The Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) will conduct a study this year to address the longer-term manpower needs of the sports sector, said Acting Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday.

Responding to a question from Nominated MP Nicholas Fang on talent development in sports administration and management, Mr Wong said this topic will be covered in the new study.

Among other things, the study will look at how to ensure a stable supply of expertise in sports administration and management. MCCY and SSC will also engage the National Sports Associations to "find out what competencies and skills we are lacking" and the salary benchmarks Singapore should be aiming at, said Mr Wong.

Mr Fang and Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) later rose to emphasise the importance of good sports administrators in helping Singapore's athletes to perform at their best. Mr de Souza asked for more grants while Mr Fang asked if the ministry could highlight sports administration as an area where people can offer financial support instead of the conventional sports sponsorship.

Acknowledging their concerns, Mr Wong said his ministry hopes to look into the issue in a holistic fashion and is prepared to put in more resources if necessary. He highlighted the ways in which the SSC already helps the NSAs to upgrade their administrative and management capabilities, such as providing training grants and working with local and foreign educational institutions to offer diploma and degree courses in sports administration.