Alec Kuok, Singapore triathlon pioneer, dies at 84

Alec Kuok's love and passion for triathlon were what led him to become a pioneer for the sport in Singapore.

He oversaw the organisation of the first triathlon event here and set up the Triathlon Association of Singapore (TAS) in 1992. His work and efforts introduced many Singaporeans to the swim-cycle-run event.

Since that first event, the Republic has gone on to host a number of top-level triathlons, including the April 5-6 Singapore T100 Triathlon featuring close to 7,000 participants racing in the triathlon, duathlon and music run at Marina Bay.

Regarded as the founding father of triathlon in Singapore, Kuok died on March 31 at the age of 84. His son Eddie told The Straits Times that he had been battling several health conditions over the past few years, including diabetes and spine issues.

His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from the fraternity.

TAS honorary president David Hoong, who worked with Kuok for nearly three decades, remembers the latter's unwavering dedication to the sport. Even after stepping down as president, he remained part of the scene.

"He continued to be involved in triathlon even though he was no longer there in an official capacity - he still came down to help, give advice," said Hoong, 71, who was the TAS' president from 2014 to 2018.

"I was very sad to hear of his passing. I met up with him two to three years ago and we talked a lot about the good old days - he still had the fire in his eyes when we spoke about triathlon.

"I really respect him as a president of the association which he built up to become a respectable national federation."

He also recalled Kuok as a determined leader who did not back down in the face of adversity.

As triathlon was a niche sport, there was not much funding available then.

But that did not deter him from getting the resources needed to support the athletes and host events, which grew and attracted more participants over the years.

In 1982, Kuok, who was then the head of the National University of Singapore (NUS) sports and recreational centre, organised the Singapore Triathlon - the first event for the sport here - with only about 60 participants.

Four years later, he formed and helmed a pro tem committee of what was known then as the Singapore Triathlon Association, taking over the organisation of the event from NUS and rebranding it as the Singapore International Triathlon.

While the lack of volunteer office-bearers was a challenge, Kuok registered the association in September 1992 as the Triathlon Association of Singapore.

From there, he continued to develop the sport, focusing on building all aspects of triathlon in Singapore - from the grassroots to high performance.

Elvin Ting, founder of TriFactor Asia, recollected how he was inspired to continue participating in triathlons after competing in one of Kuok's events over 20 years ago. Ting went on to become an organiser of races.

The 46-year-old noted that triathlon used to be for a select group of elite athletes, but Kuok made it accessible for the masses.

When Singapore lacked the expertise to stage events, through his network he brought consultants from overseas to look at how to transform venues.

Ting said: "He's managed to build a sport in Singapore and commercialise it with partners in the early days with corporates like Osim and brought it into a mass participation sport. That was one of his legacies."

Former national triathlete Kua Harn Wei, 53, remembers Kuok for his compassion.

They first got acquainted when Kua enrolled in NUS in 1992. There, he was part of a team of three to four students that Kuok had put together.

The associate professor at NUS' College of Design and Engineering said: "He was the father of the team, he was very supportive.

"Every now and then, he would drop by the swimming pool to see us swim, look at our bicycles and, amid his advice on road safety, he showed that he really cared."

They had many conversations about the sport, and Kua also joined the association as a committee member.

"We've lost somebody who is a visionary and developed the sport almost from scratch. In doing so, he really put Singapore on the map when it came to triathlon and developing triathlon as a sport," said Kua, who is now the coach of NUS' aquathlon team.