It's clear that athletes all over the globe have problems with their federations.
Let us introduce you to the case of Singapore Marathoner Rui Yong Soh,. He was hoping to compete in the 2019 South East Asian Games Marathon. Based on performance, he seemed like a lock to do so as he is a two time winner of the event and the qualifying time was 2:31:52 and he ran a 2:23:42 national record in Seoul in March.
Singapore Athletics nominated him for the SEA Games but that nomination was rejected by the Singapore Olympic committee as they didn't like his behavior and attitude and said he'd breached SA's Code of Conduct multiple times. SNOC noted that "since the 2017 SEA Games, there have been numerous instances where Soh has displayed conduct that falls short of the standards of attitude and behaviour that the SNOC expects of and holds its athletes to".
Here are some links if you want to learn more:
https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/athletics-soh-rui-yong-rejects-singapore-athletics-offer-of-mediation
https://www.runsohfast.com/blog/my-28th-birthday-message-to-my-supporters-ashley-liew-and-snoc
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2312069608868676&id=157864337622558
https://www.facebook.com/157864337622558/posts/2313241558751481/
https://www.facebook.com/157864337622558/posts/2310479815694322/
https://www.facebook.com/157864337622558/posts/2308331432575827/
Singapore Athletics doesn't like "behavior and attitude" of 2:23 marathoner, so they send 2:38 marathoner instead
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having been to Sinapore and negotiation several large contracts with their government. This doesn't surprise me one bit.
But it shows for all the whining by the US Athletes, our system isn't so bad. -
Do you know much about Singapore? The are not of the US-style brand of thinking which promotes individual freedoms (as long as they don't infringe upon other folks). Singapore subordinates the individual for the nation-state. It is how they went from a resource-less swamp to a modern economic power in just 50 years.
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I could write him into my tv script.
He could be in the marathon scene of the pilot as the Asian champion. -
This basically boils down to the federation not liking him cut up his singlet for a hot weather race like Rupp does. He has the standard & should get to go. He seems to be handling it well, saying that he doesn't want the spot but will fight for future athletes so they don't have to go through stuff like this. This guy seems to be all about the SEA Games. It seems foolish to not let him run. It's like his Olympics.
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I already have a trademark for this script in Singapore. Thank you.
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He's kinda the Colin Kapernick of marathoning, no?
Take a knee, Soh. -
Federations need to ensure that the athetes they send represent their countries honorably.
Some individuals tend to be nut jobs. That is justifiable cause for exclusion from the national team.
The US fencing federation ought to do something about that fencer who knelt at the Pan Am Games. He brought shame to our nation. -
Wow, 2:23 and 2:38. Those would have been good women's times a few decades ago, who cares about some guy running hobby jogger times?
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behind the times wrote:
Wow, 2:23 and 2:38. Those would have been good women's times a few decades ago, who cares about some guy running hobby jogger times?
That's the great thing about running and growing up. You realize that running isn't only about times. -
I think its Papas fault...
43:35
https://youtu.be/_0Jzu-iDdy4 -
If you're surprised by this, you don't know much about Singapore.
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There's a lot more work needed in terms of athletics organizations and the sports itself here in south east asia, and Singapore Athletics are the few that is doing quite okay than the rest in the region.
For Soh Rui Yong to go against both the Singapore Athletics as well as the SNOC, in the peak of SEA Games and right in the middle of his career is such a big move, kudos to him. and we need more support if we want to grow the sport here. Lots of talents and potentials waiting to be discovered. -
When I saw the Title of this thread, I thought it was going to be about a FEMALE Marathoner, who ran 2:23 and Singapore deciding to send a 2:38 Female marathoner to Doha instead, I thought Singapore had a pretty good female, but their was a WIDE gap between it #1 and 2 Female Marathoners.
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Now this is a curious case here, guy has the standard but gets left out of the sea games, and gets accuses of falling behavioral standards? What?
there is more than meets the eyes and ears? It's not that easy, even in Singapore to leave behind a double gold medallist unless something much more grave has suspected to occur.
now i clearly remembered this is the guy whose training partner Jordan Chipangama was sanctioned with a ban for meldonium last year? Can't remember exact time frames. the same guy also who i think had somebody leaked his doping test records causing him much headache. he had apparently missed something like 2 straight doping test in Singapore before the 2017 sea games for no solid reasons.
2 years on........nothing has been found out or spoken about ever again as I believe tends to happen in Singapore. they say whatever happens in vegas stays in vegas, well whatever happens in singapore, in this case sohs suspicious dope test data, stays in singapore....
let's not make conclusions too early about why he was left out of this years games but I believe the federation is doing something good. Not all federations are bad, we have it worse sometimes in the USA -
is there an article about this doping test leak? who leaked, when, where? if i'm not demented 2 straight missed tests is extremely uncommon in an elite athlete who has been in sport for a long time whatever his nationality.
in kenya you could miss any number of tests as long as you PAID UP and I guess in russia as well. and the purpose for missing the tests is so that one can continue with impunity to consume drugs for perform better. i don't think that's the culture in singapore and neither do i think soh paid anything otherwise his tests records wouldn't have been leaked like that.
much ado about 'innocent until proven guilty'? in current climate of greed and economic self-interest i think its 'everybody guilty until proven innocent through loyal consistency in his words and actions' -
apparently it was, according to sohs account, some demented long-time school friend of sohs by the name of Joe KS who leaked his 2 straight missed tests. it's quite unbelievable though that his doping records could land in the hands of anybody else other than antidoping singapore. i don't know if that's good or bad for the sport because at the same time we need to nail dopers we also need to protect test privacy, so which is which?
