I play Ultimate Frisbee which is arguably a new sport though participation rates have increased over the years. However, we are severely under-represented in the secondary and junior college levels where Ultimate Frisbee is not an official CCA which we know can deter interested individuals from picking up the sport.

1) Thus I feel that something must be done at the school level as well. Schools are obsessed with promoting strong CCAs and leave those that do not do as well to fend for themselves. There is an obsession for results and to do things that makes a school look good. For the sake of keeping this post short, I will not talk about the flip side of the coin (eg allocation of limited resources).

2)The development of nontraditional sport is hindered by the fact that they are not under the SSC. This leaves them unable to apply for funding and also a lack of recognition. Probably an avenue to allow non-traditional sports to market itself or assistance in corporate planning for the official sport association will help these sports tremendously.

In the end, the message that I want to put across is that opportunities should be afforded to individuals and organisations to market themselves and appropriate assistance provided instead of leaving them to fend for themselves. The motivation for CCAs in schools should not be to win but for the development of interests. I feel that this is something fundamental that schools need to look at if we want to develop non-traditional sports in Singapore.

Can sports council run regular training sports programme at a nominal fees to the public at different age group? such that these training programmes are run regularly and charging at a nominal fees.

Take for example,
Badminton,
can they run regular basic strokes training session to the mass/public on weekends or weekday nights at community club badminton halls or sports hall,
such that details of the coaching is published in the web, users can sign up and just appear and pay the nominal fees on the spot.

This help to promote the ability of Singaporean in general to enjoy a sports and play it with some decent skill and techniques at a nominal fees.

There training programme should be tailored to diferent age group and should be run such that mass of learners can participate and learn.

This idea can apply to all favorite sports that Singaporeans enjoy.

Shared this too many times and thought I pen it down so that people who chance upon this blog can also see the light of this game we love. I have been playing competitive paintball since 2006. In a few more days, I will be going into my 6 years of competitive paintball. Similarly, one thing that is always doing the catching up is my age... I will be 34 years old in a few days. I started the game in what I considered as a out-dated age for any athlete, at the age of 28 years old, you will roughly have an idea if you are going to treat sport as just a recreational hobby... and this was what I thought until I found out about competitive paintball. I have been playing sports my entire life... I did a little bit of everything but seriously a master of none. I had my first taste of volleyball at the age of 10 and knew that volleyball was not my cup of tea. I ran in National events when I was in primary school and thought that running was all that I knew. In secondary school, I was crazy about basketball and played a lot until I saw my results at the final exam. Then I took up running again... but this time, I did a longer distance. Although I am an asthmatic, I considered myself to be a pretty good long distance runner having been one of the very few to cross the finishing line early when I was an officer trainee in the army. Short and long burst of 5km, 10km, 15km, 21km was a daily affair. Running stopped after I started working and I returned to my first love, basketball. I was working in a tertiary institution back then and sports was easily available. I started playing recreational soccer and did a little bit of running here and there just to keep myself fit for the annual IPPT. And of course, being a social runner and with the growing popularity of endurance events in Singapore, I tried my hands on the Osim Triathlon. Well... just say that I finished the event with many unforgettable memories. My love of sports persuaded me to find out more about this wonderful social invention and soon enough I was going back to school again and took up a part time Sports and Exercise diploma in Singapore to further my interest. I graduated in a pretty well known university in Australia with an Electrical Engineering honours degree. When I was studying in Australia, I was playing a lot of weekend soccer and was very impressed with the sporting culture downunder. Sport is not just an individual affair, it is a family affair. People will come and support friends and family members who are playing sports. When I came back to Singapore, I wasn't ready to accept the fact that most of the buddies that I used to play sports with are now setting different life priorities and commitment which leaves them with no time for sports... I suddenly had no one to run with, no one to play basketball with, no one to talk about sports except to watch them on TV, usually with a bag of chips. And I seriously thought that things are going to be so dull and all my aspirations of being a good sports fan had to die a horrible death. But my life soon change after I found out about competitive paintball, speedball.

