Squash junior Ong Zhe Sim gets 6 months’ probation for breaching athletes’ agreement

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Squash junior Ong Zhe Sim gets 6 months’ probation for breaching athletes’ agreement​

Singapore squash junior Ong Zhe Sim has been handed a six-month probation for breaching the athletes' agreement.PHOTO: SSRA

Melvyn Teoh

UPDATED JAN 25, 2025, 07:58 PM

SINGAPORE – Singapore’s top squash junior Ong Zhe Sim has been handed a six-month probation by the Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA) for breaching the athletes’ agreement.

The 16-year-old, who is the reigning national Under-17 and U-19 girls’ champion, will also have to pay $500 monthly in training fees after the previous waiver was rescinded. The probation, which began on Jan 15, comes over a month after she was initally dropped from the national set-up.

Zhe Sim’s issues with the national sports association began in end-2024, when the teenager and her parents were informed on Dec 10 that it would not be renewing her athletes’ agreement for 2025.

That meant that she could not train with the national squad and would not compete at the SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025. Her parents subsequently lodged an appeal to the SSRA on Dec 17.

Contacted by The Sunday Times earlier in January, the SSRA said that Zhe Sim had breached the terms of the agreement by turning down “national representation when called upon”.

SSRA general manager Alex Wan said: “Zhe Sim is a player whom we have had high hopes for.

“SSRA has invested heavily in her training, including providing a waiver of her training fees, sponsoring her participation in international competitions and placing her under a mentorship programme for which only a handful of selected players had the privilege of.

“Despite all the support offered, Zhe Sim had turned down national representation when called upon and in fact, played under the Hong Kong flag in an international junior tournament (HKFC Evisu International Junior Squash Open 2023).”

Being dropped from the national set-up was a huge blow to Zhe Sim, who told ST: “I was really down. I was really angry... because I don’t know why (they decided on this). (They said) I wasn’t very committed to my training, and that I refused to represent Singapore.”

However, her dad Nelson Ong and mum Sandra Wong believe that Zhe Sim was omitted because she had missed two overseas tournaments – the Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in China in August 2023 and the South-east Asian Cup Squash Championship (SEA Cup) in the Philippines in June 2024.

According to the 2024 athletes’ agreement laid out by SSRA, “major tournaments and major Games are a must represent once a player or squad is selected”.

In July 2023, Zhe Sim had initially agreed to compete at the Asian Junior event, but her mother pulled her out of the tournament just days later, citing her poor academic results.

This led to the SSRA issuing a warning letter to the family, saying that Zhe Sim “put herself above country”.

Five months later, she registered for the HKFC Evisu International Junior Squash Open in Hong Kong.

However, she used her Hong Kong permanent residency card in the application, paying a smaller registration fee – HK$110 (S$19) for residents as compared to US$105 (S$141) for overseas players.

She also missed the SEA Cup as she was competing in a local tournament and had requested to travel to Manila a day later than the rest of the squad, but that was rejected by the SSRA.

On her absences, Zhe Sim said: “I missed a lot of school (39 days) and I was away (out of the country) for 60 days. I just didn’t go to two tournaments, and they said I don’t want to represent.”

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Noting that she “went for the most tournaments, compared to the others”, she added: “I feel very proud representing Singapore... (it) not only gives me a lot of opportunities, I can go overseas to expose myself to stronger players.

“If I win and bring titles back, it helps to promote squash in Singapore.”

Explaining the SSRA’s initial decision, Wan said it has maintained “open communication” with the family but added that they “continued to push their agenda through other channels such as writing directly to Sport Singapore and to our sports minister”.

But with the disagreement between the parties now settled, he added: “We look forward to working with Zhe Sim in the months and years ahead and will do our part to set her up for success in and out of the squash court to the best of our ability.”

Zhe Sim returned to national team training on Jan 20, though the family said they are still in discussions with SSRA on the terms of her return.

She said: “I’m feeling very honoured and happy to be going back to national training after nearly three weeks. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m certainly looking forward to representing my country.

“However, the future remains unclear as we are sandwiched in these conditions.

“Nonetheless, as I prepare for the SEA Games, my focus will be on my training routine, collaborating closely with my coaches, and cultivating a resilient mindset to ensure I’m at my peak performance when it’s time to compete.”