Mark Chay, Jessie Phua appointed vice-presidents of Singapore National Olympic Council

SINGAPORE – Weeks after announcing that he would not seek re-election as Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) president owing to health issues, former national swimmer Mark Chay is contributing to local sport in a different way.

The 42-year-old will serve as one of the four vice-presidents of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), after he was appointed for the post at its annual general meeting (AGM) at Raffles Town Club on Sept 27. He takes over the mantle from former Fencing Singapore president Juliana Seow.

Explaining his decision to take on the role, Chay said the main consideration had been his health. But since being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia – a cancer of the white blood cells – in March, he noted that his treatment has been going well, and he believed that he could still contribute.

“I’ve been monitoring my health and so far that’s been great,” said Chay, who was appointed to the SNOC executive committee at its 2023 AGM as one of three national sports association (NSA) representatives.

“I also think the role of a national sports association president is very involved, especially with an organisation like SAQ, which has five sports in one. That was a very day-to-day role, whereas the SNOC role is more strategic.”

He feels that his various roles in the sports fraternity have prepared him for his four-year term. As a former national athlete, Chay competed at the SEA, Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games. He has also been a coach, working with Yip Pin Xiu, a seven-time Paralympic gold medallist, from 2019 to 2022.

Chay was previously on the SNOC executive committee as chairman of the athletes’ commission.

He is also hoping to tap on his experience as the Global Esports Federation’s chief development officer to help SNOC “develop programmes for the athletes of the future and understand the landscape of sports a little bit better”.

Chay said: “This position as vice-president offers a unique opportunity to make an impact on sports in Singapore and work with various organisations like Sport Singapore, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, to develop and enhance this athlete development, to promote Singapore sports in the international arena as well.”

Alongside Chay, former Singapore Bowling chief Jessie Phua was appointed vice-president at the AGM. Both positions were not contested on Sept 27.

On why she decided to run for another term, Phua said: “This sporting journey has been a very interesting one. Nothing stays static in sports and that’s what keeps you so engaged, so excited, so challenged, all in the same breath. I feel so privileged and blessed to be given the opportunity to continue my journey in sports.”

The 69-year-old has been in the seat since 2014 and has a clear vision of what she wants to achieve in this new term.

Mental wellness is an area that she hopes to develop, starting with a pilot project that will focus on upskilling coaches to deal with mental health-related issues.

Some NSAs have agreed to come on board in the first phase, and she acknowledged that it is a continuous process that will need reviewing and improving.

Phua said: “The biggest thing with mental wellness is the stigma. The first step forward, the biggest thing we can do is we can remove that stigma.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong if you do waver off track, you have to talk to someone to help get you back on track.

“Helping our athletes to win medals, that’s great... But teaching our athletes how to cope with the stress, equipping them with managing skills – this is part of helping to grow stronger Singaporeans.”