30 years after SEA Games heartbreak, Lim Tong Hai returns as Team Singapore official
Lim Tong Hai competed in five SEA Games, clinching one silver and three bronzes with the men's football team. (Photo: SNOC/Kong Chong Yew)
SINGAPORE: Memories of SEA Games past linger in Lim Tong Hai's mind until today.
At the rain-soaked Merdeka stadium in 1989, the 20-year-old watched from the opposing bench as his uncle Lim Teong Kim inspired Malaysia to a 3-1 victory over Singapore. This was the last time the Singapore men's team made the finals of the football tournament at the regional event.
In chilly, hilly Chiang Mai six years later, Lim experienced communal living in a spartan Games village for the first time.
There was Jakarta in 1997, where Lim played through the pain of injury and took to the field in front of intimidating crowds.
And then there was 1993, a tournament where he missed out on gold but said he gained something valuable – resilience.
For Lim, now 54 years old, the memories from the 1993 Games are clearest, the experience etched deepest.
In a semi-final against Myanmar on home ground, Lim scored two own goals, and the Lions would draw the game 3-3 before being edged out on penalties. Lim was shattered.
His family rallied behind him after the match, and his wife stayed with him into the wee hours of the morning at a bus stop near the stadium.
"The support from my loved ones was so key. And for that I'm very, very grateful," recalled Lim, who is now team lead of Sport Singapore's Programme Excellence Academies & Club.
After the Games, some fans hurled abuse at Lim from the stands at Malaysia league matches. His mother, who was at the match, witnessed it all.
"I hope no one will have to go through this kind of experience, but that's life. If you are given lemons, you make lemonade."
A year later, Lim clinched a Malaysia Cup and league double with Singapore.
"It was a painful experience. But it was something that taught me resilience and it helped to shape and mould how I do things, my life.
"Sometimes it's not a matter of how many times you fall but ... how many times you pick yourself up after you fall. My back was against the wall ... I just needed to keep on fighting."
Despite what happened in 1993, Lim had no hesitation in getting involved in SEA Games again three decades later – by taking up an official role at the upcoming Games in Cambodia.
Lim, along with former national bowler Jasmine Yeong-Nathan, will be assistant chefs de mission at the event. Dr Hing Siong Chen, a member of the Singapore National Olympic Council’s executive committee and president of the Singapore Cycling Federation, will lead Team Singapore as chef de mission.
Lim said it was a "big honour" to be given the opportunity
"I'm a sports person, sports runs in my blood. I’ve been involved in sports as a player, as a coach, as a manager. Now eventually I have the opportunity to come on board as an official in the SEA Games."
One of the things Lim enjoyed as an athlete was the opportunity to mingle with athletes from different sports and of different nationalities.
He recalled how at the 1989 Games, the football team attended different events to support fellow Singaporeans.
“You get to mingle with not only athletes from your own country, but you also get to mingle with your counterparts.
“That’s the beauty of sports. You're not just going out there to compete, but to make friends and have this cultural exchange. And that's where friendships are built.”
Lim is looking forward to similar interactions at the upcoming Games but what will be different this time will be the role he plays.
"For us as officials, we are going there to provide them a conducive training environment, so that they can perform at their very best."
And Lim hopes to support the contingent in whatever way he can.
“No one is an island. You need support, and what is important is that when we are there, we render whatever support for athletes to perform at their optimum,” he said.
“Of course there are bound to be setbacks. It’s about how you bounce back from then on.”
A total of 558 athletes will represent Singapore at the upcoming Games, with more than half of them being debutants.
In the men's football tournament, Singapore will face Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in what has been billed the group of death. It has been a decade since the team has progressed out of the group stages.
While the odds may seem stacked against coach Philippe Aw's men, Lim's message to them is simple. Keep fighting.
"I believe Philippe will have a game plan for every game, different opponents have different strengths. Let’s go in and put in our very best ... We always say – put in your 110 per cent," he said.
"Whatever the result is, you have to come out fighting with your heads held high … It should be: ‘I have done what I could’.”
That is the approach Lim has had going into each of his five Games. Going into his sixth, he is older, wiser, stronger and ready to pass it on.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article said the score of the 1989 SEA Games football final match between Malaysia and Singapore was 2-1. It should have been 3-1. We apologise for the error.
