Sport Singapore (SportSG) has responded to the legal tussle between the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) and national athlete Ng Ming Wei, calling the situation "a very unfortunate development".

The statutory board -- which comes under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) -- added that they hoped for a resolution between the two parties.

In a statement sent to Mothership, a SportSG spokesperson said:

"It is a very unfortunate development that we hope both parties would be able to reach a resolution on. The Singapore Taekwondo Federation should be cognisant that its legal action, if not well founded, could be detrimental to their standing and role of leading the Taekwondo fraternity in Singapore to greater heights."

Response to athlete's dissatisfaction

The spokesperson also responded to allegations raised by eight national athletes in a Mothership report by urging the STF to improve their engagement of athletes:

"We encourage the federation to better engage their athletes and harness their interest and passion to grow the sport."

The allegations included that training with the national squad was often akin to self-training, with one athlete alleging that she received "no proper training" in the lead up to a major competition.

STF accused Ng of defamation

On May 1, Mothership reported that Ng had received a six-page letter from Templars Law LLC on April 24, 2019.

In the letter, the STF moved to accuse Ng of making “false allegations” and “misleading statements” to the media, which had consequently "defamed STF by targeting (its) integrity".

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw57YmqB2a9/

Ng wrote in a post on Instagram, his regret that the STF was spending money on their legal action against him.

"Couldn't this money have been better spent on training and competition opportunities for the team?" he wrote, while adding "if I am going to have to defend myself, I am prepared to defend myself all the way".

Top image from Sport Singapore website and Ng Ming Wei Facebook