Check out the social media page of Joe KS for more information. i'm a big fan of his while also a big fan of soh, love both man...... -
This is an individual who seems to be getting more media exposure with disputes with the national associations than his own running, taking to the media at every opportunity to try to arm-twist the associations to do his bidding; and publicly chastising them if they don't comply to his selfish demands. Each time he would claim he was doing something for the greater good of the sport and for fellow athletes but it's strangely coincidental that every time his self interest is deeply intertwined with the disputed issues.
In 2016 , Soh disputed the selection criteria for the Olympic wild card entry just days before the athlete is selected, knowing that based on the criteria his chances were quite slim for the wild card. What's more damning was that he tried to undermine performances of fellow athletes who stood better chances in the selection, in order for his to look good. The criteria was never disputed before that though it was made known to all long before.
In 2017, after running his personal best of just under 2:25 in an overseas race, Soh tried to get his timing into the record book by disputing the then Singapore marathon record which had stood for more than 20 years, claiming it was not recognised by so-and-so international body and his own timing was. It's amazing how it was not an issue for more than 20 years and now it suddenly was because his personal interest is involved.
Promoting his own sponsor during the black-out period 2017 SEA Games: There's often a black-out period during Games that required athletes not to promote their own individual sponsors, as each nation will have their own official sponsors. Soh defied the order and disputed the standing order thereafter. If you disagree with the arrangement, sort it out before, not after. You risk losing sponsors that way. True enough, after cutting holes in his national team official vest during the marathon race, it pissed off the sponsor and the team lost the sponsorship soon after. Nicely done!
In his recently spat with another fellow athlete, it was over some sportsmanship award that the latter won for slowing down during the 2015 SEA Games marathon to wait for the a group of athletes ahead who had taken a wrong detour. Soh won the race, and the other athlete won a rather prestigious sportsmanship award. But now, 3 years later, Soh disputed the award on the basis that 'he did not notice/see anyone slowing down'. Despite Singapore National Olympic Council reassuring that investigastion had been done and had gathered sworn statements from witnesses, Soh refused to accept the decision and refused to retract the accusation, resulting in the ongoing lawsuit between the athlete and him. Is it any surprise that he is being excluded from the subsequent Game? If you are the selection committee, would you want someone who is known to be uncooperative, antagonising and full of antics ? -
tri-ing wrote:
This is an individual who seems to be getting more media exposure with disputes with the national associations than his own running, taking to the media at every opportunity to try to arm-twist the associations to do his bidding; and publicly chastising them if they don't comply to his selfish demands. Each time he would claim he was doing something for the greater good of the sport and for fellow athletes but it's strangely coincidental that every time his self interest is deeply intertwined with the disputed issues.
In 2016 , Soh disputed the selection criteria for the Olympic wild card entry just days before the athlete is selected, knowing that based on the criteria his chances were quite slim for the wild card. What's more damning was that he tried to undermine performances of fellow athletes who stood better chances in the selection, in order for his to look good. The criteria was never disputed before that though it was made known to all long before.
In 2017, after running his personal best of just under 2:25 in an overseas race, Soh tried to get his timing into the record book by disputing the then Singapore marathon record which had stood for more than 20 years, claiming it was not recognised by so-and-so international body and his own timing was. It's amazing how it was not an issue for more than 20 years and now it suddenly was because his personal interest is involved.
Promoting his own sponsor during the black-out period 2017 SEA Games: There's often a black-out period during Games that required athletes not to promote their own individual sponsors, as each nation will have their own official sponsors. Soh defied the order and disputed the standing order thereafter. If you disagree with the arrangement, sort it out before, not after. You risk losing sponsors that way. True enough, after cutting holes in his national team official vest during the marathon race, it pissed off the sponsor and the team lost the sponsorship soon after. Nicely done!
In his recently spat with another fellow athlete, it was over some sportsmanship award that the latter won for slowing down during the 2015 SEA Games marathon to wait for the a group of athletes ahead who had taken a wrong detour. Soh won the race, and the other athlete won a rather prestigious sportsmanship award. But now, 3 years later, Soh disputed the award on the basis that 'he did not notice/see anyone slowing down'. Despite Singapore National Olympic Council reassuring that investigastion had been done and had gathered sworn statements from witnesses, Soh refused to accept the decision and refused to retract the accusation, resulting in the ongoing lawsuit between the athlete and him. Is it any surprise that he is being excluded from the subsequent Game? If you are the selection committee, would you want someone who is known to be uncooperative, antagonising and full of antics ?
I agree with this.
I met him in Eugene Oregon on several occasions when he was there. Not a fan personally. He has a unique ability to self promote and try and spin less than sub elite times as something meaningful. I guess that’s a gift itself.
He reminds me of a groupie and constantly tries to latch himself on to sub elite or elite training groups that he has no business training with. See most recently Northern Arizona Elite. Or self promoting his running on the University of Oregon club team as a legitimate member of a UO althletic team. Or social media posts that try and present a picture of him and kipchoge being best of friends. This stuff just really annoys me for some reason.
I guess on the flip side you can say more power to him as he manages to convince people to let him tag along. And somehow gets others to think he is doing great things. -
Broader responsibility wrote:
The US fencing federation ought to do something about that fencer who knelt at the Pan Am Games. He brought shame to our nation.
You bring shame to our nation if you don't understand free speech & the issues non white people constantly face in this country. Triggered much?
Also to the poster above I have no problem with what he does because it seems genuine. He loves the sport, the elite side of it, and is the fastest runner in a country not known for running so he brings others along on the journey. I think he knows he's not at the very top of the sport but works hard and wants others from Singapore to give running a shot.