The dream to make Singapore a sports nation is noble, but the plan to engage the entire country in Vision 2030 will only have liftoff if the public is convinced the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) can pull it off.
MCYS Acting Minister Chan Chun Sing used the United States and Australia as examples of countries that own a thriving sports culture when he unveiled the masterplan yesterday, but most people here will scoff at the idea of investing considerable resources to try to reach such a level, when the system here is littered with a number of obstacles that stop Singapore from achieving its sporting goals.
The paper chase is still the No 1 priority in school, most parents build their lives around their children's pursuit of academic success, and at the very heart of that race is what prevents generation after generation of Singaporeans from embracing sports.
But, this is the first time the Government is opening the floor to all Singaporeans, young and old, from any walk of life, urging them to flood ideas, strategies, suggestions or even a battle plan, on how they think the country can get to sport's promised land.
Nothing is sacred, as long as the idea makes sense.
So if there are an overwhelming number of Singaporeans who feel it is time a second Sports School comes up, then I believe the Government would listen.
After all, the Singapore Sports School at Woodlands gets around 1,000 hopefuls every year for less than 150 Secondary 1 places.
This is a chance for the public to be heard. It is about how they want sports to become part of the fabric of society, Singaporeans cannot drop the ball and waste this great opportunity to score big.
Maybe Singapore should even vie with the "big boys" and aim to host a mammoth multi-sport event like the Commonwealth Games, or even the Asian Games.
South Korea's athletes have enjoyed unparalleled success since they hosted the Olympics in 1988. Ditto Spain, after the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Both nations live and breathe sports.
When they won the bid to host the 1998 Commonwealth Games, Malaysia's cycling and squash programmes, for example, benefited immensely from increased funding and better infrastructure and both disciplines are now world-class.
The knock-on effect from hosting the inaugural Asian Youth Games in 2009 and the Youth Olympics last year is already being felt, with a number of notable successes at international level for our junior athletes.
An event like the Asian Games will have an even greater impact.
The aim is to produce a regular supply of world-class athletes.
The aim is to get families out regularly to catch the Singapore Lions play Selangor at the Jalan Besar or Bukit Jalil Stadium, or plan their schedule around an upcoming world swimming championship at the Sports Hub's new state-of-the-art swimming complex. Or an X Games event.
The goal is to see young friends cycling as a group regularly on weekends, pretending to be Mike or Kobe on the basketball courts or employing Sampras' serve and volley technique on tennis courts.
And if the country wants to show off a vibrant sports culture, then a regular supply of top-class administrators and coaches must also be churned out.
Time to get cracking, Singapore, for the dream to come to life.
Leonard Thomas is sports editor at Today.
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