SINGAPORE: Sport Singapore (SportSG) has refuted an allegation made against former Singapore national table tennis player Feng Tianwei.
Feng herself has also denied any impropriety.
In a statement on Tuesday (Nov 19), the statutory board said it was aware of "recent allegations", which it said stemmed from a personal arrangement between retired Feng and her former personal fitness coach.
"As one of the allegations involved the possible fraudulent use of public monies, SportSG’s checks on our records indicate no evidence to support claims of misappropriation of public funds," said a spokesperson.
It added that there was a similar allegation raised by the same person in 2021, which was determined to be without merit.
"The other matters raised pertain to personal and contractual issues between both parties," said the spokesperson.
An email detailing allegations against Feng was sent to CNA earlier this month.
The sender claimed to be Feng's former "personal physical coach" Zhou Xiang. Among other allegations, he claimed to have been asked by Feng to teach her how to swim, and cited this as an example of "suspected ... misappropriation of public funds for personal use".
Feng told CNA that she worked with Zhou Xiang for seven months from April to October 2018, during which she personally paid for his coaching fees, living expenses and travel costs.
"During this period, there were no financial disputes," she added.
She said he was a graduate student at the Shanghai University of Sport at the time, and that their arrangement involved Zhou assisting her with physical training. The role also served as an internship for Zhou, contributing to his academic thesis, said Feng.
Zhou resigned in October 2018, citing the need to focus on his thesis, she added.
"During this period, there were no conflicts between us, and I believed there was potential for us to work together again in the future."
However, Feng said that since 2018, Zhou has been harassing her, her family and friends through "insults, defamatory remarks, personal attacks, and other abusive behaviour, causing significant mental stress" for her family and herself.
"In 2021, Zhou Xiang even made false accusations against me to Sport Singapore. Following an investigation, Sport Singapore found the claims unsubstantiated, and issued a formal response to him. I have refrained from addressing this matter publicly, but I would like to take this opportunity to formally respond, as I hope to put an end to this six-year ordeal, and focus on my post-retirement career and family life."
Feng said that to "safeguard" her rights, she has since engaged a legal counsel to gather evidence of Zhou's "defamatory statements and acts of privacy violations".
"Should he persist in his unlawful actions, I am prepared to pursue legal actions to protect my rights and interests," she said.
Feng is Singapore’s most bemedalled Olympian and currently employed by SportSG as assistant director of the ActiveSG Table Tennis Academy.
She moved to Singapore in 2007 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and a year later was part of the team that clinched a historic silver in the women’s team event at the Beijing Olympics.
This was Singapore’s second-ever Olympics medal, ending a medal drought of close to 50 years.
The 38-year-old was also part of the Singapore team that stunned China to take the women's team title at the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships.
Feng went on to win two bronze medals in the next edition of the Olympics in 2012.
In a shock move after the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) said it would not be renewing its contract with Feng, citing the need for rejuvenation of the national team.
However, media reports said there had been various disputes that led to her being axed from the national team.
Responding to these claims, Feng insisted that she had never broken any rules or the law.
STTA said it would continue to support Feng’s participation on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour and consider her for selection for major Games.
Feng then competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and her last major Games outing was the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she bagged three gold medals.
She also became the first Singaporean to win the outstanding athlete award at the Commonwealth Games.
Known as the David Dixon Award, it is presented to the Commonwealth Games athlete who showcases an "exceptional level of performance, commitment and fair play".
Later that year, she joined SportSG's sport development group, where it was reported that she would work on the development of sport pathways for children and youths, particularly in table tennis.
SportSG said then that she would work part-time over the next two years, committing about eight to 10 hours a week while pursuing a master’s degree in sport industry management at Beijing’s Peking University, which she has since completed.
Feng was also crowned Singapore’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2023, her fourth such award.
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Feng herself has also denied any impropriety.
In a statement on Tuesday (Nov 19), the statutory board said it was aware of "recent allegations", which it said stemmed from a personal arrangement between retired Feng and her former personal fitness coach.
"As one of the allegations involved the possible fraudulent use of public monies, SportSG’s checks on our records indicate no evidence to support claims of misappropriation of public funds," said a spokesperson.
It added that there was a similar allegation raised by the same person in 2021, which was determined to be without merit.
"The other matters raised pertain to personal and contractual issues between both parties," said the spokesperson.
An email detailing allegations against Feng was sent to CNA earlier this month.
The sender claimed to be Feng's former "personal physical coach" Zhou Xiang. Among other allegations, he claimed to have been asked by Feng to teach her how to swim, and cited this as an example of "suspected ... misappropriation of public funds for personal use".
WHAT FENG SAYS
Feng told CNA that she worked with Zhou Xiang for seven months from April to October 2018, during which she personally paid for his coaching fees, living expenses and travel costs.
"During this period, there were no financial disputes," she added.
She said he was a graduate student at the Shanghai University of Sport at the time, and that their arrangement involved Zhou assisting her with physical training. The role also served as an internship for Zhou, contributing to his academic thesis, said Feng.
Zhou resigned in October 2018, citing the need to focus on his thesis, she added.
"During this period, there were no conflicts between us, and I believed there was potential for us to work together again in the future."
However, Feng said that since 2018, Zhou has been harassing her, her family and friends through "insults, defamatory remarks, personal attacks, and other abusive behaviour, causing significant mental stress" for her family and herself.
"In 2021, Zhou Xiang even made false accusations against me to Sport Singapore. Following an investigation, Sport Singapore found the claims unsubstantiated, and issued a formal response to him. I have refrained from addressing this matter publicly, but I would like to take this opportunity to formally respond, as I hope to put an end to this six-year ordeal, and focus on my post-retirement career and family life."
Feng said that to "safeguard" her rights, she has since engaged a legal counsel to gather evidence of Zhou's "defamatory statements and acts of privacy violations".
"Should he persist in his unlawful actions, I am prepared to pursue legal actions to protect my rights and interests," she said.
Related:
OLYMPIC MEDALS
Feng is Singapore’s most bemedalled Olympian and currently employed by SportSG as assistant director of the ActiveSG Table Tennis Academy.
She moved to Singapore in 2007 under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme and a year later was part of the team that clinched a historic silver in the women’s team event at the Beijing Olympics.
This was Singapore’s second-ever Olympics medal, ending a medal drought of close to 50 years.
The 38-year-old was also part of the Singapore team that stunned China to take the women's team title at the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships.
Feng went on to win two bronze medals in the next edition of the Olympics in 2012.
In a shock move after the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) said it would not be renewing its contract with Feng, citing the need for rejuvenation of the national team.
However, media reports said there had been various disputes that led to her being axed from the national team.
Responding to these claims, Feng insisted that she had never broken any rules or the law.
STTA said it would continue to support Feng’s participation on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour and consider her for selection for major Games.
Feng then competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and her last major Games outing was the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she bagged three gold medals.
She also became the first Singaporean to win the outstanding athlete award at the Commonwealth Games.
Known as the David Dixon Award, it is presented to the Commonwealth Games athlete who showcases an "exceptional level of performance, commitment and fair play".
Related:
Later that year, she joined SportSG's sport development group, where it was reported that she would work on the development of sport pathways for children and youths, particularly in table tennis.
SportSG said then that she would work part-time over the next two years, committing about eight to 10 hours a week while pursuing a master’s degree in sport industry management at Beijing’s Peking University, which she has since completed.
Feng was also crowned Singapore’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2023, her fourth such award.
Continue reading...