Press Release – SA Settlement

Following talks facilitated by our counsel, Nicholas Poon of Breakpoint LLC, we are pleased to release the following statement:

“On 25 September 2020, Team Ground Up won the elections and was voted in as the new leadership of the Singapore Athletic Association. A key plank of Team Ground Up’s campaign manifesto was to address the Association’s outstanding legal issues, especially those involving athletes, and rebuild trust in the community.

One of the more publicised legal issues was the Association’s dispute with one of its athletes, Mr Soh Rui Yong, arising out of Mr Soh’s omission from the 2019 SEA Games. Through extensive engagement with Mr Soh by the new leadership in the two weeks since assuming office, we are pleased to announce that the Association and Mr Soh have agreed to put an end to all their disagreements, and double down on efforts to work together for the betterment of the athletics community, the sport, and the nation’s regional and international aspirations.

To this end, the Association: (a) withdraws unconditionally the portions of its media statement dated 3 August 2019 stating that Mr Soh had “on several occasions breached [the Association’s] Athletic Code of Conduct” and “[f]or his transgressions, [the Association] had attempted to counsel and reason with him, as part of a holistic rehabilitation process”; (b) extends its sincere apology to Mr Soh for any inconvenience and distress that the aforesaid statement caused him; and (c) shall stand down the disciplinary proceedings initiated by the outgoing management on 25 September 2020 against Mr Soh.

On his part, Mr Soh has agreed to withdraw and discontinue all of his lawsuits against the Association. Mr Soh also acknowledges that as an athlete who has represented Singapore and as one of the country’s brightest athletic prospects, he is a role model for younger athletes and will henceforth work with Singapore Athletics and SNOC to promote a positive image of the sport to the best of his ability. Looking ahead, the Association and Mr Soh are excited about what each can contribute to the future of the sport in Singapore.

On its part, cognisant of Mr Soh’s proven track record and his dedication to his craft, the Association is committed to supporting Mr Soh to once again don national colours and compete for Singapore against the best in the region and the world. With this chapter behind him, Mr Soh shares the Association’s sentiment and ambitions. He is more determined than ever to break new ground by becoming the first Singaporean man to qualify for the Commonwealth Games Marathon and Asian Games Marathon.”