As if the reprimands from the various sport managements and becoming the newest dancing clown of the news outlets was not enough, national swimmers Joseph Schooling and Amanda Lim will not be receiving their award money with their fellow athletes.
Once more, their cannabis consumption has come to bite them again.
Someone better start a tally for how many times this incident will be held against them; the number will be high because the internet never forgets.
The Award Ceremony
This has been a good year for their athletic careers.
Schooling, 27, had won two golds and a bronze at the Hanoi Games, while Amanda, 29, clutched a gold and silver.
Traditionally, the cash rewards for the Olympic, Asian, Commonwealth and SEA Games are disbursed during the MAP Awards, a Major Game Award Programme run by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).
The two national swimmers, however, were absent from the ceremony on Wednesday (14 Sep).
Schooling would have earned $13,750 from his winnings, while Amanda would have gotten $3,750.
To add more salt to their wounds, SNOC President Tan Chuan-Jin—who is also the Speaker of the Parliament—used the occasion to remind athletes that their actions have an impact beyond their personal lives and can even affect the larger community.
Tan also emphasised that an athlete’s selection is earned by meeting the standards set by the SNOC and national sports associations, which is more than just performance benchmarks.
Hmmm… This might be a shot at Soh Rui Yong too, what with the defamation lawsuits against former Singapore Athletics staff, and SNOC’s repeated response that the national runner failed to meet code of conduct when asked about his non-selection.
Although no specific incidents were mentioned, we can guess what Tan was referring to.
Most notably, his comment was made two weeks after Schooling and Lim were investigated by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) for cannabis consumption.
For more information about how the CNB found out about their cannabis consumption, watch this video until the end:
Tan also mentioned that athletes have to “commit to a team membership agreement which includes a stipulated code of conduct”.
He added that as representatives of Singapore, athletes have a part to play both at the Games and as a public figure.
“Let’s continue to stick to the goals, focus on your performance, look after your teammates and be as exemplary as you can,” Tan said.
Other Winners
Putting aside the dour news, 68 medallists walked away with their cash prizes on Wednesday.
At the ceremony, SNOC and Tote Board award up to $860,000 to $495,000 for the SEA Games and $365,000 for the Commonwealth Games.
The athlete to top the charts was veteran paddler Feng Tianwei, who won three gold medals at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, in the women’s singles, doubles, and team event.
She banked in a total of $85,000.
The 36-year-old athlete surely went out a bang, as this is expected to be her last competitive outing.
In second place is national swimmer Teong Tzen Wei, who clutched one Commonwealth Games silver and two SEA Games Gold, thus winning him $35,000.
Badminton mixed doubles pair Terry Hee and Jessica Tan are not far behind with $31,500 each, as they managed to win a historic gold in the Commonwealth Games.
This is definitely a confidence booster for the married couple who are working to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
For the 2022 Hanoi SEA Games, a 424-strong contingent represented Singapore in 33 sports. They returned home with 47 gold, 46 silver, and 71 bronze medals.
16 national records and 41 personal bests were made as well.
Improvement is always nice to see.
On the other hand, the 66-strong continent who attended the Birmingham Commonwealth Games won four medals of each colour.
Athletes are expected to contribute a fraction of their cash winnings—20% for SEA Games and 50% for Commonwealth Games—to their respective sports associations for training and development purposes.
50%? That’s higher than our income tax and total CPF contributions, jeez.
Nonetheless, congratulations to the medallists!
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Featured Image: Facebook (Team Singapore)
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