Teenage Singaporean powerlifter Matthew Yap, who set a new world squat record in the men’s Under-66kg sub-junior (14-18 years old) division, was offered to apply grant from Chiam See Tong Sports Foundation (CSTSF).

The powerlifting brothers were previously stranded in Belarus for 30 hours due to a visa mix-up after the spectacular performance at  the 5th IPF World Classic Powerlifting Championships 2017 but fortunately made their glorious return back home with the help of crowdfunding. 

As Powerlifting Singapore is not under the national sports association, athletes like Matthew have to fund themselves by any means possible.

Matthew and his brother, Marcus who is also the coach, self-funded their trip that cost up to S$5,500 to fly over to Belarus to compete on the international stage.

Mathew had to juggle training, polytechnic studies and work- such as working 10-hour shifts at a Korean eatery -  to pursue his passion.

According to CSTSF Executive Director Ravi Philemon, one of the board members recognised the effort and resources that the powerlifting brothers put in to accomplish what they had. This led to the Foundation reaching out to Matthew.

The grant offered to Matthew would cover training-related expenses of up to S$3,000 which include coaching fees or equipment purchases, as well as nutritional costs. The approval process will take around four weeks and grants can be re-applied for annually.

This offer of assistance is timely as Matthew considered working part-time during the weekends to save up for the Asian Championships in December which might affect his performance at the upcoming competition.

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