IOC picks S'pore footballer-cricketer Sara Merican as one of 25 Young Leaders

Sport has been a huge part of Sara Merican's life, with the 28-year-old involved in football and cricket over the years.

She has donned national colours in both sports, making her SEA Games bow with the national cricket team at the 2023 edition in Cambodia.

In 2024, she joined Wigan Athletic's newly formed women's football team, who play in the Lancashire Women's County League, an amateur competition consisting of two divisions at levels 7 and 8 of the women's pyramid.

Beyond the football and cricket field, it is important for Merican to give back to the sports that she loves.

The Singaporean's ambitions received a boost after she was named one of the 25 new International Olympic Committee (IOC) Young Leaders for 2025 to 2028 on Feb 20.

The programme will provide candidates with expert guidance and coaching, access to sport and sport-for-development network, and seed funding of US$10,000 (S$13,400) to create grassroots sport-based initiatives aimed at addressing social issues in their communities.

Merican said: "I've had the privilege of being part of two big sports communities like football and cricket and I was trying to find a way to give back through some of the experience I've had with communication and journalism and combine it in that way.

"I've been quite active in terms of getting involved off the field as well, so I'm thankful that people have given me opportunities in the past to be involved in sports off the field."

Merican, who is currently based in Manchester, England, is the fifth Singaporean to join the programme, after youth Olympians Dhukhilan Jeevamani (football) and Rania Rahardja (fencing), as well as sailors Cecilia Low, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics, and Sean Lee.

With the support from the programme, Merican hopes to launch various initiatives related to women's sport, media and education.

The first is creating a platform for people to access information related to women's sport in Singapore - including scores and long-form content - and the goal is to expand it regionally in the future.

Recalling how she enjoyed her stint in the Asean School Games' young reporters programme as a student, Merican also wants to focus on youth education and create opportunities for the next generation, and for secondary school students to gain experience in sports media.

Also part of her proposal is to run a summit to enable knowledge exchange, with participants to include companies that want to invest in women's sport, to athletes who want to reach out to brands.

Elaborating on the motivation behind these initiatives, she said: "In sport, there are a lot of ups and downs and sometimes, one of the things you can do for athletes when they're going through these challenges and hard times is to give them a voice.

"I hope that by having a platform and giving them a bigger spotlight, people will be at least able to share some of their journey. I hope this also increases the value and size of the pie for sport."

Through this programme, Merican wants to increase the visibility of women's sport and promote long-term investment in it, as well as inspire a new generation of athletes, regardless of gender.

She stressed that she wants to work with both women and men on this project, adding that it is important not to exist in silos and that male allies have been an important part of the growth of women's sport.

With the IOC programme, she hopes that her initiatives will bear fruit. She said: "I thought this was a good programme that will provide some of the guidance that I need and the global network that will help push this a step further.

"I'm looking for collaborators in Singapore for this project and people who are interested in coming on board when things are more set in stone."

IOC president Thomas Bach said in a press statement: "Their innovative ideas and dedication to leveraging sport for positive social change inspire us all.

"We look forward to supporting them as they contribute to the Olympic movement and make a meaningful impact in their communities. This is what the Olympic movement stands for: Building a better world through sport."