Chay To Wear New Hat As SNOC Sec-Gen

Ex-swimmer, administrator and council VP to take over from veteran Chan on April 1

- David Lee

As Mark Chay celebrates his 43rd birthday on Feb 18, the former national swimmer will look forward to a new challenge. The Straits Times understands that he will be taking over from veteran administrator Chris Chan as secretary-general of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) on April 1.

Chan, 74, who was a former commando officer and CEO of the S-League, now known as the Singapore Premier League, has held the post since 2002.

Chay, who will step down as SNOC vice-president, previously competed for Singapore at the Olympic, Commonwealth, Asian and SEA Games.

He is also an experienced sports administrator. He was Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) president until his two-year term ended in August 2024, when he stepped aside to spend more time with his family as he undergoes treatment for chronic myeloid leukaemia, a cancer of the white blood cells.

In recent times, he was the chairman of the SNOC's athletes' commission, a member of the Olympic Council of Asia's (OCA) athlete committee, and his World Aquatics bureau membership will end after the 2025 world championships in Singapore.