SportSG, ex-national table tennis player Feng Tianwei refute allegation that she misappropriated public funds

SINGAPORE: Sport Singapore (SportSG) has refuted an allegation made against former Singapore national table tennis player Feng Tianwei.

Feng, Singapore’s most bemedalled Olympian, has also denied any impropriety. She is currently employed by SportSG as assistant director of the ActiveSG Table Tennis Academy.

In a statement on Tuesday (Nov 19), SportSG said it was aware of "recent allegations", which it said stemmed from a personal arrangement between retired Feng and her former personal fitness coach.

"As one of the allegations involved the possible fraudulent use of public monies, SportSG’s checks on our records indicate no evidence to support claims of misappropriation of public funds," said a spokesperson for the statutory board.

It added that there was a similar allegation raised by the same person in 2021, which was determined to be without merit.

"The other matters raised pertain to personal and contractual issues between both parties," said the spokesperson.

An email detailing allegations against Feng was sent to CNA earlier this month.

The sender claimed to be Feng's former "personal physical coach" Zhou Xiang. Among other allegations, he claimed Feng asked him to teach her how to swim, and cited this as an example of "suspected ... misappropriation of public funds for personal use".

Feng told CNA she worked with Zhou Xiang for seven months from April to October 2018, during which she personally paid for his coaching fees, living expenses and travel costs.

"During this period, there were no financial disputes," she added.

She said Zhou was a graduate student at the Shanghai University of Sport at the time, and that their arrangement involved him assisting her with physical training. The role also served as an internship