Joseph Schooling becomes first Singaporean athlete to receive S$1 million award
Joseph Schooling receiving the cheque on Thursday night (Nov 24). Photo: Teo Teng Kiat/TODAY
SINGAPORE — Joseph Schooling, who won Singapore’s first-ever Olympic gold medal earlier this year, was rewarded for his historic feat on Thursday evening (Nov 24) with a S$1 million prize purse.
This made him the first Singaporean athlete to receive the amount, which is part of the Singapore National Olympic Council’s (SNOC) multi-million dollar awards programme (MAP), a reward-incentive programme started in the 1990s and sponsored by the Tote Board Group for major Games medallists.
The 21-year-old was presented with the cheque by Mr Moses Lee, Chairman of the Tote Board, together with guest-of-honour Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister for Social and Family Development and President of the SNOC, and Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Schooling stunned the world and brought Singapore to a standstill in August when he beat American swim legend and childhood idol Michael Phelps in the 100m butterfly final in Rio, touching the wall first in an Olympic-record time of 50.39 seconds.
Schooling, who is taking a break from his studies at the University of Texas, United States, described winning the gold as a “dream” that was only possible with the support from his parents, coaches, team-mates and friends.
“To be rewarded for doing something I love - swimming and racing - is a huge bonus,” he said in a statement. “I would like to extend my appreciation to the Tote Board Group for supporting the SNOC MAP awards programme, giving athletes extra motivation to do well for Singapore.”
“I had the privilege to be in Rio to support our athletes and officials and to witness the tenacity of our athletes as they put in their best efforts to compete against the best in the world,” Minister Tan said in his speech. “I witnessed the camaraderie of Team Singapore, displayed when athletes of different sports came together to form friendships, cheer each other on and encourage one another when times were tough. What I witnessed truly exemplifies the spirit of Team Singapore.”