It happened at the end of 2006 when I was on a trip to Malaysia to find out about the Paintball World Cup Asia. Very soon enough, I was already playing this sport. But surely of course, no one else in Singapore was playing competitive paintball back then and so I had to recruit people of the same interest and it didn't help that there wasn't many videos on the internet for us to relate the sports to anyone who might be interested. Every weekend, I will have to travel 640km back and forth to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia to learn more about this competitive sport. Trust me it wasn't easy travelling this distance every weekend for a period of more than 1 year. I have to miss precious time with my family and was constantly on the road. But most importantly, I found a new sport which took me to a new level that I never knew existed. I was like a crazy man thinking about paintball almost every single minute of my life. I would look into the mirror, pretending that someone was shooting at from the other end and dodging my way out of the shot. I would do nothing at times but to "run my fingers" like I was going to pull the trigger at the fastest speed that I can ever attain. I was looking out for information about the game and how to perfect my posture and movement. I was constantly searching videos and spent hours watching, talking and thinking about paintball. It changed my life again but more importantly, I found the real essence of playing sports again.

6 years down the road, I am now still an avid paintball player with a Division 2 Champion title under my belt. I have coached countless number of paintball players who are now far better and more skillful than me. I have affected everyone who crossed my path and was as crazy as myself 6 years ago. There are still a lot to be done for the sport in Singapore. While we now have a large community of players and the right development plans for paintball in Singapore, we are still very far away from achieving flexibility to the restriction that will give many 2nd life to many "athletes" like myself. I believe every paintball player have their own story to tell and I wish that by writing this paragraph, I am able to stimulate the passion within each and everyone of you to write something about paintball. Something about how you first started playing this game about how you met the many players and friends that you never knew existed but will always carry a thought about them when you don't see them playing paintball anymore. Paintball is not just about passion for sports, paintballers live their life thinking about their fellow comrades all the time.

I hope that SSC or governing bodies can help the paintball scene to grow and develop in Singapore.

Ben

A lot of wonderful views have been shared and I would like to add on to those already expressed here.

The greatest barrier to entry of any sport is always physical condition. The greatest advantage that tournament paintball or speedball has as a sport is that it can be played by EVERYONE, regardless of age, gender or fitness level All you really need to be able to do is pull a trigger. When I first picked up the sport, I was very unfit, barely passing my IPPT and a "regular" at RT sessions. And yet, after picking some basic skills, I found that I was doing well in matches, even managing a podium finish in a local tournament. I have seen games between family members where young teenagers lost to their grandparents. I have seen friends more unfit than me go on to greater heights and winning medals in overseas tournaments.

Sure, being fit is always a plus in any sport, but with paintball, everyone can play and do well. It does not matter if you are tall or short, wide or thin, the sport is such that there is a place for everyone on the team and above all, team work matters most.

With paintball's low physical barrier to entry and easy-to-understand game structure, it also ties in strongly with the SSC's call to "Let's Play!" and encourage an active lifestyle in all Singaporeans. Paintball is the ideal "gateway" sport to get everyone active.

Ian

The world is ever changing; everyday is a brand new day. People change and so do perspectives. SSC must be ready to embrace changes and be ready to review and evaluate all possible potential to fulfil the organization’s goal of sporting excellence through mass participation. Cast the net wide and you will be surprised at the catch. Paintball has been viewed as a traditional recreational game where participants donned themselves in camouflage uniforms and entered a forested area to seek out opponent where they “tagged” one another using a paintball marker (gun). Since its intervention, paintball has proven to be one of the most popular teambuilding games for corporate companies. Many have participated in the game and benefited from a day of fun where essence of teambuilding such as communication, teamwork and strategies are constantly established, let’s not forget about self confidence and quick decision making skills which are essentials of character building in this fast pace world. The game of paintball has no gender and age barrier, players of all ages and different physical traits participate in the game in a common arena with a common game objective. It is a unique game where people of 3 generations can participate and have an equal chance of triumphing one another. The sociology of sports culture in Singapore focuses on healthy and mass participation where one does not have to be competitive but still be engaged in a healthy lifestyle activity and paintball sport has this potential.

