SINGAPORE - Having signalled his intention to stand for re-election, Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) president Lee Kok Choy unveiled his team for the SSA election of office bearers on Saturday (June 11).
His team includes incumbents Oon Jin Teik (secretary general), Joscelin Yeo (vice-president, swimming), Samuel Wong (vice-president, water polo), Jerome Lau (assistant secretary general, water polo), Philip Lee (vice-president, synchronised swimming), William Lee (vice-president, diving) and Jose Raymond (vice-president, finance).
They will stand for re-election for a further two-year term. The team also features two new faces - Tan Yew Khuan and Bervyn Lee, who will run for the positions of treasurer and assistant secretary general (swimming) respectively. The elections take place on June 30.
Lee, 64, said: "We've achieved some of our objectives and it's the synergy of the team that's allowed us to succeed. But the business is not done yet and that is why we are standing as a team again... to reach our target of creating a world-class eco-system for the sports."
His stint coincided with the appointment of Sergio Lopez as national coach (swimming). Lopez led Singapore's swimmers to a record 23-gold haul at last year's SEA Games, although the popular coach has announced that he will step down after the Olympics.
Lee's tenure at the helm of SSA saw an increase in the number of swimmers who competed at the national time trials, from around 770 in 2014 to 1,150 this year.
Water polo boasts about 600 active players. Singapore have won the SEA Games water polo gold at every edition since 1965.
But numbers for synchronised swimming and diving remain small, an area Lee said he will look into.
This year's election looks set to be less fiery compared with two years ago, when SingaporeBowling president Jessie Phua challenged Lee for SSA's presidency.
Phua's team included former national swimmers Mark Chay and Gerald Koh, and May Schooling, national swimmer Joseph's mother. In April, the bowling chief said she will not contest the election.
Then, Lee won by a single vote (17-16).
