Some of the sports champ kids in other countries grew up in
poverty and harsh environments and had nothing else to do except
play sports, like basketball in US, soccer in UK and cricket in
India. To them, excellence in sports is a ticket out of poverty and
hence they work hard to achieve greater standards.
In affluent Singapore, the kids have a lot of other things to
occupy their minds and bodies, such as video games, internet and
TV. Also, Singaporeans tend to place academic achievement over
sporting excellence, and the kids do not feel as great pressure to
do well in sports, as there's always the paper chase and the cushy
white collar job to back it up.
