SINGAPORE: In Parliament on Thursday (July 6), Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh appealed on behalf of national marathoner Son Rui Yong, urging the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) to reconsider the decision not to include the runner in the Asian Games lineup. He has been excluded from the team due to continuing to make what the SNOC has deemed inappropriate remarks.
Speaking on the motion on Sporting Success filed by fellow WP MPs Jamus Lim and Muhammad Faisal bin Abdul Manap, Mr Singh said that his speech would focus on the resolution of disputes between sports authorities and athletes, specifically concerning Soh, who is one of the residents Mr Singh represents in Parliament.
He acknowledged that the runner, like many other successful athletes, is strong-minded and strong-willed. But he is, after all, the national record holder for the 5000m, 10,000m, half-marathon and marathon.
And at the SEA Games, “Not only did he win silver for the 10,000m, he earned plaudits in Singapore and beyond for a spontaneous display of sportsmanship – passing his own cup of water to his Indonesian opponent, whom he was neck-and-neck with, when the Indonesian dropped his water bottle.
Rui Yong was left out of the SEA Games by the SNOC in 2019 and 2022 for disciplinary reasons when he was in the prime of his athletic life. He had previously won the gold medal for Singapore in the marathon at the SEA Games in 2015 and 2017.
His latest non-selection will seriously curtail his ability to run and medal for Singapore ever again. Unlike fixed-term suspensions for violent conduct or criminal offences, SNOC’s blanket non-selection forces his sporting career into limbo for an unknown period.
Mr Singh asked SNOC to “take a more forgiving approach” toward the runner, as it has for other athletes, even those with criminal offences, allowing them to compete in sports events.
“One cannot help but feel that things have turned personal, with SNOC taking a far stronger stand against Rui Yong compared to other athletes who have committed transgressions as if to teach him a lesson for his outspokenness.”
Mr Singh commended SNOC for having done much in promoting sports in Singapore.
“But in the eyes of many Singaporeans, on the Soh Rui Yong matter, SNOC as the highest sporting body in Singapore comes out looking petty, even as many also believe that Rui Yong needs to learn from the past and focus on his sporting career.
It is time to move on from the previous episode involving the lawsuit, and I hope the Ministry officials, if not the Minister in charge for sports, can intercede to prevent the parties from reaching a point where Singapore sport cuts off its nose to spite its face.” /TISG