By Justin Kor

For decades, a bop of soft white hair flowed as a constant feature in Singapore sports, followed almost immediately by a booming voice that ensured he was heard not long after being seen.

While the public would struggle to identify Edwin Lee in a line up, those on and in local tracks, fields and pools have grown to expect, enjoy and embrace one of its most dependable and devoted stalwarts. Using the past tense on an ever present would be hard to get used to.

The hugely popular veteran sports administrator, who quietly played an instrumental role in ending Singapore’s Olympic medal drought, died on May 29, 2021. He was 65.

He was involved in so many sports that it was impossible to pigeonhole him. While most administrators would be more closely identified with a sport or two, he spread his love for sports far and wide.

Be it table tennis, tennis, swimming, taekwondo or golf, the man had an impact on them all, delivering not only results but also resources and an endless supply of sporting passion.

Along the way, he established formidable credentials. He was SNOC’s honorary treasurer and a member of several of its committees. He headed numerous sports associations and clubs, such as the Singapore Tennis Association and Chinese Swimming Club. As a director at the Singapore Olympic Foundation, he helped many young athletes achieve their sporting dreams.

“While he was no-nonsense and straight-talking, Edwin had a great sense of humour and definitely a heart of gold,” said SNOC President Tan Chuan-Jin. “He was kind and generous with those around him and cared deeply for our athletes and for sports in Singapore.”

Delivering Olympic glory

Lee’s greatest legacy on Singapore sport came during his 20-plus year career at the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA), where the vice-president was one of the key architects behind the country’s first Olympic medal in 48 years.

This achievement was all the more remarkable given that the sport had been floundering up till the early 90s. “Table tennis was a sunset sport,” he once said in an interview for Project 0812. “We couldn’t get funding. We couldn’t get players.”

He would transform its fortunes by kickstarting the foreign talent scheme together with then-deputy president Terry Tan. The sunset sport quickly found a new dawn with fledging stars like Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei. As the trio swiftly showed their credentials, Singapore’s dream of bagging an Olympic medal at Beijing 2008 became increasingly less far-fetched.

Behind the scenes, Lee and his STTA colleagues would turn this dream into reality as they laid the groundwork for the elusive medal. They provided backend support by creating a more professional set-up with greater emphasis on sports science and analytics.

They did what was thought to be logistically impossible by competing in all 16 Pro Tour Events during the Olympic qualification period, aided by funds from SNOC’s Project 0812. This helped Singapore head to the Olympics seeded second, ensuring they would avoid powerhouses China until the final.

The intricate planning and arduous effort paid off when Li, Wang and Feng battled their way to the women’s team final in Beijing. Although they eventually lost to China, Singapore’s first Olympic medal in almost half a century had been secured. The feat of clinching another medal would be repeated four years later at London 2012 when Feng won a bronze in the women’s singles.

“His contribution to table tennis was tremendous,” said veteran sports official Dr Tan Eng Liang. “The record speaks for itself.”

Chopping up the changes

Lee was also not one to shy from difficult challenges. Last year, the director of property development company Lee Kim Tah Holdings voluntarily became the Mr Fix-It for a troubled Singapore Taekwondo Federation when he took charge as president.

The federation had been plagued by many issues. It was rudderless following the mass resignation of seven committee members, had legal issues with its former secretary-general, and had also been suspended by both SNOC and the sport’s global governing World Taekwondo.

“Despite his own busy schedule and other commitments, he readily agreed to stand for the taekwondo presidency,” said Dr Tan. “I’m very grateful to him.” Lee worked diligently to restore the reputation of the federation, taking a hands-on approach by chairing a high performance sub-committee that engaged in multiple dialogues with various stakeholders.

“Not only was he our treasurer, he was also our trusted resource person to help sort out awkward and difficult issues,” said Mr Tan Chuan-Jin.

Sporting father figure

But performance was not only Lee’s focus – he revelled in developing potential too. As President of the Chinese Swimming Club, he was deeply involved in its swimming programme for almost 30 years, which saw the rise of aquatic stars such as Mark Chay and Gary Tan.

“He contributed so much of his time, effort and money,” said Tan, who is now the National Training Centre head coach. “If we needed to ask him any question or resolve an issue, he would always put his hand out to help us. He really cared for all of us.”

Olympic champion Joseph Schooling described the sudden demise of Lee as “heartbreaking”. “My condolences to his family and I hope they will take comfort in knowing that we are ever grateful to Uncle Edwin for his contributions and that many more will continue to benefit from his big heart for a long time to come,” said Schooling.

As one of the board members of the Marina Bay Golf Course, Lee was also instrumental in helping to establish it as Singapore’s premier public golf course, helping to generate the popularity of yet another sport here.

“He worked very hard to support athletes and clubs,” said International Olympic Committee Vice-President Ng Ser Miang, describing Lee as a “great sports leader”. “He was also a generous man who contributed to many worthy causes and helped many in need.

“Edwin’s departure is a great loss to sports, to society and to all of us.”