Skip to main content
Home The New Paper
  • Home
  • News
    • Singapore
    • World
    • Business
    • Views
    • Backstage
    • Others
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Singapore Football
    • Team Singapore
    • School Sports
    • Athletics
    • Basketball
    • Cricket
    • Swimming
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Racing
    • Others
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Star Style
    • School of Frock
  • Lifestyle
    • Makan
    • Hed Chef
    • Weets Eats
    • Health
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
    • Biker Boy
    • Celeb Chow
    • Others
  • Racing
  • Your Tip-Offs
  • Read E-Paper
  • Contests
  • Coupon
  • Team

Popular

  • COURT & CRIME
  • Food & Drink
Athletics

National track and field athletes in limbo over payments

National athletes in limbo over payments
Singapore athletes Shanti Pereira (second from left) and Dipna Lim-Prasad (second from right) were surprised to learn that the Singapore Athletics' internal carding system has ceased until further notice. PHOTO:NUR IZYLN ZAINI

Singapore Athletics' carding system, which determines amount of training stipends, lapsed last month

Lim Say Heng
Sports Correspondent
Oct 12, 2017 06:00 am
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • E-mail this article
  • 0 Engagements

National track and field athletes were left confused and in limbo on Tuesday, after they were told that Singapore Athletics' (SA) internal carding system has ceased until further notice.

The national sports association's scheme classifies its athletes according to their performances against certain benchmarks, including the SEA Games, and awards both the athlete and his or her coach with cash payments to offset training costs.

According to the SA website, a 2015 SEA Games gold medallist gets $1,200 a month, while the coach receives $700 monthly under its 2017 carding system.

The money is disbursed quarterly. The coaches and athletes received their July, August and September payouts this week, when they were also informed of the stoppage in the system.

National hurdler Dipna Lim-Prasad said: "I was told by the SDP (Sports Development and Performance) team yesterday that SA carding would cease until further notice."

National sprinter Shanti Pereira added: "I was definitely surprised to hear that SA carding has ceased. It has never happened to me before.

Football trumps fear of injury
Singapore Football

Dollah Kassim Award: Football trumps fear of injury for Khairul

Nov 17, 2017

Related Stories

Dollah Kassim Award: Rezza fuelled by sibling rivalry

Bahrain coach: Hassan among Asia's best goalkeepers

Dollah Kassim Award: Marc unfazed by comparisons with his father Steven Tan

"Right now, there are a lot of questions in my head but hopefully they will get answered soon."

There are a lot of questions in my head but hopefully they will get answered soon. National sprinter Shanti Pereira

National athletes use the money for nutrition, transport, and training equipment, among other things.

Lim-Prasad, 26, said: "Athletes such as myself are full-timers, so the loss of funds from the SA carding is significant because we are also not under the spexScholarship or any other campaign support scheme at the moment.

WORK PART-TIME

"I will continue to look for sponsors to cover that amount or may have to find a part-time or ad-hoc job, as I have done in the past.

"But cash sponsors are also hard to come by in Singapore, and having a part-time job would not be ideal because it eats into my rest and training times, therefore affecting my training load."

The government's spexScholarship provides selected national athletes with monthly stipends and increased sports science and medicine support, in their bid to excel at regional, Asian, world and Olympic levels.

Pereira is the only track and field athlete who is on this scholarship.

Contacted, SA president Ho Mun Cheong assured that the SA carding system will continue, although the terms may be revised.

He explained that the current carding system expired at the end of last month, and he will "expedite" the revised system.

"We will never stop the carding money (system). How can we stop it?" said Ho, who received feedback from athletes and coaches about the cessation.

"It is part of (national sports agency) SportSG's funding to SA and meant for the carding system."

Asked why the current carding scheme was allowed to lapse without a new one in place, he said: "I only came to know about this... I checked with the secretariat straightaway... and they told me after September, we needed to revise (the carding system)."

He added that it is up to SA's training and selection committee to send a proposal for the revised scheme to the management committee (MC) for approval, and the decision can be made without convening an MC meeting.

Ho is confident that the matter will be resolved before the next tranche of payment in December or January.

He said: "No need (to wait till) December, now that I am aware of this, I will try to expedite it.

"I will try not to affect the coaches or athletes because they need this money for training. How can we stop this?"

 

Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now

SINGAPORE ATHLETESshanti pereirasports

Lim Say Heng

Sports Correspondent
sayheng@sph.com.sg
@LimSayHeng
Read articles by Lim Say Heng
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • E-mail this article
  • Newslink -  Purchase this article for republication

Top Stories this Month

Makansutra: Mad for this moist millennial char kway teow
Makan

Mad for this moist and marvellous char kway teow

Feb 25, 2021
Father on late son’s fiancee: She was like a daughter to me
Singapore

Father on late son's fiancee: She was like a daughter to me

Feb 16, 2021
Wild boar drags woman for a metre in Punggol attack
Singapore

Wild boar drags woman for a metre in Punggol attack

Feb 22, 2021
Home
  • Contests
  • Coupon
  • Team
  • Home
  • News
    • Singapore
    • World
    • Business
    • Views
    • Backstage
    • Others
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Singapore Football
    • Team Singapore
    • School Sports
    • Athletics
    • Basketball
    • Cricket
    • Swimming
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Racing
    • Others
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Star Style
    • School of Frock
  • Lifestyle
    • Makan
    • Hed Chef
    • Weets Eats
    • Health
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
    • Biker Boy
    • Celeb Chow
    • Others
  • Racing
  • Your Tip-Offs
  • Read E-Paper
  • Contact TNP
  • About SPH
  • Privacy Statement
  • Data Protection Policy
  • Member Terms & Conditions
  • Website Terms & Conditions
SPH Digital News Copyright © 2021 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn No. 198402868E