S’porean kitefoiler Max Maeder granted NS deferment for 4 years
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Max Maeder celebrating after winning the men's kitefoiling gold medal at the Asian Games in Ningbo on Sept 27, 2023.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE – National kitefoiler and Paris 2024 Olympic medal hopeful Maximilian Maeder can look forward to smoother sailing on the seas, after being granted deferment from full-time national service (NS) until Aug 31, 2028 by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Edwin Tong made the announcement on July 6 at the official flag presentation ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the National Youth Sports Institute.
Even before he makes his Olympic debut, Maximilian’s record speaks for itself, as Mr Tong said: “We always look at the long-term trajectory and development potential of our athletes. In fact, we look at it beyond just the next Olympic cycle, we look to two cycles at least.
“In the case of Max Maeder, he has done very well. He’s now double world champion, the European champion, won Asian Games gold last year.
“He applied for long-term deferment from national service to support his training and performance in competitions beyond these Olympics to the next. And we’re very glad that Mindef has approved the long-term deferment... until after the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“This gives him the best time and headroom to train, compete, look beyond Paris 2024 at how else he can reach his aspirations and peak his performance.
“So, we are very glad because he’s a young athlete and he’s got tremendous potential.”
Citing former badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew, who enlisted early, and swimmer Jonathan Tan, who qualified for Paris 2024 while serving NS, Mr Tong added that the MCCY works together with Mindef to build a range of programmes to support the training and competition needs for those who are not on long-term deferment.
In its statement to confirm Maximilian has met its criteria for long-term deferment, Mindef reiterated that “deferment may be granted to exceptional sportsmen who are assessed to be potential medal winners for Singapore at top-tier international competitions such as the Olympic Games”, and each case is assessed in consultation with the MCCY.
It added that Maximilian, during his deferment, is “expected to focus on his preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games and meet milestone performance targets. He will also be required to obtain MCCY and Mindef’s consent to participate in any paid activities, including commercial sponsorships”.
The deferment is welcome news for Maximilian, who turns 18 on Sept 12, as he can focus on preparing for another Formula Kite medal tilt at Los Angeles 2028.
The home-schooled teenager, who is preparing for Paris 2024 in Marseille, expressed his gratitude and said: “This goes a long way in supporting me in my sporting endeavours, by giving me assurance that I can continue to train and compete full time, and do my utmost for Singapore.
“Paris 2024 is not the be-all and end-all as I intend to continue training and competing consistently.
“Hopefully during this journey, I will continue to uplift as many people as possible because of the privileged position I am in, and give my all for my country and into the sport that I find so fulfilling.”
His parents, Valentin Maeder and Teng Hwee Keng, said: “It is reassuring to receive this news ahead of the Olympics. We are grateful for the opportunity for Max to continue to represent Singapore with a peace of mind and with continued dedication.
“We trust that Max will make the best of his talent and his nation’s support to inspire other young athletes and bring pride to Singapore.”
Kitefoiling is making its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, and Maximilian is one of the favourites to win gold following his meteoric rise.
He has won the Youth World Championships thrice in a row since 2021 to match his three back-to-back Sportsboy of the Year awards since 2022.
And he has brought that winning form to senior competitions, with two world championships in 2023 and 2024 sandwiching an Asian Games gold. He also won his last five competitions and is now ranked No. 1 in the world.
In October 2023, the Singapore Sailing Federation (SSF) told The Straits Times that it was working with the relevant government bodies to discuss NS deferment for Maximilian. His subsequent application was supported by MCCY.
SSF president Lincoln Chee said: “We are glad that Mindef is finding ways to enable him to reach his true potential in representing Singapore. A longer runway does indeed help him because on average, it takes two Olympic cycles to truly reach one’s full potential as a high-performance athlete. With this runway, he’s able to plan other development plans as he continues to grow.”
In the last 20 years, only three local athletes have been given this privilege.
Sailor Maximilian Soh was 18 when he was granted NS deferment from January 2007 to August 2008 to train for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
However, after finishing 11th in an Olympic test event in August 2007 against the world’s best Laser sailors, the 2006 and 2014 Asian Games champion quit Project 0812 – a national programme aimed at winning medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Two months later, he enlisted for NS after disagreements with Singapore Sailing over his training regimen.
In October 2013, swimmer Joseph Schooling, 18, was granted NS deferment joined by teammate Quah Zheng Wen,
At Rio 2016, Quah made the 200m butterfly semi-finals, while Schooling became the nation’s first Olympic champion when he won the 100m butterfly final.
Both were granted a second deferment until after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which was extended as the meet was postponed by a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, they had disappointing campaigns and enlisted after the Games.
