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SINGAPORE – Gojek Singapore General Manager Lien Choong Luen was elected the new Singapore Athletics (SA) President during the sports association’s annual general meeting on Friday (September 25).
Lien, 43, defeated attorney Edmond Pereira, 70, 14 votes to three votes from SA affiliates during the election at the Nexus Auditorium in Cuppage Plaza.
His full roster of nine Team Ground Up members was also voted on by the management committee, with each receiving at least 14 of the 17 valid votes.
The position that each elected member will assume on the committee will be confirmed after its first meeting. There will also be two unelected members of the committee: the executive director and a representative from the athletes commission.
“We are truly honored and grateful for the trust placed in us by affiliates,” said Lien, who will serve a two-year term with his team.
“And now really, what I have told the team is that it is time to get to work to implement the plans that we have outlined. It’s all action, no more talk. “
Turbulent period for conflicting association
This will be Lien’s first term as SA president. He previously held positions with Triathlon Singapore and the Singapore Squash Racket Association.
He takes over from outgoing boss Tang Weng Fei, who had announced that he would not seek re-election.
For Pereira, a veteran on the Singapore track and field scene, it was his fourth failed attempt to be elected SA president, after previous attempts in 1984, 2000 and 2006.
SA has endured a turbulent period in recent years, with negative headlines such as leaked WhatsApp chats that appear to show plots against coaches; high profile disputes between athletes; and abrupt resignations of national coaches and members of the management committee after internal disputes.
The problems have affected the athletes’ performance, culminating in a poor showing at the 2019 SEA Games in which they failed to win a single gold medal at the biennial event for the first time since 1991.
The association is still involved in legal proceedings with two-time SEA Games marathon gold medalist Soh Rui Yong over comments made about his omission from the 2019 Games.
Transparency and accountability
Before the elections, Lien had promised to lead the troubled national sports association with transparency and accountability, and without conflict of interest. He also revealed that the team has already raised S $ 100,000 in donations to fund its plans.
“We will do it with sincerity and with a full and genuine ability to listen to people.”
The team chosen to serve on the SA management committee is: Lien Choong Luen (chairman), Gary Yeo, Joe Yap, Marinda Teo, Arthur Lin, Belinda Neo, Chen Siyuan, Jonathan Tan and Kelvin Ang.
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