The Lee Kim Tah Foundation (LKTF), a private family charity, donated $500,000 to the SOF to set up the Singapore Olympic Foundation-Edwin Lee Yong Chuan Sports Fund. This builds on the legacy of the late veteran sports administrator Edwin Lee Yong Chuan, who was CEO of the Lee Kim Tah Group and a Director at the SOF.
The SOF–Edwin Lee Yong Chuan Sports Fund will dedicate broadly to advancing competitive sports in Singapore. The Fund is set up in honour of Mr Lee’s immense support of Singapore sports. In many ways, it continues what he had done for years.
Across four decades, Mr Lee contributed significantly not just to swimming, but to other sports too, with leadership positions in the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA), the Singapore Tennis Association and the Singapore Taekwondo Federation including substantial stints as president of the latter two organisations. He was also the Treasurer of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) from 2014 to 2021 and served on several of SNOC’s committees.
As vice-president of STTA, he was instrumental in the country’s achievement of its first Olympic medal in 48 years. Up till the early 1990s, Mr Lee himself described table tennis as a “sunset sport” which had difficulty attracting funding and players. However, together with then-deputy president Terry Tan, he created a more professional set-up with sports science and analytics. He also helped launch the foreign talent scheme. These efforts would pay off with a women’s team silver at Beijing 2008. It was perhaps his greatest legacy for Singapore sports.
Mr Lee passed away in 2021, at age 65. His children, Mark and Nicole, chose to establish the Fund in memory of him via their family’s Foundation. “For most of his life, Dad was passionate about inspiring young athletes and helping them to achieve their sporting dreams,” said Ms Lee, who was a competitive swimmer during her childhood years. “Through this Fund, we hope to continue his legacy.”
The Fund was launched on 16 July 2025 at the World Aquatics Championships Arena, with Ms Lee presenting a cheque to Mr Ng Ser Miang, SOF Chairman. The presentation was witnessed by Ms Grace Fu, SNOC President.
The Fund’s mission is anchored on:
- Identifying and empowering young and talented Singaporean athletes to reach their full potential
- Supporting the development of national athletes
- Fostering a supportive environment for sports development through education and coaching programmes
- Backing initiatives, events and activities that benefit Singapore sports
The Fund will launch with an initiative focused on the sport of swimming – namely, a scholarship for a selected swimming coach to undertake further skills development at Singapore Aquatics’ National Training Centre – with the plan being to expand into initiatives encompassing other sports in the future.