News of Joseph Schooling admitting drug use while competing in Vietnam shocked many Singaporeans. He and fellow swimmer Amanda Lim confessed to consuming cannabis while overseas last May 2022.
For years, the decorated swimmer inspired many young athletes to aim for the Olympics. He gained fame for hailing as Singapore’s first gold medalist in the Olympics.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst after Joseph Schooling admitted his drug use. Many Singaporeans expressed their disappointment because of the island’s ban on drug use.
Meanwhile, Singapore officials responded to the news by revoking his National Service (NS) privileges. The swimmer enlisted for NS last January 2022.
In this article you’ll read:
- Singaporeans Disappointed With Joseph Schooling Drug Use
- Losing NS Privileges Negatively Affects His Swimming Career
- Will This Affect His Swimming Career?
Singaporeans Disappointed With Joseph Schooling Drug Use
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Joseph Schooling drug use news devastated and disappointed most aspiring swimmers in Singapore. Back in 2016, Schooling inspired many Singaporean athletes after bagging the country’s first gold in the Olympics.
After undergoing investigation, Joseph Schooling admitted to drug use with fellow Singaporean swimmer, Amanda Lim. They also received a suspension despite passing urine tests.
The news of Joseph Schooling’s cannabis use became a scandal due to the drug ban in Singapore. We may consider his admission as noble but his honesty won’t save him from the consequences of his actions.
On the other hand, most of Schooling’s sponsors in the US decided to stand by him. We understand this because some American states allow the use of cannabis. Most of them don’t consider the drug as harmful or abusive compared to other illegal substances.
How Investigations on Schooling and Lim Started
Swimmer Joseph Schooling confessed to the drug use allegations while training for May 12-23 SEA Games in Hanoi. At that time, he used his NS privilege of short-term disruption from serving full-time to represent the country.
He and fellow swimmer Amanda Lim admitted to consuming drugs during their stay in Vietnam. Unfortunately, this meant they illegally took cannabis during their time in the country. In truth, both Singapore and Vietnam enforce bans on drug use.
After their respective confessions, the two swimmers received suspensions from swim training and competitions. The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) and the Singapore National Olympic Council also aim to review their cases.
Following her admission to drug use, swimmer Amanda Lim was issued a warning from the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). This stern warning also falls under the country’s Misuse of Drugs Act.
On the other hand, Joseph Schooling needs to follow stricter measures due to his active NS. MINDEF requires the swimmer to undergo a SAF-supervised urine test regime.
Losing NS Privileges Negatively Affects His Swimming Career
Following his admission, Singapore’s Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) decides to revoke Joseph Schooling’s NS privileges.
Before his January 2022 enlistment, Schooling further deferred his NS to prioritise competing in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Before this, he also deferred his enlistment from 2013 to 2016 to represent Singapore.
In 2022, the athlete decided to no longer request for another extension and finally enlisted for his NS. However, his accomplishments in swimming granted him different NS privileges.
Originally, Schooling was allowed to serve and train for swimming at the same time. He got the chance to swim twice every day while fulfilling his time in camp.
After MINDEF revoked this advantage, the athlete can now only train during the weekends. This gives him less time to condition his body for swimming competitions.
Will This Affect His Swimming Career?
Image Source: iStock
Many retired swimmers believe that Joseph Schooling’s swimming career is on the line after news of his drug use. Though tired from NS, he used to have enough time to train for swimming competitions.
After MINDEF’s decision, former athletes predict bad outcomes in the Schooling’s swimming career. They also stressed that having a talent for swimming is not enough to maintain a steady career in sports.
Professional swimmers usually follow a strict regimen where they jump in the pool more than 10 times every week. Additionally, they incorporate their schedules with pool time, gym time, and conditioning exercises.
When arranging exercise regimens, coaches usually cater to the swimming focus of the swimmers they manage. Joseph Schooling received great acclaim for winning a gold medal in the Olympics for the men’s 100 m butterfly swim.
During the 2016 Olympic games, Schooling famously finished the 100 m butterfly swim with a record time of 50.39 seconds. If he fails to maintain his condition, he will fall behind other accomplished swimmers.
Moreover, training for the butterfly swim focus requires full conditioning for the swimmer’s shoulder, arm and leg strength. Unlike the freestyle swim focus, the butterfly swim follows a different type of leg kick and arm movement.
Schooling trained for swimming at a very young age and maintained his condition since then. As a 27-year-old professional swimmer, he’s supposed to still have time to progress his career in swimming after bagging Singapore’s first Olympic gold.
