SINGAPORE NOC MOURNS LONDON OLYMPIAN ‘TWINKLETOES’

The President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, Tan Chuan-Jin, paid tribute to Olympian Chia Boon Leong, who died on December 20. He was 97.

Known affectionately as Twinkletoes, Chia Boon Leong played for the Republic of China in the football tournament of the London Olympic Games in 1948.

“Boon Leong was a prolific footballer in his heyday. He toured with the Lien Hwa (United Chinese) team in 1947 as a 22-year-old and was the only one to appear in all 23 games,” the Singapore NOC President wrote in a Facebook post of December 21.

“A few months later, he was chosen to represent China in the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Back then, the rules allowed an ethnic Chinese to represent China even if they were not born in the country.

“He remained active in sports and often supported many events and occasions whenever possible. We last saw him in April this year (2022) when IOC President Thomas Bach visited Singapore.

“I was glad to chat with him then. He will be missed by many. Deepest condolences to his family. Rest well, Twinkletoes.”

After the London Olympics, Chia Boon Leong played for Singapore and won the Malaya Cup in 1950, 1951 and 1952. He remains the only Singaporean to have played football at the