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SINGAPORE – One of the biggest disputes in local sport ended in a ceasefire, with marathon runner Soh Rui Yong suspending his lawsuit against Singapore Athletics (SA).
In a statement posted on SA’s website on Friday (Oct 16), the national track and field body said that two-time SEA Games marathon champion Soh, 29, agreed to “withdraw and suspend” his lawsuit that arose from his non-selection for the 2019 SEA Games.
Just hours later, SA CEO Malik Aljunied, who is also involved in a legal dispute with Soh, announced his departure from the association. He informed local media that he would return to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), his previous employer.
The truce with Soh marks a major boost for SA’s new management team, led by Lien Choong Luen, who was elected to power by affiliates at the annual general meeting of the national sports association just a month earlier, on September 25. .
Among their campaign promises, Lien and his team had vowed to prioritize solving the legal issues SA had been involved in over the past two years, and possibly the highest profile of these was the one involving Soh, the number one marathoner in the country.
In its statement, SA said: “Through extensive engagement with Mr. Soh by the new management in the two weeks since he took office, we are pleased to announce that the Association and Mr. Soh have agreed to terminate to all their disagreements and duplicate for efforts to work together for the betterment of the athletic community, sport, and the nation’s regional and international aspirations. “
SA said that it “unconditionally withdraws” the parts of its press release dated August 3, 2019 that indicates that Mr. Soh had “repeatedly violated the (SA) Athletic Code of Conduct” and “or its transgressions, ( SA) had tried to advise and reason with him, as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation process “.
The national track and field body also extended its “sincere apology” to Soh for any inconvenience and anguish the statement caused him, and will withdraw disciplinary proceedings initiated on September 25 by outgoing SA management.
For his part, Soh agreed to withdraw and discontinue his lawsuit against SA, acknowledging his responsibility that, as one of the “best athletic prospects” in the country, he is a role model for younger athletes.
“From now on he will work with SA and the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) to promote a positive image of the sport to the best of his ability,” the statement added.
SA also said it is “committed to supporting Mr. Soh to once again don the national colors and compete for Singapore against the best in the region and the world” as he aspires to become Singapore’s first man in qualify for the Commonwealth Games Marathon and Asian Games Marathon.
SA’s announcement comes four days after its former legal counsel, Mahmood Gaznavi of Mahmood Gaznavi & Partners, filed a successful application with the High Court to drop Soh’s malice charge in the lawsuit.
Soh told The Straits Times: “I would like to thank Lien and his team for the great effort they have put into this to make things work. I look forward to working with them for the next two years, and hopefully beyond, to take SA to new heights. “
When contacted, Lien downplayed his team’s role in repairing the fences, instead giving credit to Soh and the SNOC, as well as Soh’s attorney, Clarence Lun of Foxwood LLC, and SA’s legal team, Breakpoint LLC.
“We serve to help athletes and the sport … I’m just a little middle man in all of this,” Lien said.
On Malik’s resignation, he said: “Malik was on secondment from SNOC to serve as CEO and then SA, and has applied to return to SNOC, which we agreed to. SA appreciates your contributions over the past 1 1/2 years. “
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