Former sailor Jovin Tan switches to boccia to keep Paralympic dream alive

SINGAPORE – Jovin Tan has weathered the high seas, competed at four Paralympic Games and overcome numerous obstacles in his personal and professional life as a para-sailor.

It has been a long and arduous journey for the 39-year-old, but the road to sporting glory continues in his hunt for a medal at the Paralympics.

With sailing no longer on the Paralympic roster, Tan – who competed in sailing in the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 editions – is now charting a new course in a different sport.

In 2022, he took up boccia to keep his dream alive and prolong his days as an athlete.

Played by wheelchair-using athletes with motor-skill impairments, the aim of the sport is to bowl balls as close as possible to a white target ball known as the jack.

“Sports has transformed me to be a more confident person and I really enjoy being a competitive athlete,” Tan told The Straits Times.

“But so far, my highest achievement is only an Asian Para Games gold medal. I have yet to win a Paralympic medal yet. It is still a dream of mine.”

Sport has been the source of motivation and inspiration for Tan, who was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that affects the control of his limbs.

When he was a teenager, he contemplated suicide after struggling to come to terms with others’ perception of him.

At home, his bad-tempered father, who was unable to accept his disability, would often hit out at him.

“If I am out with my family for a meal, if I drop my utensils, the consequence is that I got a tight slap in public and many times he will pass remarks like ‘you are burden to a family’ or ‘you’re so useless or something’,” Tan, who uses a wheelchair, recalled.

“When I was in secondary school, my PE teachers would tell me to sit by the side and my job was to just look after my friends’ belongings so that’s when I actually started to think, why am I different?”

At 15, he discovered sailing through the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and his world changed. He went on to win several medals, including golds at the 2014 Asian Para Games and the 2015 Asean Para Games.

But what had been a smooth sailing voyage took a turn in 2015.

Introduced as a demonstration sport at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, sailing became a medal sport in Sydney in 2000. But in 2015, the International Paralympic Committee announced that it would be removed from the Games calendar after Rio 2016 due to a lack of global participation.

The move cascaded down to the Asian and Asean Para Games, with both major events also removing sailing from their rosters.

After returning from the 2016 Rio Games, and with no major competitions for him to train for, Tan decided to give back to the community and became the first certified sailing coach with a disability in Singapore.

He continues to coach para-sailors on Sundays.

On the switch to boccia, Tan, who trains twice a week and watches videos online, said: “I wanted to be a competitive athlete in the shortest possible time. I’m not very young any more. So, I set myself this challenge that if people take 10 years, I want to take five years to acquire the kind of knowledge needed.”

SDSC executive director Kelly Fan said that “talent transfer” is actively supported by its pathway and performance team. She added that this involves discussions on their interests, technical assessments of their potential competitive success, facilitating try-outs and transition with coaches, and consistent follow-ups to ensure they are settling in well and demonstrating performance potential over time.

“It can be a process that para-athletes enter themselves or are recommended by our team, due to changes in the competitive landscape, their physical conditions or life stages,” she added.

“Regardless of the reason, athletes who enter such a process usually demonstrate a higher level of competitiveness and determination to succeed, especially if they had already been exceptional athletes in their former sports, so we are excited for Jovin and some others like Theresa Goh because these are key ingredients for going far and doing well.”

Former para-swimmer Goh, a Paralympic bronze medallist at Rio 2016, recently made a sporting comeback as a shooter.

But the transition from sailing to boccia was not without difficulties for Tan.

“Initially, when I started boccia, to be honest, I felt it was very boring because it’s a very slow-paced sport, as compared to sailing, where everything is moving fast,” said Tan.

“But after a few months, I just told myself to give it a chance to just continue and try to understand it. And eventually, I have grown to enjoy it. It requires a lot of critical thinking, strategy and tactics.”

He is now ranked 22nd in the world in BC1. Most recently, he finished fourth at the Sept 1-9 World Boccia Cup in Seoul, after losing to Hong Kong’s Chan Kam Chau in the third-place play-off.

Tan credits the support he has received from his sailing mentor and coach Edward Yow, SDSC, and his employers ChapmanCG, a global consulting firm.

Yurnita Omar, national boccia coach (throwers), said that Tan has “shown impressive growth and adaptability”.

“He was quick to pick up the technical and tactical aspects of the game, and over time he has become more confident and composed under pressure,” she added.

“What stands out most is his eagerness to learn and his determination to improve, which have allowed him to progress steadily as an athlete. Jovin will need to continue sharpening his tactical decision-making, building consistency against top opponents and gaining more international competition experience.”

And while there are still three years to go to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, Tan hopes others can be inspired by his move to a different sport.

He said: “Always give yourself a chance. It was not the end of the world for myself, knowing that sailing was no longer a high-performance sport. There were other avenues. I have set a target and so I will work very hard to achieve it.”