21 November 2007
By Tan Yo-Hinn, Today
President Low defends
SingaporeSailing,
expresses shock at Soh’s
mother’s claims in letter.
AT THE head of the table was president
Low Teo Ping, flanked by chief executive officer
Andrew Sanders and secretary-general
Edwin Low.
Part of the brains trust at SingaporeSailing, men who have worked hard to make
the Republic the top sailing nation in Asia.
This time though, they were not at a
press conference to talk about medals, but to
defend their association and rubbish the
claims of the mother of one of their own.
In a letter to TODAY published yesterday (read letter here),
Helen Choe, mother of Asian Games champion
Maximilian Soh, had hit out at SingaporeSailing
for their treatment of the sailor,
claiming it resulted in the 19-year-old pulling
out of Project 0812.
Yesterday, Low said: “We categorically
deny everything that has been said in the letter
(by Choe).
“Like all other National Sports Associations
(NSA), we’re not in
the business of managing
expectations, but managing
aspirations, with a
template, format and
structure (in place) to
achieve that. That’s why
it gets on us if we’re
thought of as otherwise.
“It is very important
for us to defend all the
good work that the executive
committee, management,
staff, Singapore
Sports Council, Singapore
National Olympic Council
and everyone else involved
has put into this to arrive at an organisation
that I would say is the best you can
think of.”
Launched in January, Project 0812 provides
Singapore’s elite athletes with all the
resources required to give them a chance to
win medals at the 2008 or 2012 Olympics.
Last week, Soh announced he was quitting
the project after disagreements with SingaporeSailing.
While SingaporeSailing cited the “rigours”
of training as a reason for Soh dropping out,
Choe claimed they had reneged on incentives
and allowances promised to her son for
his training and performances.
She also claimed the 19-year-old was subjected
to “belittling and disparaging remarks
and treatment regarding his age and youthfulness
by SingaporeSailing in the course of
its programmes”, and it led to Soh falling
into depression.
Addressing the monetary issue first, Low
said all sailors received different allowances
due to a tiered system introduced in May.
Sailors are categorised into three bands
depending on their skill and responsibilities
beyond sailing, such as having undergone
National Service and possession of a valid
driving licence. Those in the top band receive
the highest allowance.
The system is only used to assess a sailor’s allowance, and does not apply to other
expenses incurred by them, like accommodation,
transport, high performance coaching,
sports science and sports medicine — all
borne fully by SingaporeSailing.
“For example, where we don’t have a
whole armoury to move boats to overseas
competition or to training sites, we require
logistical help,” said Low.
“So, those sailors who can drive help
out. They usually leave much earlier than
the rest. So, the tier system is to recognise
the inconvenience and added responsibility
that some of them go through.”
Low, 62, revealed that Soh was in the
middle band and received $380 less than the
highest earner in the top tier.
Low expressed disbelief at Choe’s accusation
that Soh was subjected to “belittling
and disparaging remarks”.
“How can that be?
The sailors pride themselves
in the fact that
they move, eat and do things together as a
team,” he said.
“They play computer
games together, and
guys like (Koh) Seng
Leong (Asian Games silver
medallist) always talk
to him.”
SingaporeSailing
funded Soh to 12 overseas
regattas and training
stints in 2006 in the
lead-up to last December’s
Asian Games in Doha, where he clinched
gold in the Laser class.
Earlier this year, they appealed successfully
to the Ministry of Defence for him
to be able to defer his full-time National Service
so that he could concentrate on his
Olympic quest.
In July, Soh performed poorly at the
World Championships — a 2008 Beijing
Olympics qualifier — in Casçais, Portugal,
and subsequently, he met up regularly with
Sanders, Low and other sports officials and
experts to try to get back on track.
Now, Choe’s accusations have shocked
the association.
“I’ve been communicating with Helen
(Choe) for the past three years, and she’s always
happy about what we did for Maxi. This
is a real surprise,” said Sanders.
Low ended the proceedings by insisting
the door was still open for Soh. |
