He's battling a 'once in a lifetime' illness but Mark Chay's mission to drive sport in Singapore goes on

SINGAPORE: When Mark Chay made his Olympic debut in 2000 at the age of 18, he made a statement by swimming the best time in Asia that year in the 200m freestyle.
 
“It was when I truly believed that I could make an impact on the Asian level,” the Singaporean recalled.

But even as a fresh-faced teenager then, he didn't get carried away by his results. In fact, he left the Games in Sydney older, wiser and armed with an even bigger purpose.
 
Having witnessed up close athletes from all over the world competing at their best, Mr Chay was inspired.
 
“That was when I had this switch between swimming for myself to actually having sports as a mission,” said the now 42-year-old.

“Being an athlete is not just having the opportunity to yourself but giving opportunities to other people.”
 
The same calling kept Mr Chay going over the past two decades, after he retired as an athlete and took on a multitude of roles in coaching, administration and management in the sports ecosystem. And it is what will keep him going through a devastating diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukaemia, a form of cancer.

It was reported on Wednesday (Jul 17) that due to his condition, he will not seek reelection as Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) president when his term comes to an end in August.

Mr Chay found out about his illness as early as in March, but decided against stepping down immediately. 
 
Asked in a one-on-one interview with CNA on Friday if he wished he had done so sooner, he said he didn't want to leave his commitments hanging.

These include organising the World Aquatics Championships to be held in Singapore next year.

“It is an extremely important event, not just for Singapore, but for the world of aquatics," he said.

"I strongly believe that I should follow this through as part of my responsibilities ... This is a duty to my country and my fraternity.”

"IF I FREAKED OUT, HE WOULD FREAK OUT" 

Mr Chay had been fatigued and persistently coughing in February, but didn't think much of it.

After a routine health checkup the next month, his general practitioner called him asking to discuss his results in person.

Sensing something was amiss, Mr Chay’s wife Joanna Seetoh accompanied him to the clinic. 

The doctor then broke the news of his leukaemia diagnosis.

Mr Chay said GPs see such cases about “once in a lifetime” and so the doctor wasn't sure of his prognosis, leaving the couple initially in the dark.

But all Mr Chay could think of at the time was his three-year-old daughter. 

“You immediately think the worst ... My daughter was still very young,” he said.  

For 39-year-old Ms Seetoh, her first reaction was disbelief. “Your stomach sinks, you don't know what to do,” said the partner in a law firm. 

Despite the initial shock, Mr Chay was comforted by Ms Seetoh’s presence.  

“That gave me a lot of confidence and support,” he said. “If she wasn't so calm ... I would have totally lost it every step of the way.” 

His wife, however, said that she was holding it all in as they walked from the clinic to the nearby hospital for more tests. “Because I know that if I freaked out, he would freak out.”

As Mr Chay underwent more tests, Ms Seetoh finally broke down crying in the waiting area. 

“I was so worried because I didn't know what it was, and how our daughter would be affected.” 

Chronic myeloid leukaemia is a cancer characterised by the increased and unregulated growth of white blood cells, and their accumulation in the blood. 

At the time of Mr Chay's diagnosis, his white blood cell count was 25 times more than normal.

He said medication has been effective in bringing this back to normal ranges.

"I think we have been progressing very well with our treatment. It gives me a sense of comfort that we're headed in the right direction," he said. 

The next phase would be to deal with the genetic mutation causing the disease, he shared. 

Doctors told him it would be “about a two-year journey” before treatment likely bears results.

Asked about his chances of being fully cured, Mr Chay would only say that he approaches his treatment one day at a time, and avoids reading medical websites as he's “not a doctor”. 

He said he would trust his doctor’s advice and commit to getting the best possible treatment. 

“These first two years are quite important, therefore, it's about focusing on getting healthy and also taking this opportunity to spend more quality time with my family.” 

"WHY IS THIS GUY DOING SO MUCH?"

Even without the SAQ presidency, Mr Chay would be considered a man who wears many hats. 

His day job is as chief development officer at the Global Esports Federation but he's also a member of the World Aquatics Bureau and director at the International Sports Academy among other roles in the sporting industry.

He was also a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2021 to 2023.

Among initial reactions to news of his diagnosis, one online commenter said Mr Chay had been “juggling too many jobs”. 

To which Mr Chay joked that he didn't need to look for that remark as his wife had made the same point previously.

Ms Seetoh said that when she first got to know her husband, she often wondered: “Why is this guy doing so much?” 

She added: “As we got married and we had a child, I did suggest to him nicely to say, ‘Can you drop some commitments for family?’”

But Ms Seetoh gradually realised that Mr Chay was not taking on all those different responsibilities for the sake of. 

“He goes into these positions with a genuine passion to want to help the community and do something good for the community,” she said. 

“If you clip his wings, it will really take away what really drives him." 

Mr Chay reiterated that stepping down from his role at SAQ would free up time to spend with his family.

"It's not about making a choice of whether I want to spend a weekend with my family or whatever obligation (I have) in the swimming pool," he said.

"It's really like, you know what, I'm here 100 per cent.”

"THERE'S NO REGRETS"

Mr Chay's time as SAQ president will be unavoidably mentioned in the same breath as the swimming controversies of recent years.

These include the 2022 case of national swimmers consuming cannabis and this month's Olympics selection saga. 

But Mr Chay shrugged it off, saying that being put in the spotlight is part and parcel of the job.

Policies and procedures were put in place and properly followed, he said.

“It's also about making the right decision for the organisation and the community for the future as well, and not setting a precedent,” said Mr Chay.

“Unpopular decisions sometimes, but they were the right decisions for the organisation nonetheless.”

Mr Chay said he was ending his time at SAQ on a high, with a list of achievements to look back on.

In his two years at the helm, his team launched a slew of initiatives, such as the Empowering Lives Through Aquatics programme which enables children and youths from vulnerable backgrounds to learn water survival and swimming competency skills. 

The number of schools, swim academies and clubs affiliated with SAQ also grew by almost 20 per cent during his tenure.

Recent SEA Games outings have also consistently yielded large medal hauls from Team Singapore's aquatics athletes. 

“Every single day that I was president, I did my best," said Mr Chay. "There's no regrets there."