• Swimmers Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen’s National Service deferments to compete in the Tokyo Olympics lapsed on Aug 31, 2021
• They will be conscripted once pre-enlistment procedures are done, the Ministry of Defence said
• Schooling, 26, was due to enlist in 2014
• Quah, 24, was supposed to be conscripted in 2015

SINGAPORE — Olympic swimmers Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen will enlist for National Service (NS) after their deferments to compete in the recently concluded Tokyo Olympic Games have expired.

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said on Thursday (Sept 16): “As their deferment until Aug 31, 2021 has ended, both Mr Schooling and Mr Quah will proceed to fulfil their NS obligations, as agreed to when they applied for deferment.” 

It added that they would be enlisted once the necessary pre-enlistment procedures have been completed.

Schooling said on Thursday that he was grateful for the support from Mindef and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) in allowing him to further his swimming career.

“Without a doubt, I would not have achieved the results I’ve had without deferring my national service,” he said in a media statement.

He added that he is completing the pre-enlistment procedures “and will await the next steps from Mindef”.

In a separate statement, Quah said that he will be working with the authorities, the Singapore Swimming Association, his coaches and his support team to see how he can continue training at an elite level during his NS.

Mindef said that it grants deferments for full-time NS “very selectively” to exceptional sportsmen assessed to be potential medal winners at international competitions such as the Olympics.

The athletes will have to justify why deferment is necessary for them to train full-time. Each case will be assessed individually by Mindef in consultation with MCCY.

The swimmers’ lack of medal success at the Tokyo Olympics had raised questions about their deferments, especially for Schooling, who had vowed to continue his swimming career after finishing last in the 100m butterfly heat.

Schooling, 26, was due to enlist in 2014, and his 24-year-old teammate Quah was supposed to enlist in 2015. 

Both were granted deferments to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Explaining the deferment policy in 2013, Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen said that Schooling’s parents had appealed for their son’s deferment with detailed plans outlining his training schedule and targets for the 2016 Games.

“MCCY supported the appeal for deferment as it assessed that based on his previous achievements in international competitions, Mr Schooling had the potential to do well in the next Olympic Games,” he said.

Dr Ng also said then that the Armed Forces Council, too, was satisfied that the appeal had met the requirements for deferment of an exceptional sportsman.

At the Rio Games, Schooling won Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal after edging out American swimming great Michael Phelps at the 100m butterfly event.

Quah made the semi-finals in the 100m and 200m butterfly categories.

Their deferments were extended so that they could train and compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, which was postponed until this year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both swimmers failed to qualify for the semi-finals of their events.

Away from the Olympics, Quah had bagged six gold and two silver medals at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, where he was named the most valuable male athlete. 

Schooling won four gold and two silver medals at that competition.

TODAY asked the two swimmers if they had applied for an extension before their deferments ended in August. Schooling’s press manager did not respond. Quah declined to comment on this matter.

Over the past 15 years, sailor Maximillian Soh has been the only other athlete who has received a long-term NS deferment. 

Some Singapore athletes had competed at the recent Tokyo Olympics without deferring their full-time NS except for their studies.

Among them were diver Jonathan Chan, 24, sailor Ryan Lo, 24, badminton player Loh Kean Yew, 24, and table tennis player Clarence Chew, 25.

National athletes serving NS have been granted time off to train or compete, subject to approval by Mindef and MCCY, and taking into account military operational needs.

The Singapore Swimming Association said in a statement that it understands the NS obligations of the two swimmers have to be fulfilled and that it is supportive of Schooling and Quah’s enlistment.

Quah, in his statement, said that enlistment has not disrupted his plans to continue representing Singapore on the international stage.

He is hoping to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2022 Asian Games as well as the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.

“Enlisting and serving National Service has always been a part of my plan.”

In his statement, Schooling said: “As a son of Singapore, I am honoured to serve my country. More importantly, now more than ever, my family needs me.”

He has been training in the United States except for a period in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic when he returned to Singapore to train.

“It is time for me to fulfil my filial duties,” Schooling said.

It was reported that Schooling's father is undergoing cancer treatment.