Forum: Kudos to Max Maeder; now let’s do more to promote his sport
It is extremely encouraging and heartening to know that we have a sportsman who is so dedicated to his craft and is relentless in his pursuit of excellence (
- by autobot
- July 10, 2024
- Source article
Publisher object (23)
It is extremely encouraging and heartening to know that we have a sportsman who is so dedicated to his craft and is relentless in his pursuit of excellence ( July 7). Having said that, it’s a real pity that Max’s sport is so viewer-unfriendly that, other than the Olympics, most major Games would not telecast his event live. When he won at the Asian Games, the local news agencies only showed him speaking to reporters after mounting the podium. We really can’t blame the media or the host for the poor coverage because it’s extremely expensive to telecast this event, not to mention that it would not guarantee many returns due to the low viewership. So while I would certainly hope Max brings home a gold medal, I think his victory would probably not inspire many Singaporeans to take up his sport as a plausible avenue to attain personal and national glory. And even those in mainstream sports would think of his victory as inspiring only to those in niche, elite sports. This is unlike the achievements of swimmer Joseph Schooling, who reached the holy grail in a sport that has a high participation rate among Singaporeans and enjoys extensive media coverage. The authorities need to do more to promote kitefoiling and to telecast it more regularly. More funding could also be considered to support talented Singaporeans who may not have the financial means to pursue the sport on a long-term basis.