Singapore and Hosting the 1973 SEAP Games: Representing the Image of a Nation in Unity, Development and International Standards Singapore and Hosting the 1973 SEAP Games: Representing the Image of a Nation in Unity, Development and International Standards
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Abstract
Since gaining independence in 1965, Singapore, with its limited resources and economic size, has had to prioritize economic development as a national priority and neglected other dimensions that were not directly related to economic development, particularly sports activities which the Singapore government considered not to be essential for the country. However, within this context, Singapore was also required to host a major international sporting event in the Southeast Asian region - the 1973 Southeast Asian Games - which was Singapore's first time hosting an international sporting event. The article titled “Singapore and Hosting the 1973 SEAP Games: Representing the Image of a Nation in Unity, Development and International Standards”, which uses a historical methodology, aims to examine how the Singaporean government, which did not prioritize sports activities, organized the international sporting event. And seeks to explore how Singapore government used its role as the host of the Southeast Asian Games to present the country's image. The study found that even though the leaders of the Singapore government at that time did not give much importance to sports-related activities in the country but when Singapore had the opportunity to organize the 1973 SEA Games, an important international sporting event, the Singaporean government invested a vast amount of money and attention into organizing the Games, using the event as a platform to present Singapore's image as a newly independent nation with unity, rapid national development, and access to international standards on par with developed nations. These efforts, therefore, these approaches contributed to the projecting of a national image that was in line with the development approach of the Singapore government at that time.
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