Whistle-blower coach sentenced to a week’s jail for role in falsifying race records
The judge found that the custodial threshold had been met despite the mitigating circumstances.
A former national fin swimming team coach, Muhammad Faiz Suhaimi, has been sentenced to a week in jail for his role in falsifying race results at an overseas fin swimming event. The sentence, delivered on September 14, 2023, came after Faiz pleaded guilty to conspiring to falsify the competition results of a race that was later used to support the nomination of six athletes for Singapore's 2023 SEA Games team.
The judge acknowledged Faiz's bravery in coming forward with the information, which led to the discovery of the scheme. However, the judge noted that the weight of his remorse should be balanced against the severity of the offense and the public interest in deterring such actions. Faiz, who was a team manager and fin swimming coach at the Singapore Underwater Federation, worked under Ho Ho Huat, the vice-president and head coach at the time.
The scheme began in December 2022, following an issue with some fin swimming events being removed from the 2023 SEA Games. Ho wanted to nominate more athletes for the games but needed them to have qualifying results in sanctioned competitions. After learning about a competition in Malaysia in January 2023, Ho proposed sending five male athletes to participate.
Both Ho and Faiz attended the competition together and realized that the athletes they sent did not compete in the 4x200m relay surface event. Faiz helped to falsify the results on January 18, 2023, using computer software. As a result, six athletes were selected to represent Singapore at the SEA Games, causing an additional expense of $15,691.15 for the Singapore National Olympic Council.
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