Similar to many traditional sports, paintball sport is played with a common game objective where players worked together to accomplish this common purpose. In soccer where the soccer ball has to cross the goal line and into the goal mouth to consider a point scored, paintball has its own set of rules and regulations to proper administer the game. Although there are many different versions of the game, the objective of the game remains the same since it was first invented and that is to capture the flag. The modern paintball sport has evolved into a million dollar industry with professional players plying their trade as full time athlete. In the recent Paintball World Cup Asia held in Langkawi, organizers of the event managed to raise sponsorship value of up to 1 Million ringgit for the sport. This event was also strongly endorsed and supported by the Malaysia Royal family where the next King of Malaysia, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah was there to grace the event’s opening. Successful businessman Tony Fernandez, CEO of AirAsia and owner of F1 Racing Team Lotus and English Premier League Club, Queens Park Rangers was registered as a participant of the event and to lend his support as the event’s Official Airline. Participated by more than 130 teams from 22 nations, this event is an endorsement for the popularity of the sport. Singapore was represented by 13 paintball teams during this event and did well against other neighbouring countries.

This can be some of the ways where SSC help in the promotion and development of paintball.

1) To accept paintball activity as part of the Sport Education Programme (SEP). Proposals for previous application have been rejected due to the lack of required coaching certification and inappropriate risk management plan. Instead of rejection, SSC can suggest ways to further enhance proposed plans through appeal considering that paintball is a new sport in Singapore.

2) Staff turnover with little handing over was another obstacle for the development of paintball. I have met and spoken to 3 different individuals who have since left the organization and every time a new meeting is convened, an introduction of the sport has to be presented with the same hindering obstacles from the last meeting. However, we are glad to have the support of Ms. Ng Ee Theng from Sports Pathway Development (Sports Official) who has been giving us guidance in the application of Officiate Development Grant for us to invite overseas instructor for our recent SPS Referee Level 1 Certification. She has been supporting our cause for paintball promotion in Singapore since 2007 and has been on overseas trip to assess the sport. She has also attended several local paintball tournaments that were organized by the Singapore Paintball Series.

3) To provide guidance to the formation of a recognized National Sport Association (NSA) for the paintball community. Registered with the Registry of Singapore (ROS) since 2007, the Paintball Association (Singapore), PBAS was established as a non-profit organization to promote and develop paintball in Singapore. With the support of the PBAS, the regulation of a center dividing safety zone for paintball games was de-regulated by the Singapore Police Force after the provision of feedback to the Pro Enterprise Panel in 2009. This movement was widely applauded by the paintball community. In April 2011, a meeting was established by the PBAS Interim Committee with staff of the SSC to further examine the requirements of SSC’s recognition for paintball in Singapore. After the meeting, we have not been able to establish any possible post meeting actions by both parties. Perhaps more assistance can be provided to the PBAS in this area. The Singapore Paintball Series, a commercial paintball event since 2008 has a registry of up to 400 registered players and referees which can path the development and promotion of the sport in Singapore. With a formalized NSA, the sport of paintball will be able to gain due recognition with governing authorities which will eventually allow the de-regulation of paintball equipment.

4) A paintball marker (gun) is currently classified as a firearm which imposed danger to the public under the firearms act as such a paintball marker individual possession is very much controlled. As an essential equipment in the sport of paintball, a paintball player will not be able to participate in paintball without a paintball marker. In relation to soccer where a soccer player will need a soccer ball to kick and a fencer fencing without a foil to fence, this restriction is hindering the progression of the sport. While athletes of Archery, Fencing and Precision Shooting sports have received their limelight in the recent South East Asia (SEA) Games, a paintball equipment which is a lesser non-lethal equipment as the former is governed by tight governing restrictions. With the recognition of paintball as a sport, the paintball community might be able to see flexibility in the regulation of paintball marker as a sport equipment similar to a compact bow, saber and air rifle.

