Sailing body seeks longer deferment for Choy

SINGAPORE — National sailor Darren Choy could have his deferment from full-time National Service (NS) extended to allow him to pursue his aim of competing at the 2016 Olympic Games, if an application by the Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF) to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) is successful.

The 21-year-old, a two-time Byte CII class world champion and 2009 Asian Youth Games gold medallist, is to enlist for full-time NS next month after his current deferment expires.

But the SSF is backing his aim to secure a berth in the same event for next year’s Olympics at either the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Qingdao in September, or at the World Championships in Israel the following month.

“We have supported the request for deferment from the athlete to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and MINDEF (through the Singapore Sports Institute) which handles these cases,” said SSF chief executive officer Tan Wearn Haw. “Where there is merit, the SSF will always support our athletes. (But the) SSF (also) understands the constraints and various factors at play, and would always respect MINDEF and MCCY’s position on such matters.”

When contacted yesterday, MINDEF said it is unable to divulge information pertaining to NS deferments for national athletes.

But TODAY understands that MINDEF’s policy on granting deferment from full-time NS is applicable in “exceptional circumstances” to sportsmen who are “assessed to be potential medal winners at international competitions such as the Olympic Games and bring national pride to the country”.

Choy, a graduate from the Republic Polytechnic in sports and leisure management, partnered Jeremiah Yeo to win the men’s 470 class at the recent 28th SEA Games in Singapore.

Trained by former Dutch national 470 team coach Daniel Smith, Choy is also part of the SSF’s Olympic Pathway Taskforce to nurture their best talents for Olympic success.

“As long as the justifications are strong, we as the NSA will support the request (for NS deferment),” said SSF president Ben Tan. “But to back our case, it must be detailed that he is on an Olympic campaign with specific regattas lined up in the lead-up (to the Olympics).

“For all our sailors, their planning is extremely comprehensive. This involves our coaches, sports psychologists, nutritionists, and scientists.

“But we understand our sailors are also not just athletes, but military personnel, students, and working professionals. So we want to see how we can merge all of that to create a balance.”

On Monday, Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) president Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development, said the SNOC wants to work with MINDEF to see how existing policies and systems can be improved to allow more top male Singapore athletes greater flexibility in fulfilling their NS and sporting commitments.

Currently, only national swimmer Joseph Schooling has been granted long-term deferment from full-time NS until Aug 31, 2016 to allow him to prepare for next year’s Olympic Games, where he is considered a medal potential. The Singapore Swimming Association are also reportedly seeking a deferment for swimmer Quah Zheng Wen, the most bemedalled athlete at the 28th SEA Games, as well.

On Minister Tan’s push for greater flexibility to allow Singapore’s top male athletes to juggle NS and sporting commitments better, Choy said: “The push for it is a good thing, because we will be able to focus training at a high level. I am hoping to go to the 2016 Olympics, and I think Jeremiah and I stand a decent chance (of qualifying) as of now. The coming months will be crucial for us in terms of training, and we need to go to a lot of regattas.”