Of Swimming, Sailing and Sprinting: A Literary Glance at Singapore’s Sporting Ambitions
Team Singapore has recently reached a major sporting milestone — winning the nation’s 1,000th Gold Medal at the South East Asian Games.
To celebrate this historic achievement, let’s take the time to acquaint ourselves with the major sports in Singapore’s sporting landscape and delve into the interesting role that sports play in our society.
Whether you’re the most enthusiastic weekend warrior or a homebody whose favourite physical activity involves walking to the pantry to get more snacks, this book list offers a diverse selection with something for everyone.
Below the Surface: The History of Competitive Swimming by John Lohn
The crown jewel of Singapore’s sporting achievements is without a doubt, Joseph Schooling’s gold medal from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Moreover, the 1,000th SEA Games Gold Medal was also won in swimming, secured by the Women’s Relay Team in 4 x 100m and cementing the sport as a centrepiece of Singaporean sporting excellence.
However, these achievements, while significant, are a mere drop in the ocean in the modern history of this popular sport.
Dive into Below the Surface: The History of Competitive Swimming to find out more about the discipline’s major milestones and most riveting rivalries. Read about the most sensational matches in Olympic history and have some food for thought about controversial, contemporary issues such as doping and high-technology swimwear.
Get the book here: eBook
Ping-Pong Diplomacy: Ivor Montagu and the Astonishing Story Behind the Game That Changed the World by Nicholas Griffin
Fun fact: three out of Singapore’s five Olympic medals were won in the sport of table tennis.
A match that many of us will remember tuning in to watch was when the women’s table tennis team reached the finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, bringing home the silver medal — Singapore’s first in almost half a century. The same team also brought home two Bronze medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games, with Feng Tianwei winning an individual prize.
However, table tennis is much more than a ball game — it is also a tool for diplomacy.
In Ping-Pong Diplomacy, find out how a simple ping-pong match in 1971 became the turning point in the relationship between two global powerhouses, China and the US, during the darkest days of the Cold War.
Get the book here: Physical Copy
Dare to Be a Champion by Lee Chong Wei
After becoming the Badminton World Champion in 2021, Loh Kean Yew won over the hearts of the Singaporean public with his earnest hero’s journey where a young boy with big dreams moves to the big city.
If his story moved you, then you’ll enjoy Lee Chong Wei’s autobiography, Dare to Be a Champion.
For those unfamiliar with the name, Malaysia’s Lee is a three-time Olympic medallist and was the highest-ranked badminton player in the world for an incredible 349 weeks.
Hear from the man himself about how a boy from Perak was drafted into the Malaysia national team at age 17 and follow him on his adventure of sporting greatness.
Get the book here: Physical Copy
Sailing to the Edge of Time by John Kretschmer
As an island nation, it should come as no surprise that sailing is one of the country’s most popular sports. A news report recently described Singapore as “a regional powerhouse in sailing” with athletes having won a combined total of 55 SEA Games gold medals since 1989.
John Kretschmer’s Sailing to the Edge of Time is a unique piece of literary non-fiction in that it is part-guide and part-memoir. Kretschmer weaves his practical sailing advice between his philosophical musings, reflecting upon his own life experiences and encouraging others to make the most of their own.
Get the book here: eBook
By the Sword by Richard Cohen
With Singaporean fencers collectively bringing home seven gold medals from the 2023 SEA Games, fencing is certainly a sport to look out for.
A graceful blend of sport and art, fencing has a unique niche in screen culture, complete with its own iconic scenes from pop culture phenomena, fantasy epic Game of Thrones and gothic teen drama Wednesday. Perhaps the sport’s chic reputation and universal appeal stems from its rich, global history.
Richard Cohen’s By the Sword extensively traces the development of fencing, from its roots in ancient Egypt and its refinement in 17th-century France through to the sport’s significance in the modern Olympics.
Get the book here: Audiobook
How She Did It by Molly Huddle and Sara Slattery
Last, but definitely not the least, this list ends the same way all Olympic Games do — with a spotlight on athletics.
At the SEA Games, Singapore’s Shanti Pereira smashed national records and snagged gold medals as she sprinted past the finish lines. As the two-time Olympian continues to shine on the world stage, this is a great time to get a sense of her immensely and continuously popular event.
While most of us will never be competitive sprinters, there is much to be gleaned from the grit and determination of runners. In How She Did It, 40 female runners disclose their secrets to success and provide insights into cultivating the correct mental mindset for peak physical performance.
Get the book here: Physical Copy, Audiobook
Text by
Terisha Tan
National Library Board
