Include weightlifting in the SEA games 2015

Weightlifting has had an illustrious history in the Singapore sports scene. Tan Howe Liang set a world record in 1958, the only Singaporean to have ever done so, and brought home Singapore's first Olympic medal in 1960, as well as the Gold medal in the first SEAP games, now known as the SEA games.

The sport drifted into obscurity after the 1993 games, but is recently experiencing a resurgence. In particular, Jamie Wee represented Singapore at the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Helena Wong represented Singapore at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympic Games, Lewis Chua and Scott Wong both represented Singapore at the 2013 World Weightlifting Championships, and Lewis Chua has recently qualified for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Regionally, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are international powerhouses in the sport of weightlifting, with regular appearances at major events such as the Olympics and the World Championships. Despite this, weightlifting has remained a fringe sport locally, with little funding, and is being excluded from the 2015 SEA games. This will be the first time weightlifting is excluded from the SEA games.

In light of the local history of weightlifting, recent developments in athlete interest and performance, as well as the generous offer from the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to sponsor the estimated $1M required to host the event and to provide training to local athletes for free, we sincerely call on the SEA Games Organizing Committee to include weightlifting in the 2015 SEA games. It will be a rare chance for local athletes to compete with a strong international field of athletes, and will undoubtedly provide affirmation of their efforts and motivate them to perform better in future competitions.

With this push, weightlifting could rise from obscurity to become a sport that Singapore is strong in internationally.