Virtual exhibition looks at role of sport during Japanese Occupation

Demoralised after Singapore fell and was occupied by the Japanese in 1942, prisoners of war (POWs) interned in Changi prison camp sought solace in sport. Behind prison gates, traditional sporting rivalries between the British and the Australians endured, and sports like rugby, boxing, basketball and football were played, giving defeated soldiers a morale boost and a chance to prove themselves. Sport historian Nick Aplin said for these POWs, sport and competing against those of other nations helped assert their identities.

Come Tuesday, a new virtual exhibition put up by Sport Singapore (SportSG) will be launched. It is based on content from Dr Aplin's 2019 book, Sport In Singapore: The Colonial Legacy. The exhibition, Sport In Syonan: Triumph Over Despair, examines the role of sport for different communities during the Japanese Occupation. A section of the 12-part exhibition, which covers sport in Changi's POW camp, references historian Kevin Blackburn's 2012 book, The Sportsmen Of Changi.

"I think the prisoners of war benefited the most from being able to participate in sport," said Dr Aplin, who leads SportSG's new Sport Heritage Division. "It was about showing other people, 'I am still strong. I am capable of playing even though I'm a POW'."

Ms Teresa Teo Guttensohn, assistant director overseeing education and outreach in the division, said the exhibition aims to bring Dr Aplin's book to life by retelling the stories it contains.

"Eighty years after the fall, one would wonder whether there's anything left to write about it, but the exhibition offers an undiscovered, refreshing inspection of the war years," she said.

Dr Aplin said sport played different roles for different segments of society during the occupation. "From the Japanese perspective, it was a controlling mechanism; it that was a way of keeping the people fairly docile by giving them something to do," he said. "But from the local point of view, sport was a way of keeping life as close to normal as possible."

While the British had a more laissez-faire approach to sport and how it was administered, the Japanese opted for a more dictatorial approach, creating the Syonan Sports Association which was used to regulate sport for political purposes.

Besides playing sport, some members formed the association's auxiliary labour corps, and were assigned tasks including clearing debris, removing the dead after air raids, building air raid shelters and making propaganda paraphernalia.

One segment of the 12-part exhibition features former national footballer Chia Boon Leong, the only Singaporean footballer to have played at the Olympic Games. Having excelled while playing for the Pasir Panjang Rovers during the Occupation and for the Lien Hwa (United Chinese) football team post-war, Mr Chia was selected to represent China at the 1948 Olympics in London, where he played against Turkey.

Dr Aplin will give two public talks on "Sport In Syonan". The public can register for the first, on Feb 19 at the Singapore Sports Museum, at go.gov.sg/sis22sm, while registration for the second talk on Feb 26 at the Sports Hub Library is at go.gov.sg/sis22sl

Meanwhile, the public can also look forward to a "Sport In Syonan"-themed edition of GameOn Nila!, a game within the ActiveSG app, which is slated for launch in the middle of the year.

The virtual exhibition can be accessed at go.gov.sg/sport-in-syonan from Tuesday.