A number of major sporting events were held in Singapore in 2024, including the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup and the World Chess Championship.
This year will see the inaugural Singapore Tennis Open and the World Aquatics Championships held here.
“We don’t go for every single event and try to pull it here, because there’s always a cost to it,” said Mr Goh.
However, it is also not a case of just pursuing money-making events, he added.
“Success (in an event) would be when it’s something (where) Singaporeans (can) participate, spectate and enjoy (themselves),” he said.
He cited the example of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup which featured the likes of Olympic gold medallists Leon Marchand and Pan Zhanle, and saw top Singapore swimmer Teong Tzen Wei clinch two bronzes. The event also saw a sold-out crowd.
“We want to be able to have our own Team Singapore athletes do well (and) compete alongside the very best,” said Mr Goh.
“You bring the best here, our people can compete, hopefully, they get inspired … People can watch, enjoy and the young ones get inspired too.”
AN “ACADEMICALLY BIASED” SOCIETY
Goh has held his current position since April 2023. He was previously deputy secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), now the Ministry of Digital Development and Information.
Before MCI, Mr Goh served in the Republic of Singapore Navy and held various command and staff appointments in the Singapore Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence, in areas such as policy and strategy, operations, planning, human resources and maritime security.
“It’s been a very enjoyable two years … I’m a big sports fan and coming to this role, every day it’s almost like I don’t feel tired. I feel energised by what we do,” he explained.
What has also been gratifying has been to see the response of Singaporeans to SportSG’s slew of programmes, he added.
However, Mr Goh admitted that the sporting ecosystem in Singapore still faces challenges.
“We have (a) declining population. So (for the) sport scene, (a) declining population over time doesn’t help,” he said.
These days, there are parents who are more “open-minded” in allowing their children to pursue sports full-time, said Mr Goh.
“If they can afford it, they are quite willing to help their child give it a go at their aspirations, more than before, I would say,” he added.
However, he admitted that Singapore remains a society that is “academically biased”.
Mr Goh gave the example of some of his peers who have children who do well at the National School Games level.
“My one question is: ‘Is your child going to carry on and try to make it to the national team?’ The answer is: ‘Oh, they have got to study for exams now,'” he added.
