Ng still keen to serve IOC

He has accepted it, but it continues to linger at the back of his mind.

Even as he makes the more-than-24-hour trip back to Singapore from Buenos Aires, there will be moments on the long flight home that Ng Ser Miang will wonder: Where did those votes go?

Insiders say that his camp had been confident of getting about 20 votes in the International Olympic Committee presidential race, give or take a few.

But Ng, tipped by many to push newly-elected president Thomas Bach to the wire, managed just six in each of the two rounds of voting. Bach had 43 and 49 in the respective rounds.

Ng said that even with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have run his campaign any differently.

"I thought deeply about the process the last few weeks and am happy with the campaign I ran," he said.

"As with any election, the dynamics can change very quickly."

Several theories have been offered for the unexpected loss of votes.

One is that IOC members were unwilling to give Asia two big prizes, after Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Olympic Games on Sunday.

Another one is that Bach, who has been groomed to take over the reins for over a decade, cemented his status as the favourite in the last few weeks by increasing the influence around him.

Influential Kuwaiti member Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah went public in his support for Bach. Then, it was revealed that one of the first persons to call and congratulate the new IOC chief was Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ng is not used to losing in IOC races. He helped bring the 2005 IOC Session and the 2010 inaugural Youth Olympic Games to Singapore, all at the first try.

And even though his confidence in some of his IOC colleagues may be shaken by the defeat, he has vowed to continue to serve the Olympic movement.

"I still hope for the IOC to give the youth of the world a greater emphasis in the Olympic movement, as I have spoken about in my campaign," said Ng, 64.

"I will also push for the greater empowerment of IOC members." His term as IOC first vice-president and executive board member came to an end in Buenos Aires, after back-to-back fouryear terms. But he can return to the board after a two-year break, a move he is not ruling out.

IOC members are tipping him to make a return to the board, with Sheikh Ahmad saying the votes were not a true reflection of the man.

He said: "He's one of the most respected, most accepted people in Asia and the IOC and we always support him to represent us."

Ng's journey, although unsuccessful, drew praise from many quarters, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He wrote on his Facebook wall that Singaporeans are proud of Ng and added that he is looking forward to Ng's "continued contributions to Singapore's sporting scene".

Said Ng, a vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council: "One of the best parts of this campaign was seeing the support that Singaporeans, from all walks of life, have given me.

"That was truly touching."

One of his long-term goals is to groom the next generation of sports administrators who can fly the flag for Singapore internationally.

He identified the likes of SingaporeSailing chief Ben Tan and Nominated MP Nicholas Fang.

Said Ng: "We don't have that many people involved with international sport.

"Singapore already has a strong visibility with the 2005 Session and 2010 Youth Olympics. We must build on that and, for that, we need new leaders."

But his immediate plan is to get some much-needed rest after a campaign that ran non-stop for the last four months and saw him criss-crossing the globe. No one can deny he has earned it.

marclim@sph.com.sg

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