Joscelin Yeo, Yu Mengyu among 8 inducted into Singapore Sport Hall of Fame

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Sport Hall of Fame welcomed swimmer Joscelin Yeo and table tennis player Yu Mengyu to its roll of honour on Tuesday (Feb 6).

Six others - including officials, coaches and administrators for the first time - were also inducted at a ceremony held at the Istana.

Established in 1985, the Hall of Fame honours Singapore's top athletes to "instil a sense of pride among Singaporeans and to inspire budding athletes to emulate the world-class performances of its inductees", said Sport Singapore (SportSG) and Team Singapore in a media release on Tuesday.

The Hall of Fame was refreshed in 2023 with a new category for sport leaders to "recognise outstanding individuals who have contributed to the overall development of Singapore sports".

The athlete category was also refreshed to recognise those who "demonstrate sustained contributions back to the sport or community, after retiring from active competition".

Three athletes and five sport leaders were inducted into the Sport Hall of Fame, joining a list of 57 athletes including Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling and table tennis star Feng Tian Wei.

Yeo is a four-time Olympian and holds the record for most medals won at the Southeast Asian Games, including 40 gold medals. She also clinched two bronze medals at the Asian Games in 1994 and 2002, and served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2011. 

Yeo, who was also inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014, said: “I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this prestigious award today, standing alongside esteemed sporting figures who have left an indelible mark on Singapore's sporting legacy." 

"Singapore was built on the shoulders of giants and while I don’t consider myself to be one, I believe that much can be learnt from those who have gone before us, and I endeavour to do what I can in that respect," said the 44-year-old.

"Sports, in particular swimming, has taught me a lot of life lessons, hence I hope to see sports as a greater enabler and equaliser - uniting Singaporeans and bringing hope to the community.”

Former table tennis star Yu participated in two Olympic Games, and most notably finished fourth in the singles event at the Tokyo Olympics. 

She was also part of the team to upset 17-time world champions, China, to win the gold at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in 2010. After a 16-year career, Yu announced her retirement in March 2022.

Singapore's only Olympic boxer Syed Kadir, who in 1974 won Singapore's first Commonwealth Games boxing medal, was also inducted into the Sport Hall of Fame.

The five sport leaders added to the roll of honour included the late Tan Eng Liang (former national water polo player and Singapore National Olympic Council vice-president), former national sailor and International Olympic Committee vice-president Ng Ser Miang, former Singapore Bowling Federation president Jessie Phua, Singapore National Paralympic Council president Teo-Koh Sock Miang, and former national water polo player and coach Kenneth Kee.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was a guest-of-honour at the ceremony, said: "Each of the eight Singaporeans inducted to the Sport Hall of Fame today have contributed greatly - and often beyond the traditional realms of athleticism, through their leadership and the way they have inspired many others."

SportSG received 22 nominations by the public and the national sport associations between Apr 1 and May 31 last year, of which eight were selected to be inducted after an assessment by the expert and selection panels based on the selection criteria.