EXEMPT JOSEPH SCHOOLING FROM NATIONAL SERVICE OR RISK DESTROYING HIS SWIM CAREER

Dear Editors,

I am so emotional now that finally at last at long last a true blue Singaporean has won an Olympic gold medal! We did not have to depend on any foreign born new immigrants. We depended on one of our own people, to develop, go overseas to train and achieve the ultimate results during the Rio Olympics!

Joseph Schooling is only 21 years old, he is due for National Service, the compulsory service for all Singaporeans males. Schooling is now an Olympic champion and potential world champion in future. He is still young, he has the potential to beat the world record timing held by Micheal Phelps.

If Schooling is forced to serve NS and stunt his swimming potential for 2 years in service of our nation, we would be harming our own hopes of ever seeing Schooling break the world record.

I urge Singaporeans to support giving Schooling an exemption from NS and allow him to serve Singaporeans by doing what he do best in the pool. His arduous training daily is I might say worse than the intensity of National Service. How many of us can go through the grind of training for the Olympics? We cannot, so support Schooling, give him the exemption and enable him to fly our nation’s fly high in the world of swimming.

George Lee
A.S.S. Contributor