2016 Olympic champion Joseph Schooling of Singapore recently wrapped up his racing at the 2022 Southeast Asian Games, a competition that may turn out to be one of his last.
The 26-year-old former University of Texas Longhorn has been hinting at retirement, citing his desire to officially begin his life outside the pool.
Part of that non-aquatic living has involved serving part of his national service (NS), a Singaporean obligation he was able to have deferred throughout his Olympic campaigns. He has been enlisted since January of this year, with his responsibilities there now being balanced with his swimming career.
Earlier this month Schooling called for a ‘national dialogue’ on national service requirements, ‘highlighting the need to manage the expectations of athletes who are undergoing NS.’ (The Straits Times)
“As a swimmer, it’s pretty challenging to be stuck in the middle of what the nation expects you to be… versus the things that you can commit to in terms of training requirements or the time needed to do the things that you need to do.”
He added: “I think it’s about time we had a national dialogue, we all sat down together and discussed, what are the expectations that our athletes are facing as they’re serving national service?
“At the end of the day, I’m gonna step up there and do my best no matter if I’m in the shape I am or not. But as the people watching on TV, they have a lot of expectations… we as athletes we want to match those expectations.”
Schooling has decided not to compete at this year’s World Championships and Commonwealth Games. Additionally, with the Asian Games postponed from this year to a date yet to be determined in 2023, Schooling’s big meet prospects are slim for the foreseeable future, something that weighs into his possible retirement decision, although he has not officially made a decision either way.
“You don’t want to keep postponing things, this is just the start of my future. Swimming has been great, it’s given me a lot of things, opened a lot of doors, it’s time to live life.”
Mandatory National Service with civilian and military options should be reinstituted in the US for all 18yo men and women. Tie in college tuition and health benefits, as a nation we can invest in ourselves by demanding everyone make a basic contribution.
Rubbish !
US politicians have a pernicious habit of sending their young ones to fight and die in wars overseas which has nothing to do with national security !
So you kids want to die for the globalists ?
Grow up, kids !
Did you read what I wrote? Civilian or military. Pick up a gun, pick up a bedpan, doesn’t matter but pick something up and do your part. It’s about leveling the playing field, everyone needs to do their part
It’s a fair point – it sounds like the nation’s expectations on him to perform haven’t changed and yet the time he has available to train has significantly. That doesn’t seem quite right and I can understand why it merits at least a discussion.
Elvis Presley went into the US Army when he was drafted in 1958. Fans sent tens of thousands of letters to the army asking for him to be spared, but Elvis would have none of it. He received one deferment–during which he finished working on his movie King Creole–before being sworn in as an army private in Memphis on March 24, 1958.
Remember: Elvis is about the closest equivalent the US has to what Joe is to Singapore. Indeed, many of Joe’s fans call him the “Singaporean Elvis,” and they swoon when they hear his name.
The only reason Elvis was drafted because his manager “Colonel” Tom Parker was a crook and an illegal alien. Any competent manager would have worked out a deal for Elvis to do something like be in the reserves while doing some morale concerts for the troops.
For everyone who’s saying he’s trying to avoid national service, he’s NOT. He’s saying that expectations of athletes serving national service should be reconsidered. There’s a limit to the time he can spend training now. He’s hoping for a better balance between national service commitments and training, as well as reduced expectations from the public.
and even if he were, nothing wrong with that. mandatory military service is archaic and obsolete and stupid, period.
dont @ me, i had to do it myself too
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So true !
If all these who love national service, they should volunteer their sons, daughter, grandsons and granddaughters !
I find it weird that an olympic gold medalist doesn’t get an exemption like in south korea. They only need 7 days basic training if they’re olympic medalist or asian games gold medalist because it’s part of fighting for your country.
Is trying ur best like a 54 at the Olympics???
Did you make the Olympics???
Most people who swim 54 second 100flys don’t make the Olympics, myself included
Trying to see the connection….but I just can’t
Remember Schooling is his nations only ever Olympic Gold Medalist …… surely they could have accommodated his sport as a part of ”national service”. I know someone in Taiwan that did ballet as a part of national service !
Maybe if didn’t let Dressel annihilate his confidence he woulda gotten more deferments
Wtf. Not everything is about Dressel
Dressel clearly destroyed Schooling’s confidence and motivation in 2017, and he never recovered.
Singlehandedly? Shame on him.