SINGAPORE — Veteran sports official Tan Eng Liang, who held prominent administrative positions such as the Singapore Sports Council chairman and Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) vice-president, died on Sunday (28 May). He was 85.
Tan was survived by his wife Kathryn, as well as three children and five grandchildren. The family said in a statement, “Our dearest father, Dr Tan Eng Liang, passed away peacefully. He had been battling advanced cancer.
“We will miss him dearly. Dad devoted his life to serving the community particularly in the field of sports. Even in the midst of illness, he continued to contribute with grit and courage. He was an inspiration to us all. A bright star has dimmed but it shines in our hearts forever.”
SNOC president Tan Chuan-Jin also paid tribute to Tan in a statement on his Facebook page, saying, “He was not only a sporting giant on whom shoulders we stand on, he was a veritable roaring, no-nonsense giant who demanded the best not only from athletes and officials but from himself too. He also had a heart of gold and cared deeply about our athletes, sports and Singapore.
“The best way to honour Eng Liang is to keep flying our flag high as we compete in the region and beyond….to give of our best, to conduct ourselves with honour, to train hard and to compete with all our heart.”
National water polo player with his brothers
Tan was a national water polo player, together with his elder brothers Eng Bock and Eng Chai, both of whom died in 2020. He helped the Singapore national team win two Southeast Asian Peninsular Games golds, as well as three Asian Games medals (two silvers and one bronze).
Beyond the pool, he was Singapore’s first Rhodes scholar, and obtained his doctorate in chemistry from Oxford University in 1964.
Tan went into politics in the 1970s, joining the People’s Action Party and winning the 1972 general election to become Member of Parliament for River Valley constituency. He was the Minister of State for National Development from 1975 to 1978, as well as the Senior Minister of State for Finance from 1979 to 1980.
After stepping down from politics in 1980, Tan became heavily involved in the local sports community again. From 1975 to 1991, he was chairman of the Singapore Sports Council, now known as Sport Singapore. He also served as SNOC vice-president for 28 years, stepping down in 2020, the year he was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Tan also helmed 12 major Games as chef de mission, starting from the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he suffered a slipped disc 10 days before departing for China as Team Singapore’s chef de mission, but defied doctor’s orders to travel and witness Singapore’s women’s table tennis team winning the country’s first Olympic medal in 48 years.
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