SINGAPORE – National marathoner Soh Rui Yong filed a defamation writ and statement of claim against track and field's local governing body, Singapore Athletics (SA), in the High Court on Wednesday (Sept 11).
The High Court deals with civil cases where the claim exceeds $250,000.
This follows a three-hour meeting between the two-time SEA Games marathon champion and officials from SA last Friday to resolve their dispute, which stems from the 28-year-old not being selected for this year's Games in the Philippines.
On Aug 1, selectors from the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) had rejected SA's nomination of Soh for the SEA Games, citing "numerous instances" in which he displayed conduct "that falls short of the standards of attitude and behaviour" it expects from its athletes.
In its statement issued a day later, SA said that Soh had on "several occasions breached SA's Athlete Code of Conduct" and that the national sports association had attempted to "counsel and reason with him" on these "transgressions".
But Soh took issue with SA's statement, and his lawyers from Foxwood LLC sent a legal note to the national sports association on Aug 7 seeking clarification to Soh's "purported breaches of the Code".
The athlete had previously demanded that SA issue a public apology "if no such breach had arisen" and to retract its statement.
In the statement of claim filed on Wednesday morning, Soh claimed that SA's statement was "false and defamatory" to him and demanded "damages for libel, including aggravated damages" which will be assessed by the court. He also asked SA to issue a public apology in selected media.
The Straits Times understands that an indicative value of $500,000 has been provided, but that damages for libel, including aggravated damages, will be left to the court to assess.
Soh's legal letter pointed out that he had made "numerous attempts at seeking clarifications" from SA's lawyers but the association had "again affirmed that (Soh) was in breach of the Code, without providing any explanation or basis for the statement".
The letter added that the claims in SA's Aug 2 statement "are entirely false, baseless and devoid of merit".
It also noted that SA's "defamatory words" have "caused irreparable damage and/or injury to (Soh's) image and reputation" and that he has "also been put to significant loss, inconvenience and distress" as a result of this.
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