Team Singapore athletes reap S$670,000 windfall from SEA Games

SINGAPORE –Team Singapore’s athletes collected a windfall of S$670,000 on Thursday (Oct 5) for their record-setting performance at the recent SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

National swimmers Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen were the top earners among the 101 gold medalists, pocketing S$31,250 each for their six gold medals (three individual titles, three relay golds).

The three Quah siblings were also big winners at the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) 29th SEA Games Multi-Million Dollar Awards Programme (MAP) presentation and Team Singapore Appreciation Dinner on Thursday.

Quah Ting Wen and Quah Jing Wen – the elder and younger sisters, respectively, of Quah Zheng Wen – were third on the list with an award of S$26,250 each. Three of the top earners – Schooling, Quah Zheng Wen and Quah Jing Wen – were unable to attend the ceremony as they are currently studying in the United States.

Collecting the cheques on behalf of her siblings, Quah Ting Wen – who has been training full-time since July 2014 – said on Thursday: “It’s definitely nice to see my achievements recognised, and this is definitely a bonus. It’s very satisfying after a hard day’s work to see rewards.”

The MAP awards was also icing on the cake for the 25-year-old swimmer, who won two individual and three relay golds after enduring an injury-plagued season last year.

She added: “It was tough for me physically, mentally and emotionally. After (what happened) last year, there were questions if I would continue swimming, but I don’t think I’m done with the sport yet. I’m going to take it year by year, and aim for the Commonwealth and Asian Games next year.”

The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) emerged as the biggest winners among the sports on Thursday night, banking in a total of S$52,000 – 20 per cent of winnings from its athletes – from its 23 gold medals in swimming, synchronised swimming, and men’s waterpolo.

Under MAP, individual gold medallists at the SEA Games are rewarded for up to a maximum of three gold medals, with S$10,000 handed out for the first gold, and S$5,000 each for the second and third gold medals.

Winners in team events will get S$15,000, and team sports will receive S$30,000. It is compulsory for all winners to contribute 20 per cent of their SEA Games MAP awards to their respective national sports associations for training and development.

Marathoner Soh Rui Yong, who successfully defended his men’s gold in Putrajaya, was also present at the ceremony on Thursday. Ahead of the MAP awards, the 26-year-old had lodged a protest against with the SNOC and Singapore Sports Institute (SSI), expressing his unhappiness that 20 per cent of his winnings will be given to Singapore Athletics (SA). Soh cited infighting, poor management and a lack of support from SA as reasons for his protest.

The protest subsequently drew criticism – as well as support – from members of the sports fraternity, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Ng Ser Miang. While Mr Ng did not address Soh and the debate directly, he said in a Facebook post that it was “an honour and privilege and not a birth right to fly the flag of Singapore”.

While Soh stated on Thursday that he would be contributing 20 per cent of his winnings of S$2,000 under protest, he said: “My issue is not with the SNOC rule, I was challenging logic. Good NSAs like swimming, bowling and netball, when their athletes perform well, they get 20 per cent, and for poorly performing NSAs like athletics, they also get 20 per cent. Where is the incentive for good NSAs to continue being good, and how can that get the poor NSAs to buck up?”

Despite coming under fire, Soh also stressed that he did not regret speaking up, as he added: “The culture in Singapore is such that people are brought up not to speak up, so when one guy speaks up, they don’t know how to deal with it. Society needs to be more mature in dealing with different points of views, and embrace it.”

Soh will also be putting his winnings into a charitable cause, as he plans to set aside 25 to 50 per cent of his award for the Team Tze Char Foundation, an initiative set up by Soh and his friends to provide running shoes to underprivileged student-athletes.

Held in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 19 to 30, the 29th SEA Games saw a total of 560 athletes – the largest away contingent for Singapore – competing in 35 out of 38 sports, with Team Singapore’s athletes also claiming 15 Games records, 13 national records and 27 personal best performances.

Singapore’s medal haul of 57-58-73 was a record for an away Games by the Republic, exceeding the previous best of 43-43-41 at the Korat Games in 2007.

Crediting the athletes for a successful outing in Malaysia, SNOC president and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin also singled out some athletes for special mention. They included swimmer Roanne Ho, who bounced back from two major surgeries for a collapsed lung and a shoulder tear to clinch gold in the women’s 50m breaststroke, and the men’s golf team, who ended a 28-year-old title drought when they defeated Thailand in a sudden-death playoff in the final.

Guest-of-honour Mr Tan also presented personalised congratulatory cards to the medallists at the event on Thursday, as Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and chef de mission Milan Kwee joined him on stage.

“We witnessed many celebratory moments in Kuala Lumpur. Some were especially poignant and reflected not just the results of our athletes, but also of the journeys they took to come this far,” said Mr Tan, who also thanked the team managers, coaches and officials for their efforts.

“Behind every record, medal, score and athlete, there is also a tribe of family, friends and strangers who support and cheer our athletes and officials on. Many thanks to all of you – families, friends and employers who are part of the Singapore sporting journey.”

Top 10 earners:

1 – Joseph Schooling, Quah Zheng Wen (swimming), S$31,250

3 – Quah Ting Wen, Quah Jing Wen (swimming), S$26,250

5 – Feng Tianwei (table tennis), S$20,500

6 – Debbie Soh (synchronised swimming), S$19,166

7 – Gao Ning (table tennis), S$17,500

8 – Ryan Lo (sailing), Sasha Christian (wakeboard and waterski), Jowen Lim (wushu), S$15,000

*All winners have to contribute 20 per cent of their winnings to their respective national sports associations