The Singapore Paintball Series who is a forerunner of paintball development and promotion of paintball sport in Singapore since 2008 will be able to offer suggestions and feedback to better improve the progression of this sport in Singapore. While the paintball community truly understand that SSC has no direct control over the de-regulation or ease of individual possession of paintball equipment in Singapore, the support and assistance that it can provide for the sport will go a milestone in creating awareness for the public and governing authorities to understand more about this sport. The Singapore Paintball Series will be pleased to assist in any ways to further promote this cause.

Ben Seow
Tournament Promoter of the Singapore Paintball Series

Paintball is a TEAM SPORT and is currently only restricted in developing to it's full potential by the the current Singapore laws that do not allow personal marker ownership.

Having posted originally in Vision 2030 to give paintball the recognition it deserves it was great to see the press coverage we received and the interest that the Acting Minister for Community Youth and Sports, Mr Chan Chun Sing take time out to attend the recent Singapore Paintball Championship.

The question is does his attendance at this event change the status of paintball in Singapore? The answer is no.

As I have already posted on this site, Paintball is still not recognised by the SSC as a sport and to my knowledge, the current laws pertaining to personal marker ownership have not been amended and players in Singapore cannot own their own markers. This makes it near impossible for local paintball promoters to open their events to an international market and even more impossible to fast-track the development of local paintball players to compete at local and international paintball tournaments.

The purpose of Vision 2030 was to give the general public a forum to voice ideas about how to improve sports in the country. I think the paintball community have proven their support by voting for the ideas that have already been posted about paintball, so now it's time for those behind Vision 2030 to contact the paintball community to get a balanced representation of people in the local paintball industry and paintball players to form a committee to discuss these matters face-to-face. The paintball community need government co-operation and support to make this happen.

The paintball community are 'in-the-dark" as to why there is resistance to calls to modify the current firearms laws to allow personal marker ownership. The paintball community have plenty of suggestions how marker ownership can be regulated and are willing to work with the SPF and the government to address any issues they may have.

Only when paintball players have the freedom to use their own equipment and the ability to travel overseas with this equipment to take part in regional and international events, will the sport of paintball in Singapore truly develop.

We've already posted on the positive benefits of paintball to the local community from health and team-building to jobs, boosting the local economy and tourism.

Now it's time to sit down and tackle the real issues that are holding paintball back in Singapore. We would appreciate if Vision 2030 can initiate further discussions on the matter.

To all my Singapore sports people. I am an avid sports person myself. Due to my recent injury, I haven't been able to run as far, climb as high, dive as deep nor cycle as fast. I then discovered paintball. There are no other sports groups that are fighting for so much recognition in Singapore other than Singapore's very own paintball community. All the neighbouring countries have been developing their paintball scene rapidly and as usual it is very disheartening to see that my very own country does not support my passion and drive for the sport. The community in Singapore has been goiing overseas, wearing the nation's flag. Bringing back home the medals. Have we ever been recognized as sportsmen, NO! This is not a call for votes. This is to raise awareness to all you people behind the desk, pens and papers. We will continue to push on with our cause. You will hear our united voice. This is not the last time you hear from the Yellow Mask.

Besides he usual CASINOs, USS and other tourist attraction here. The goverment bodies can help introduce paintball as an approve sports. As a tourism hub, i believe Paintball will attract many tourists or even sports personnels, media and coverage from other countries and in such will boost of marketing index and tourism quota.
What else can u ask for when our fellow neighbouring countries like Malaysia, China, India and even Indonesia is taking steps and almost a big leap to approve this sports and intergrate it into such a boom in their attraction and sales value.
Paintball has all the requirement a sport need from teamwork, stamina, strength, mindgames and all we need now is support from a more higher authority.
We cannot make it happen if the ppl up there keep us aside.
Thanks for hearing me out.

Muhd Azmi
Singapore Paintball, Team Enraged