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Leaked WhatsApp Messages Scandal In S’pore Athletics is Like House of Cards

2017-06-19 , 9:27 am

Yet another scandal in Singapore’s sports scene. This time, Singapore Athletics vice-president Govindasamy Balasekaran comes under fire.

A screenshot of a group WhatsApp chat between him and SA’s secretariat staff about getting a coach into trouble so they could discipline her was leaked online.

Here’s the context of the entire saga:

The coach of 200m champion Shanti Pereira, Magaret Oh was in a dispute with SA. They threatened to pull Pereira off the 4x100m relay race if she did not attend the centralised training in Taiwan.

She had raised concerns that with the Games just two months away, all the travelling might tire her athlete out.

Oh had also questioned the efficiency of having the camp in Taiwan, suggesting that it be located either in Singapore or Malaysia.

Given that the SEA Games is going to be held in KL, wouldn’t it be better to train in a place with a similar climate so as to condition the athletes?

Pereira is the fastest sprinter in the squad, the holder of the national 100m record at 11.80s and 200m at 23.60s.

Vice-President & Secretariat Staff Not Happy, Wants Oh in Trouble

You know what they say, right? If you want to do anything wrong, don’t even write it down. Apparently, VP Govindasamy Balasekaran didn’t get the memo. Either that, or he hasn’t watched House of Cards.

A leaked WhatsApp group chat revealed the “plotting” against coaches and athletes by the management committee of SA.

In the chat, Balasekaran wrote that they need to get evidence against coach Magaret Oh and present it to P (presumably the president of SA Ho Mun Cheong) so that he will be forced to take action against two coaches.

He went on to add that Magaret has to get into trouble so that SA can take action against her.

Oh, Frank Underwood from House of Cards would be proud.

The screenshot was uploaded by Former SA chief executive officer Ong Yeok Phee who expressed disappointment in a Facebook post. He alleged that all this came about after Oh raised concerns about the venue of the training camp, which is perfectly logical.

Sorry, please take back my words: Frank Underwood would be pissed.

President Ho Mun Cheong is a bad leader, this is “illegal” and “taken out of context”

You know, maybe things would be better if Balasekaran’s respond was more respectful.

When he was confronted about the leaked Whatsapp group messages, he started pointing fingers at everywhere and everyone except himself.

He claimed that Ho was a bad leader, and he has been creating fights ever since he took office.

He said that the screenshot was “illegally obtained”, and that the messages within were “taken out of context”. He also added that these messages were supposed to be “private” and this is an invasion of privacy.

And the reason why they were so unhappy with Coach Magaret Oh? She is stopping things from moving on, and “we cannot have a coach do whatever she wants“.

Remember, guys. This is an organisation that’s supposed to provide the best for Singapore’s athletes so that they can perform their best for our nation.

Well done, people. Well done.

Office politics truly exist everywhere.

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Feature Image: straitstimes.com / todayonline.com

This article was first published on goodyfeed.com