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Opening DoorsWith the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) into its 25th year, there is plenty to shout about as far as the Organisation is concerned. Medals have been won, it is the most popular form of martial art in the country and ties have been built with federations all over the world. Here, ZONE talks to the current president of the STF and finds out about the past, present and future. |
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 Before
him, there were six previous occupiers of the top seat in the STF. Each one has effected the growth of the sport
over the past 25 years. From a fledgling organisation in 1974, it now boasts a secretariat, a National Training
Centre and a national coach from South Korea. But, John Lim says the work will not stop. The current incumbent of the president's seat is into his second term. He was first elected as a vice-president in 1991, but the curious thing about it was the fact that he was not involved in taekwondo at all. Said Mr Lim, "At that time, the STF wanted someone who had no links with the sport. The rationale was that it would mean a fresh start, with a president having a neutral view which obviously had no bias whatsoever. I was asked to take on the role and out of interest, I said yes. Today though, after almost eight years, I can safely say that I'm really into the sport." Today, the difference in the STF, according to its president, is that it is a more open Organisation. Views of members are heard. In fact, they are encouraged to express themselves as much as possible. Previously though, the traditions of the sport prevented such a participative atmosphere to exist. The president explained: "This martial art preaches the strict discipline of respecting the master. That means total obedience. That manifested itself in the STF as well. I call it the 'top to down syndrome'. Words from the top were seldom questioned and suggestions from members were not as forthcoming. That restricted the STF from developing to its full potential. Thankfully, we have changed all that and now, we hear the opinions from all our members and if it makes sense, we act on it." Although he is proud of the fact that taekwondo is the most popular martial art in Singapore, Mr Lim says that there is no room to be complacent for him and his colleagues in the STF He points out that the other martial arts groups are increasingly becoming more and more popular. But, in the same breath, he is happy for the competition, saying that it can only be good for them as it will keep them on their toes. in that regard, one of the innovative moves by the STF has been to introduce taekwondo aerobics as part of its programme to get more and more of the public into the martial art, On the competitive side, the SEA Games looms large as the immediate target for the STE After all, it will be only a couple of weeks away when one reads this. According to Mr Lim, the Singapore team that will travel to Brunei will be made up of 80% youngsters. That being the case, he says that a lot will depend on the draw as to how far they will progress in the tournament. "They have trained hard. What will count now is how they perform on the day and who they meet in the early rounds. With a little luck, the young exponents can surprise." The ultimate aim of taekwondo is of course an Olympic medal. The STF president says that it is entirely possible that one of the STFs future exponents can deliver on that count, but says that it will involve tremendous sacrifices, a lot of hard work and quite a bit of money. He said, "We all know that taekwondo hails from Korea. Naturally, they take home many of the medals when it comes to the Olympics or a World Championships. But, not many will know this, countries like Iran and China also win their fair share of what's at stake and these are countries which don't have all the history of taekwondo behind them. How do they do it? Putting in the time, effort and having good support. And there is the X factor of courage and determination." What does he mean by that? He says that it just means being mentally tough. "it is a tough sport and requires a tough mindset. Singapore's exponents must be able to take the rigours of the sport, the pain, the breathlessness, the ability to convince yourself you're not tired and push your body to the limit. We can train our athletes, give them financial benefits, but the mental side is harder to teach. But, one thing's for sure, we will continue to search for the right talent." |
"It is a tough sport and requires a tough mindset. Singapore's exponents must be able to tak the rigous of the sport, the pain, the breathlessness, the ability to convince yourself you're not tired and push your body to the limit. We can train our athletes, give them financial enefits, but the mental side is harder to teach. But, one thing's for sure, we will continue to search for the right talent."
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Last Updated on 020801 |
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