Sport: 17 new names included in 2022 spexScholarship programme

SINGAPORE - The month of May was a miserable one for national high jumper Kampton Kam, save for the last day, when he finally welcomed news to lift his spirits. 

The 21-year-old had earlier seen his medal hopes at the Hanoi SEA Games dashed when he was forced to withdraw from the May 12-23 event due to a collapsed lung.

And there was only good news on Tuesday (May 31), as he was named among the 17 new athletes from eight sports included in the Sport Excellence Scholarship (spexScholarship) programme for its 2022 cohort. The additions take the total number of scholars to 76 across 24 sports. 

In a media release, Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced the new entrants, which included kiteboarder Maximilian Maeder, national fencer Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman and indoor skydiver Kyra Poh – the first athlete who competes in a sport not included in major Games.

Also another first for the programme, who was launched in 2013, is the higher number of team sports athletes this year. 

Kam who is recovering from his surgery on May 6, said: “This is extra meaningful to me especially because I missed the Games. It is encouraging that they see the potential in me even if there was uncertainty around whether I can return back to form. The surgery was a big setback and there was a lot of uncertainty.” 

Kam, who will compete at the July 28-Aug 8 Commonwealth Games, is planning to return to Sweden for a second training stint and the spexScholarship is a timely boost, he added. 

His 24-day training stint with 2004 Olympic champion Stefan Holm last December cost about $10,000, with Singapore Athletics subsidising half the amount. His second stint will largely be covered by the SpexScholarship. 

The spexScholarship offers support for athletes who are deemed to have the potential to excel on the Asian and world stage. Aside from monthly stipends, scholars also get support in the areas of education, sports science and nutrition, among others.

Noting that indoor skydiving is still considered a niche sport, Poh said the scholarship will “provide more holistic support for me as an athlete” and allow her to train with the best coaches and work with sports scientists to improve her technique.

Maximilian, 15, who won the International Kiteboarding Association Kitefoiling Youth (Under-21) World Championships in Torregrande, Italy earlier this month, is grateful. He said: "With the enhanced level of support under the spexScholarship, it will certainly provide me a more conducive environment to train, prepare for competitions, improve my techniques, and work towards representing Singapore at the 2024 Summer Olympics, where kiteboarding will be making its Olympic debut.

"I am truly grateful to receive the spexScholarship and will strive to consistently perform at my best."

Fencer Kiria, 21, who won an individual silver medal and a team gold at the recent Hanoi SEA Games, said the scholarship would give her the extra boost she needs in terms of funding and support to "train and compete at the highest levels".

She said: "I hope to do Singapore proud at the upcoming Asian and World Fencing Championships as well as the major Games and other international competitions. Ultimately, I want to be the best fencer I can be, and in the process, win more medals for Singapore."

A total of 47 spexScholars were in action in Hanoi, with 43 bringing home at least one medal and 22 winning at least one gold medal.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong said that the impressive performances by the spexScholars at the SEA Games are testament of the effectiveness of High Performance Sports(HPS) in "helping our athletes do well and attain podium success".

On the new awardees, he added: "I am particularly glad that we have extended the spexScholarship to Kyra Poh, an indoor skydiving athlete who has excelled at the world level in a sport that does not feature in the major Games.

"I hope that this will encourage a more diverse group of athletes to strive for sporting excellence in the coming years."

A total of 49 nominations were received by the Singapore Sport Institute, of which 17 were selected to join the programme this year. Of the rest of the 59 spexScholars in the 2022 cohort, 34 of them had their contracts renewed from the previous cycle while the remaining 25 athletes' contracts are not yet due for renewal.