Joseph Schooling Responds to ‘Punishment’ Imposed on Him by SportSG

It is generally known that athletes in Singapore receive well-rounded help from various organisations in Singapore and obviously, they deserve it after all the hard work they have put in to bring the nation glory.

However, it is also known that if one breaks the rules, a certain type of punishment will be imposed on the individual.

In the case of Joseph Schooling, Amanda Lim and Teong Tzen Wei, who have all admitted to drug use, they have all been given a stern warning and have some of their support suspended.

Schooling, who is now 27 and in the midst of his National Service (NS), seems to be unhappy with that after the news of it broke out about a day ago.

From 1 Oct, Schooling, along with Amanda Lim and Teong Tzen Wei, who are all under the High-Performance Scheme, will not receive training grants or access to sports medicine facilities and services.

Teong, will also have his scholarship benefits suspended for the same amount of time.

Schooling Says He is Disappointed

According to The Straits Times, Schooling shared how he feels disappointed at the suspension of support and that he and the others need the support in order to help them navigate their life.

However, he also did mention that he admits that he made a mistake and accepts the consequences of his actions.

Schooling further adds that he has been training alone outside of his NS commitments for about five to six weeks now, and thanks everyone who has stood by him through this ordeal.

Other Athletes Struggling Without Help

In a separate interview with The Straits Times, Lim admitted that ever since the situation broke out, it has been a difficult time for her and that training by herself has been a challenging task.

“I’ve reflected deeply on this lesson and the distress I’ve caused, especially to my loved ones,” Lim added.

She further mentions that she has much to learn and that she is determined to achieve her goals in the coming years, vowing to make Singapore proud once more.

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What Happened that Led to this Situation?

According to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Schooling had consumed cannabis while he was on short-term disruption from full-time NS to train and participate in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Although the urine tests for controlled drugs came back negative, Schooling confessed that he had consumed cannabis while overseas in May.

This video details why he made the confession:

Since Schooling is undergoing his NS, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has placed him on a six-month SAF-supervised urine test regime as part of their rehabilitation process.

At around the same time, fellow swimmer Lim was also being investigated by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for Cannabis use.

The duo has since apologised for their actions and expressed their regrets.

Teong Tzen Wei has since issued an apology as well.

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Featured Image: Olympics.com