Singaporean distance runner, Soh Rui Yong, has once again been left out of the Singapore team and will not be participating in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
On Thursday (Jun 8), the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) released a list of successful appeals, which did not include the 31-year-old runner. This decision comes a month after Soh’s comeback to the national team at the Cambodia SEA Games, where he won a silver medal in the men’s 10,000m race and set a new national record.
Soh’s return to the recent Phnom Penh Games marked the end of his absence of over five years, during which he had several disagreements with the SNOC. These disagreements eventually led to his exclusion from the 2019 and 2021 SEA Games, despite meeting the qualifying criteria for both events.
SNOC told Channel NewsAsia that its appeals committee for the Asian Games reviewed Singapore Athletics’ nomination for Soh’s participation and decided not to select him. A SNOC spokesperson mentioned that Soh had not fulfilled his commitments to the SNOC, which included making “disparaging and derisive” remarks about others in public, even after his participation in the Cambodia 2023 SEA Games. SNOC found this behavior inconsistent with Soh’s previous apology and his assurance to conduct himself in a more positive and professional manner.
SNOC did not provide specific details about the incidents that influenced their decision.
Soh told CNA that he was keeping a positive attitude despite being left out, stating that he is focused on training well and building on the positive momentum from the SEA Games. He remains hopeful that he will eventually be selected and believes he can become the first Singaporean to break the 31-minute barrier for the 10,000m event at the Asian Games.
It is important to note that Soh was also initially excluded from the Asian Games lineup last year, despite being nominated by Singapore Athletics for the men’s 10,000m event.
The Hangzhou Asian Games, which were postponed from 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held from September 23 to October 8.
In its statement, SNOC mentioned that Soh was given the opportunity to represent Singapore at the recent SEA Games after apologizing for his past behavior. The appeals committee for the SEA Games 2023 also considered various commitments made by Soh and Singapore Athletics to develop a positive and respectable off-track profile.
Soh has been involved in notable incidents in the past, including a dispute with teammate Ashley Liew after the 2015 SEA Games marathon event, and a disagreement with SNOC over sponsorship regulations during the 2017 SEA Games, which prevented Team Singapore athletes from using their names for promotional purposes without permission.