S1E17: Raising an Olympian in Singapore

Hard Tackle

What does it take for parents to nurture an athlete who wants to reach sport’s pinnacle?

Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month.

The Olympics is just around the corner and come July, several Team Singapore athletes will fly the flag for the Republic in Paris. Two of them, kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder and Singapore kayaker Stephenie Chen will make their Olympics debut.

Beyond their individual hustle to get to sports’ grandest stage, Maeder's and Chen’s journey to the Olympics has been helped by their families' relentless support.

In this episode, Maximilian’s parents Valentin Maeder and Hwee Keng and Michael Chen and Sarah-Yvonne, parents of Stephenie, join sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan to talk about how they have supported their children’s aspirations.

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:00 Did Maximilian Maeder's and Stephenie Chen’s parents have sporting backgrounds that influenced their kids?

13:10 Is there a point in which parents build a roadmap to sporting success?

17:40 Why is there a need to trust the experts and coaches as opposed to intervening?

21:12 Making sacrifices for your children when they pursue sports

26:28 Why parents should be a safe space for their children who pursue sports

35:00 Reacting to naysayers who say there is no future in sports

Read: https://str.sg/DMK2

Produced by: Deepanraj Ganesan ([e-mail]), Eden Soh and Amirul Karim

Edited by: Amirul Karim

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Chapter

1. Raising an Olympian in Singapore (00:00:00)

2. Do the parents have a sporting background? (00:02:00)

3. Parents mapping out sporting success? (00:13:10)

4. The need of coaches as opposed to intervening (00:17:40)

5. Sacrificing for your children for their sports (00:21:12)

6. Parents: Safe space for their children (00:26:28)

7. Reacting to naysayers (00:35:00)