SINGAPORE - Former national swimmer Irving Ng, 43, who represented Singapore in the SEA Games, died on Feb 21.
The physical education teacher at Hai Sing Catholic School was recently nominated for the President's Award for Teachers, evening daily Lianhe Wanbao reported. It is not known how he died, but students said it was sudden.
His wife, known only as Adilah, wrote on her Facebook page about his nomination on Feb 9 and asked for friends and relatives to vote for him. The couple have two children. In 2013, she also posted about Mr Ng winning three medals in a swimming competition.
Mr Ng represented Singapore in the SEA Games in 1989. He was part of the relay team which won gold. His other team mates were David Lim, Kenneth Yeo and Desmond Koh.
Celebrated Singapore swimmer Ang Peng Siong wrote on his Facebook on Tuesday after learning of Mr Ng's death: "A friend of swimming we have lost! Irving, you will be dearly missed."
Mr Ang also shared information that a swimming competition to be held on April 18 at the Singapore Swimming Club will be dedicated to Mr Ng. The event, the Southeast Asia Pacific (SEAP) Short Course Masters 2015, is open to all swimmers.
A post on the SEAP page described the teacher as an "illustrious and talented swimmer".
"On the social front, he was always ready to share a joke and cheer up a friend who was down, and never ceased to amaze us with his talent and humility," the post added. He was also credited for creating the swimming group "Oldies but Goodies".
Mr Ng escaped death once in 2007 in when a tree trunk fell on a tent he was in. He and two others who were in the tent were unhurt while one fellow camper, Mr Mohammad Rohaizam Tumadi, died.
Several students posted condolence messages on social media for Mr Ng who inspired them, Lianhe Wanbao reported.
