Singapore’s Marathoner, Soh Rui Yong, has recently posted on his Facebook page to send an apology to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).
In his apology, he said that he had done some reflection before deciding to apologise and said that the apology was done so that both himself and SNOC can move on to resolve their ‘differences’ for the greater future of sports in Singapore.
He also said that his apology was not to ‘beg’ for a place in the 2022 South East Asia (SEA) Games because he has already achieved his dreams of representing Singapore in the Games.
He further claims that even though 330 athletes except him were chosen to represent the Republic in the SEA Games, media channels have however mentioned his name more than others.
Here is what he wrote
“|Apology to the Singapore National Olympic Council|
After some self reflecting, I have decided to apologise to SNOC so we can resolve our differences and move forward in the best interests of Singapore sports.
I fully recognise that athletes representing Singapore should do our best to serve as a role model to our youth. In my view, that includes standing up for what is right, no matter the cost. However, I acknowledge that I could have handled certain disputes in the past differently. I could have been more respectful and sensitive in my approach. For that I apologise and will do better.
Like many others, I am not a perfect person and will never be. But I recognise that by virtue of being a top Singapore athlete, I have the responsibility to serve as a role model to the rest of my country. I will do my best to live up to that duty.
I write this not to beg for a place on the SEA Games team. I’ve already achieved my dream of winning the SEA Games Marathon while representing Singapore – not once, but twice. There’s nothing more I wish to prove. But I’m apologising here purely because I recognise I’ve not handled certain disputes well in the past, and I will endeavour to do better and grow into a better person in the future.
330 Singapore athletes have been selected for the SEA Games, yet the media headlines, podcasts and national debates have been dominated by my name over the past few days. Let us move on to celebrate the athletes chosen instead – I’m sure we can find many inspirational and newsworthy stories among them.
The beautiful thing about sports is that it unites us and should not be a divide instead. I hope we can be united as one as Team Singapore fights to chase the dreams we have all worked so hard for.
Thanks for reading. Let’s go #OneTeamSG! 🇸🇬”
Image source: Soh Rui Yong/Facebook