August 06, 2018, 06:25 PM 
The recent uproar over Mindef's rejection of Ben Davis' national service deferment application threw up a question: Are individual sportsmen more likely to get long-term deferment from national service compared to team-sport athletes?
Mindef's criteria for deferment for sports is that the athlete must represent Singapore in international competitions and be potential medal winners - arguably harder if one were to play in a sport that require a team effort.
Compounded with the fact that the only three athletes who have been granted deferment in the last 15 years are individual sportsmen, you can see why people are calling for Mindef to relook at the deferment criteria for team-sports players.
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In a Parliamentary Reply by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on August 6, he mentioned that Mindef defers individuals "very selectively" if their deferment "serves Singapore’s interest first and foremost".
Highlighting the aforementioned sportsmen, Joseph Schooling, Quah Zheng Wen, and Maximilian Soh, Ng revealed that their deferment from national service was conditional:
The sportsmen deferred know this, as clear expectations were laid out when deferment was given...on the standards required for their training. Neither was deferment open-ended nor unconditional. They will have to return to serve NS, and if they do not meet the standards agreed upon, deferment will be curtailed.
Example of team-sport players who served NS first
According to Ng, three other Singaporean team-sport players (Saifullah Akbar, Ikhsan and Irfan Fandi) were talent-spotted to try out for professional leagues overseas but they had chosen to fulfil their national service obligation first.
Both Saifullah and Ikhsan requested for an early enlistment so that they could finish their national service obligation. During their national service, both Ikhsan and Irfan trained and played for the Under-22 National Team during the 2017 South East Asian (SEA) Games.
Ng added that after serving NS, Irfan and Ikhsan are now representing Singapore in regional football competitions and all three football players have or are going to try out at European football clubs - an example that Ng suggested Davis emulate.
Further rebutting the issue, Ng mentioned that during the 2015/2017 SEA Games, "Mindef supported those competing, both as a team and individually". Ng gave the example of how Mindef offered to push back the enlistment dates of members of Singapore football team so that they could participate in the games first.
Similarly, Mindef has postponed the enlistment dates or given time off for 10 national servicemen taking part in the upcoming Asian Games this month, including a member of the Water Polo team.
In rare cases, Mindef has also offered national service disruption to athletes so that they can participate in international competitions, although according to Ng, "very few" have chosen to disrupt.
Ng ended his reply by noting that these are examples of how Mindef "exercised flexibility" so that athletes can fulfil their NS obligations and do well in their sports - both as an individual and in a team.
Top photos via sports247.my and FourFourTwo.
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