SINGAPORE – The local sporting scene was dealt another blow on Thursday (May 4) after Singapore Athletics (SA) president Ho Mun Cheong sought to cancel its extraordinary general meeting (EOGM) to elect a new management committee (MC), a day before it was scheduled to be held.

While Mr Ho had insisted on Wednesday that the elections would go on – despite Sport Singapore (SportSG)warning that it was unconstitutional – he made an 11th hour about-turn after he and ally Loh Chan Pew (SA vice-president of competitions organising) met with International Olympic Committee member Ng Ser Miang on Thursday morning.

This embarrassing turn of events comes just two weeks after the football fraternity was hit by a S$500,000 donation scandal involving Tiong Bahru Football Club (TBFC) and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). This eventually led to the police raiding the FAS’s headquarters and three football clubs after a police report lodged by SportSG, and the arrests of Hougang United chairman Bill Ng and his wife Bonnie Wong, FAS general secretary Winston Lee, and former FAS president Zainudin Nordin.

Singapore Athletics has also been in turmoil after infighting among its executive committee (exco), with key leaders of the sport squabbling over a number of issues, including the suitability of Jaime Cheong as its general manager. Their failure to come to a consensus eventually led to SportSG withholding funding of close to S$500,000 from the association.

The disagreements led to SA calling for an EOGM and snap elections on Friday, but that plan has now been squashed after intervention by Mr Ng. Mr Ho said he would now appeal to all 10 SA affiliates who had signed a requisition for the EOGM to officially withdraw their request.

Mr Ho said he changed his mind after Mr Ng convinced him that it would only tarnish SA’s reputation even further.

“The reason why we wanted to have the EOGM is because many things were at a gridlock due to the differences among the exco,” explained Mr Ho, 68.

“So we thought the best way to solve this would be to dissolve the entire MC and start afresh with a new team.

“However, Ser Miang called us up for a meeting and asked us not to have this EOGM…for the sake of the country and the sport. He said that it’ll give a very bad impression of the association…it’ll show we can’t work together and have a weak team who can’t come to a consensus.

“He advised us to work together (as an exco), especially with the SEA Games coming up soon. We respect Ser Miang a lot and after thinking through, decided to follow his advice.”

When contacted, Mr Ng told TODAY that he felt it was his duty to mediate the matter for the good of the sport.

“Any infighting in an NSA is not good for the sport…and I thought that I should try to persuade the SA exco to work together,” said Mr Ng.

“So I told them that they got to think for the interests of the sport. They should work as a team, and instead be focused on preparing for the upcoming SEA Games.”

Mr Ho and Mr Loh also met with SportSG and Singapore National Olympic Council for discussions on Thursday evening.

Following the meeting, SportSG and SNOC sent out a joint statement that said: “SportSG and SNOC are appreciative that the SA leadership had agreed to meet us. We are glad that they have agreed to find an amicable way forward.”