SINGAPORE – The disqualification of a schoolboy hurdler in the National School Games (NSG) track and field championships has ignited debate among the local fraternity, causing some to question the organisers’ decision.
On April 5, Hwa Chong Institution’s (HCI) Kho Yuan Zu, 17, was disqualified from the heats of the A Division boys’ 400m hurdles at the Choa Chu Kang Stadium.
The on-ground technical official judged that the runner’s legs – he was on the outermost lane – did not cross the horizontal plane of the last hurdle.
Following the incident, HCI lodged a protest with the organisers while Singapore Athletics (SA) – the governing body for the sport and which provides officials for the competition – also provided input, though the decision was not overturned.
National Junior College’s Langston Loh went on to win the gold medal in the April 15 final, with Raffles Institution’s Shadi Zulhisham and Victoria Junior College’s Armaan Carlesater taking the silver and bronze respectively.
A Facebook post showing a video of the incident gained traction among the community in the past week, with some – including national marathoner Soh Rui Yong – questioning the controversial decision.
Calling it a “decision that bitters the experience of the young athlete”, Soh said on social media: “I think that to disqualify an athlete, there needs to be very clear evidence that a rule was broken. If it’s not clear, benefit of doubt goes to the athlete.”
The NSG is organised by the Singapore School Sports Council and supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE).
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, MOE’s spokeswoman said student athletes participating in the NSG compete based on NSG’s rules and regulations.
She said: “The technical officials are trained to make the necessary judgment calls based on the rules of the game and judging protocols, and we respect the officials’ judgments.”
She added that the NSG organising committee reviewed the incident and upheld the decision following HCI’s appeal. The reason was explained to HCI’s team manager and the school then withdrew its appeal.
“We encourage all students, including athletes, to learn from each of their experiences and rise above them, in the spirit and ethos of true sportsmanship,” she said.
Referring to the video which was taken from the stands, SA’s spokesman said: “While we stand by the view that the technical official’s call was impartial, third-party video footage submitted was inconclusive about the disqualification.
“SA’s recommendation was to give the benefit of doubt to the athlete and we suggested to (the organising committee) for the boy to be allowed to run in the 400m hurdles final.”
Noting that the organising committee has the final say on such matters, he added: “While (they) had submitted the case to the steering committee for review, the case was dismissed based on the framework guidelines.”
The guidelines introduced by MOE in 2023 state that the official’s on-ground call is final, said SA, with these rules “agreed by all participating schools across all sports in NSG”.
“The intent of this was to focus participants on the spirit of the game as opposed to appealing judgments or calls that did not go their way,” explained SA’s spokesman.
Both the association and MOE are committed to providing a “fair opportunity to the athletes to show their sporting talents”, said SA, adding that it will follow up with the latter “to work out how to provide a better experience for future NSGs”.
“In SA’s view, with the development of technology in sports, if we can be resourced to capture official video footage and submit as a data point in protests and appeals, it would facilitate appeals on judgment calls,” he said.
“The national sports association, SA in this case, being the technical partner, should also have the right of review in calls made by technical officials, especially in calls that require greater consideration.”
