Singapore men's football team, Soh Rui Yong set to compete in SEA Games after successful appeals
Singapore and Malaysia players in their SEA Games football match on May 11, 2023. (Photo: Facebook/Football Association of Malaysia).
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SINGAPORE: The Singapore men’s under-22 football team and distance runner Soh Rui Yong are now set to compete in the Southeast Asian Games later this year, following successful appeals to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).
The appeals committee met on Thursday (Aug 28) to consider additional nominations submitted by the various national sports associations (NSAs).
According to the updated list of athletes, Soh is set to compete in the men’s 10,000m and 5,000m races.
SNOC has also approved his name for the men's marathon. But this is subject to a decision by Singapore Athletics (SA), which will have to select two out of five athletes for the final list.
Soh was initially left out of a provisional SEA Games list, along with the men's football team.
SNOC said earlier this month that the selection committee had not supported Soh's nomination, noting that apart from performance benchmarks, it also considers the need to "uphold the values and behaviours expected of Singapore’s national representatives".
On Thursday, an SNOC spokesperson said: "The committee is satisfied with Singapore Athletics’ assurance that Mr Soh will uphold his responsibilities in representing the nation at the Games.
"We extend our best wishes to all athletes in their preparations for the Games."
Speaking to CNA, Soh said that he wanted to give "huge thanks" to Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen and deputy general manager Bastian Dohling for their help in doing a lot of the "heavy lifting" and putting in a "good case" with the appeal.
Soh added that competing at the Games will be "quite a cool full circle journey", given that he made his Games debut at the 2015 edition in Singapore where he won the marathon.
"Bangkok is where my wife is from so it will be pretty cool to compete in front of my wife's side of the family," he added. "My family should also go up, so it will be a nice little family reunion."
The 33rd SEA Games will be held in Thailand from Dec 9 to 20.
Singapore had faced the prospect of not competing in men's football for the first time in SEA Games history, after struggling at the last edition of the competition in 2023. A 7-0 drubbing by Malaysia was Singapore's heaviest defeat at the Games since the competition became an age-group affair in 2001.
After the provisional SEA Games list was made public, with the stark absence of any names from the under-22 football team, the new president of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li said he would work with the SNOC and its selection committee to try and get the men's team to the 2025 Games.
The FAS will now have to select 23 out of 51 athletes for its final list.
Singapore is sending its largest contingent to the SEA Games.
Following Thursday's review, 218 athletes from 29 sports were approved for selection.
"They will join the 762 athletes selected earlier this month, bringing Singapore’s total contingent to 980 athletes across 48 sports - the largest in SEA Games history,” SNOC said.
It added that the final contingent will be confirmed and announced closer to the Games, after the completion of the entry-by-name process set out by the SEA Games organisers.
Additional reporting: Matthew Mohan
