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SINGAPORE: Tropical Singapore is on track to join the ranks of Winter Olympic nations as efforts to form a sporting authority here charge full steam ahead.
Slated to head the national sports association (NSA) is veteran sports administrator Low Teo Ping, who recently stepped down as president of SingaporeSailing.
Although there are already ice hockey and skating bodies here, the Singapore Sports Council said the proposed NSA will oversee only two sports - snowboarding and downhill skiing - with the aim of competing in future Winter Olympics.
The multi-sport event in temperate climate is held every four years, with the last one in Vancouver earlier this year.
In February, Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), revealed that a high-performance team from the SSC were studying the possibility of sending athletes to the Winter Olympics, as early as the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
SSC deputy director of NSA management Todd Vladich told MediaCorp they had approached the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for help in setting up a national association for the two winter sports. They are also submitting an official request for provisional membership to the FIS at its Congress in November.
Vladich is confident that with an NSA, potential athletes for the Winter Olympics can be groomed.
"Singapore has a strong and expanding talent pool of experienced snowboarders and skiers here and residing overseas. Already several of them have expressed interest in representing Singapore at Sochi," said Vladich.
"On top of that, we also have a number of highly talented wakeboarders and water-skiers who have abilities and skills that can be easily adapted to excel in snowboarding and skiing."
Low, who steered SingaporeSailing into a top-performing sports association in the 12 years he was at the helm, lighted up at the prospect of a new challenge.
"In lieu of mahjong, which I do not at all enjoy playing, I've decided just to keep myself busy," Low told MediaCorp. "And there's nothing like being involved with something I'm truly passionate about. I've been skiing for well over 20 years, so when the SSC approached me to help set up an NSA for that sport, I simply could not turn them down."
The 65-year-old, who is currently president of the Singapore Rugby Union, adviser to the Singapore Athletic Association and a vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council and International Sailing Federation, said the new NSA will also help Singaporeans residing overseas.
"We want to help them pursue excellence in snowboarding and skiing, which will make this NSA unlike others here."
A total of 24 tropical countries have participated in the Winter Olympics and Singapore will be the third from South-east Asia, should they enter a team in four years' time.
The Philippines were the first in the region to send two alpine skiers to the 1972 Games in Sapporo, with Thailand following in 2006.
With facilities for such events almost impossible to construct here, Vladich said the SSC have been in touch with several National Olympic Committees around the world who can render assistance to Singapore athletes.
"Following the example set by tropical nations such as the Philippines and Thailand, we are optimistic of the success of a winter sports NSA here," he added. - TODAY/fa
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