The Singapore Sports Awards 2020 took place on Wednesday 28th of October. The former coach of the Singapore Women’s team, Louise Khng, made history by becoming the first female to win the Coach of the Year award. The Women’s national team also received the Team of the Year award.
Last night was a success story for the Singaporean floorball. First, the former women’s national team Head Coach Louise Khng took home the Coach of the Year award and made history: she became the first ever female to win the award since it’s 50-year history.
So it is clear that the 37-year old Khng reached an important milestone that will be remembered:
– It really opens up the field for female coaches out there to strive to be really good coaches, to be there for their athletes, and to know that they will be recognised eventually, she commented.
Khng was coaching the Singapore Women’s team at the World Floorball Championships in Neuchatel, when the team took home the 12th place. In January, she stepped down from her coaching position. She calls her coaching task as the “heart work”.
– We all focus on the hard work everybody puts in, but it’s really about the heart that everyone has to achieve what they want to and reach their maximum potential. I don’t think (heart work) is a legit word, but for us that’s it – all the sacrifices and commitment everyone has done over the years, she concludes.
The evening was also successful for the Singapore Women’s national team that were awarded the Team of the Year, with captain Debbie Poh receiving the award on behalf of the team. The team performed exceptionally in 2019, retaining the gold at Southeast Asian Games and achieving 12th position at the Women’s World Floorball Championships, the highest ranking attained since the tournament format was changed in 2011.
The Singapore Men’s Team were awarded the Meritorious Award for winning the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation Cup in 2019.
Singapore Sports Awards 2020 is organised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Sport Singapore (SportSG), and supported by the Tote Board Group. The 2020 Singapore Sports Award honoured the most deserving individuals and teams in sports for the year 2019.
Source: The Straits Times, The New Paper and Singapore Floorball Association.
