NS commitments could rule paddler and shuttler out of Commonwealth Games

SINGAPORE — Preparations by the Republic’s national table tennis and badminton teams for the Commonwealth Games in April next year have been disrupted, with paddler Clarence Chew, 21, and shuttler Loh Kean Hean, 22, unable to train full-time with the teams after enlisting for National Service (NS).

Chew, who started his Basic Military Training (BMT) earlier this month, saw his deferment extension from NS for full-time studies withdrawn after he suspended his studies at Republic Polytechnic (RP) this year, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in response to TODAY’s queries.

Loh, also from RP, enlisted for NS in the middle of this month after his deferment extension for his studies ended in September.

Both Chew and Loh, who were on a customised five-year diploma programme for Singapore Sports School student-athletes, had initially been granted NS deferment for their studies for a three-year period (April 2013 to April last year), and were subsequently granted an extension of at least 18 months in order to complete their academic studies.

“As they required more time to complete their diploma course, Mindef subsequently granted an extension of deferment for Clarence and Kean Hean until Feb 2018 and Sept 2017 respectively. When Clarence suspended his studies in 2017, his deferment extension was consequently withdrawn. Kean Hean was enlisted after his deferment extension for studies ended in Sept 2017,” the ministry said.

NS deferment for full-time studies is granted to pre-enlistees to pursue their studies for GCE ‘A’ level, polytechnic diplomas, or equivalent. This deferment, which was granted to Chew and Loh, is different from the one accorded to elite sportsmen such as swimmers Quah Zheng Wen, and Joseph Schooling who won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Mindef reiterated that it supports national athletes by exercising flexibility in allowing full-time National Servicemen to train and participate in international competitions such as the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, subject to operational requirements.

It has also granted deferments to “exceptional sporting talents who are assessed to be potential medal winners at international competitions like the Olympic Games for the purpose of achieving national pride for Singapore”.

Mindef added: “In recent years, Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen, who competed in the Olympic Games, were granted deferment based on these criteria.”

TODAY understands that in Chew’s case, the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) did not apply for the NS deferment scheme for sportsmen as he would not have met the criteria.

However, Chew’s decision to take two separate breaks — totalling two years — from school to train for the 2015 and 2017 SEA Games, respectively, appeared to have backfired, resulting in his deferment extension being withdrawn by Mindef.

STTA president Ellen Lee told TODAY: “As far as Mindef is concerned, there’s nothing unusual about (Chew’s case), and it’s in accordance with the rules. He was supposed to take five years to finish his studies, but he suspended his studies for two years and he wasn’t going to classes so he cannot qualify for that set of considerations (for deferment).”

The STTA did not want to comment on whether Chew’s decision to take the sabbaticals to train for the SEA Games was taken by him or the association. Chew, a three-time SEA Games gold medallist, could not be reached for comment.

One of the national team’s key players, Chew will complete his BMT in February, leaving him only two months to train for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Gold Coast, Australia.

His participation in the Games will also be dependent on whether he is able to get leave from NS to travel and compete with the men’s team, which is aiming to defend their gold medal from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

While the STTA recently welcomed Pang Xuejie back into the fold after he quit university in February to play professionally, the men’s team is suffering from a shortage of seasoned players after a spate of retirements in recent years.

Veteran paddler Gao Ning, 35, and Chew are the only remaining players from the 2014 gold medal-winning side, after five-time Commonwealth Games champion Yang Zi and doubles specialist Zhan Jian retired due to injuries. Former world junior champion Li Hu was sacked by the STTA in October last year for insubordination.

Ms Lee said: “Of course, this is a huge blow to us, and to him (Clarence) as well as he has been training for the Commonwealth and Asian Games all this while. But he has a duty to the country and that comes first. Whether he can play in the Commonwealth and Asian Games will depend on where he is posted after BMT, and whether he can apply for leave.”

The Asian Games will be held in Indonesia over August and September.

Loh could also miss out on a debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games due to his NS commitments. The world No 48 doubles specialist, who won the team bronze at the 2015 and 2017 SEA Games, was initially expected to compete in the mixed team and men’s doubles. “My chances of playing in the Commonwealth Games will be reduced by a lot because I won’t have much time to train and compete,” Loh told TODAY.

“It’s definitely disappointing as I was preparing for it thinking that Commonwealth Games would be my last one (major tournament) before enlisting for NS.”