Prime Minister...
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong
Lee Hsien Loong is the third and current Prime Minister of Singapore. He is married to Ho Ching, who is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He is the eldest son of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew....
said:
Athletics
- Dong Enxin (returned to native country)
- Du Xianhui (returned to native country)
- Zhang GuirongZhang GuirongZhang Guirong is a Singaporean shot putter. She changed nationality from China in late 2003.Her personal best throw is 18.57 metres, achieved at the 2005 Asian Championships in Incheon. This is the current Singaporean record. She is also the national record holder in discus throw and javelin...
Badminton
- Fu MingtianFu Mingtian-Career:Mingtian became the first Singaporean to win a Southeast Asian Games Gold medal in 2011 at the 26th SEA Games in Indonesia. She beat second-seed Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-12, 21-18 en-route to the Final match. In the Final, she beat home favourite Adriyanti Firdasari of Indonesia...
- Gu Juan
- Hendra Wijaya
- Hendri Supatra
- Jiang YanmeiJiang YanmeiJiang Yanmei is a Singapore badminton player.Jiang played badminton at the 2004 Summer Olympics, losing to Yao Jie of the Netherlands in the round of 32.-References:***...
- Li LiLi Li (badminton player)Li Li is the top-ranked female badminton player in Singapore. She was born in China and moved to Singapore in 1997.Li won the 2002 Commonwealth Games women's singles gold medal by beating favourite Tracey Hallam of England in four sets, causing a major upset for the home team.Li also played at the...
(quit national team) - Li YujiaLi YujiaLi Yujia is Singapore's national badminton player.Born in Hubei on 18 January 1983, she moved to Singapore at the age of 18 and is now a Singapore citizen....
- Liu Fan
- Ronald SusiloRonald SusiloRonald Susilo is a Singaporean badminton player of a Chinese-Indonesian origin.He started playing badminton at the age of 8 at the Pelita Jaya Club in Jakarta. He studied in Anglo-Chinese School for his Secondary education under a scholarship. He speaks English, Indonesian, and Malay and he...
- Xiao Luxi (returned to native country)
- Xing Aiying
- Yao Lei
- Zhang Beiwen
Basketball
- Li Lin (left Singapore)
- Li Ling (in national netball team)
- Yao Xiuxiu (left Singapore)
- Zhang Shu (left Singapore)
- Zhao Jing
- Zhou LeiZhou LeiZhou Lei is a former world level badminton player from China who later coached in the United States.-Career:Primarily a doubles specialist, Zhou's biggest badminton achievement was winning women's doubles at the 1993 IBF World Championships in Birmingham, England with compatriot Nong Qunhua...
Football
- Agu CasmirAgu CasmirAgu Casmir , is a professional soccer player who plays for the Persija Jakarta in the Indonesia Super League and the Singapore national football team.He took up Singapore citizenship in 2004....
- Daniel Bennett
- Egmar GoncalvesEgmar GoncalvesEgmar Goncalves was a professional soccer player. He was born in Brazil, but changed his nationality to Singaporean in 2002 in order to play for the Singapore national football team.-Career:...
(returned to native country) - Itimi DicksonItimi DicksonItimi Dickson Edherefe is a Singapore international football player who last played for Geylang United.-Club career:Previously, he played for Jurong FC, Woodlands Wellington FC, Young Lions and Persitara Jakarta Utara....
- Mirko GrabovacMirko GrabovacMirko Grabovac is a Croatian-born Singaporean former professional football player and coach. He had changed his nationality to Singaporean in 2002 in order to play for the Singapore national football team....
- Mustafic FahrudinMustafic FahrudinFahrudin Mustafić is a Singapore footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for S-League side, Tampines Rovers FC. He obtained his Singapore citizenship after two years and plays for the Singapore national football team....
- Precious EmuejerayePrecious EmuejerayePrecious Emuejeraye, in Nigeria, is a Nigerian/Singaporean footballer.- Career :Precious came to Singapore in 2002 from Nigeria after being signed by the now-defunct S-League side Jurong FC...
- Shi JiayiShi JiayiShi Jiayi is a naturalized Singaporean football midfielder. He currently plays for Home United.-Club career:Shi started his career at Shanghai state's Football Academy. He moved to Singapore's Sinchi FC in 2003....
The information above was obtained from .
Hockey
- Chen Huiling
- Li YingLi YingLi Ying is a fictional character in the Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. He ranks 11th of the 36 Heavenly Spirits of the 108 Liangshan heroes and is nicknamed "Striking Hawk".-Background:...
(not active, living in Singapore) - Ma Xiaomeng
- Niu Lei
- Qi Hui
- Zhang Jun
Table tennis
- Cai Xiaoli
- Duan Yongjun (retired)
- Feng TianweiFeng TianweiFeng Tianwei is a Singaporean table tennis player, ranked sixth in the world as a singles player as of April 2011. Born in China, she began training in Singapore in March 2007 and commenced her international career in competitive table tennis the following month...
- Gao NingGao NingGao Ning is a male Table Tennis player from Singapore. He is considered Singapore's best male player with a world ranking of 16 as of May, 2011...
- Jing Junhong (retired – moved to Singapore prior to introduction of FST, but citizenship was fast-tracked)
- Li Jiawei
- Sun BeibeiSun BeibeiSun Beibei is a Singaporean table tennis player. She occupies the 20th place in the ITTF women's world ranking, as of October 2011.-Career records:Singles *World Championships: round of 32 ....
- Wang YueguWang YueguWang Yuegu is a China-born Singaporean table tennis player who is ranked among the top ten players in the world. Wang made her inaugural appearance as a Singaporean on the International Table Tennis Federation Pro Tour in June 2005 at the Volkswagen Korean Open in Suncheon, South Korea, where she...
- Xu YanXu YanXu Yan is a female Chinese judoka who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Lightweight event.-Major performances:*2003 World Championships - 7th -57 kg class;*2003 Asian Championships - 5th -57 kg class;...
(returned to native country) - Yang ZiYang ZiYang Zi is a table tennis player representing Singapore.Yang Zi began his table tennis in 2004 when he first participated in the ITTF Pro Tour. He has represented Singapore in many major events such as 15th Asian Games, 18th Commonwealth Games and 23rd SEA Games...
- Yu MengyuYu MengyuYu Mengyu is a Singaporean table tennis player.-Career records:Singles *World Championships: round of 16 .*Pro Tour winner : India Open 2009. Runner-up : India Open 2010.*Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 1...
- Zhang Taiyong (retired)
- Zhang XuelingZhang XuelingZhang Xueling is a Singaporean table tennis player.Zhang started playing table tennis at the age of 6 and made her first international appearance in 1999...
(returned to native country)