Following Joseph Schooling’s announcement of his retirement from competitive swimming, many wonder: Is Singapore capable of producing another Olympic champion?

Let’s consider this objectively. Becoming an Olympic champion is similar to growing a start-up into a billion-dollar company. In both cases, there is a high upfront investment cost with a low probability of success. Both require significant personal commitment upfront, and personal, physical, emotional, social and financial sacrifices along the way, with little guarantee of a successful outcome.