Page 28 - Sportability

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON in any field—sports, music, or the arts—takes ten years
EMPOWERING POTENTIAL: CREATING and ten thousand hours of focused practice. Newenham
A PATHWAY TO EXCELLENCE IN is hopeful that this process may be accelerated and
DISABILITY SPORTS that Paralympic-caliber athletes can be produced more
quickly with the correct atmosphere and resources.
Giving athletes with impairments the same access to
“There’s research to suggest that it takes
10 years and 10,000 hours to develop top-notch training facilities and resources as their able-
excellence, whether it’s in music, bodied peers is a key component of this approach. This
whether it’s in art, whether it’s in sport, involves making certain that coaches have the necessary
we want to try and fast track that.” tools to recognize and cater to the unique demands of
Mr Tim Newenham athletes with impairments.
Director, Singapore Disability Sports Council
(SDSC)
Newenham also emphasized the significance of working
in tandem with academic establishments that provide
Tim Newenham, who has spearheaded global equitable possibilities. About 3% of the 5.7 million people
sports initiatives in England, Malaysia, and Singapore who live in the small nation of Singapore are disabled.
at present, offered his perspectives on the function of Given the narrower talent pool, this could appear to be
the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and his a drawback, but Newenham sees it as a chance to design
duties within it. As the National Sports Association for highly customized programs. This makes it possible to
all parasports in Singapore, the SDSC acts as a catalyst nurture “outliers”—people with extraordinary potential—
for social change and a route to sports brilliance. by giving them individualized care and assistance.

Choosing athletes who can compete at the highest He focused on the idea of “pockets of excellence,” which
levels in parasports, including the Paralympics, is part he has seen in several nations. These are concentrated,
of Newenham’s job description. He makes certain that limited places where great coaching and resources
these players get all the help they need, which includes have resulted in notable parasports accomplishments,
coaching, sports science, psychology, nutrition, and frequently in settings not usually favourable to such
strength and conditioning. His work is primarily success. For example, Singapore has established a top-
concerned with putting into practice a long-term tier swimming center that is a model for combining the
strategy—a ten-year plan designed to foster excellence. goals of athletes with disabilities and those without, in an
This program is based on data that indicates proficiency all-encompassing way.

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