Olympics: Former national sailor Benedict Tan hopes to chart new course for Singapore at 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Ex-Olympic sailor to lead S'pore at 2020 Games; urges team to stay fully focused

Top: Former national sailor Benedict Tan will be Singapore's chef de mission at next year's Tokyo Olympics. ST PHOTO: LIM YAO HUI Tan, pictured in action at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, when he finished 36th out of 56. Now 51, he is head of SingHeal
Former national sailor Benedict Tan will be Singapore's chef de mission at next year's Tokyo Olympics. ST PHOTO: LIM YAO HUI.
Top: Former national sailor Benedict Tan will be Singapore's chef de mission at next year's Tokyo Olympics. ST PHOTO: LIM YAO HUI Tan, pictured in action at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, when he finished 36th out of 56. Now 51, he is head of SingHeal
Tan, pictured in action at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, when he finished 36th out of 56. Now 51, he is head of SingHealth Duke-National University of Singapore Sport and Exercise Medicine Centre and chief of Changi General Hospital's department of sports medicine. PHOTO COURTESY OF BENEDICT TAN
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

More than two decades after Benedict Tan unfurled the sails of his laser dinghy off the coast of Savannah at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the former national sailor will return to the quadrennial event in a different role.

The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) announced yesterday Tan will lead Singapore's contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Games as its chef de mission (CDM).

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 29, 2019, with the headline Olympics: Former national sailor Benedict Tan hopes to chart new course for Singapore at 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Subscribe