Chia Boon Leong, the only S'porean footballer to play at Olympics, dies aged 97

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Former Singaporean football player Chia Boon Leong has died at the age of 97.

Chia was the only Singaporean footballer to have played in the Olympics when he was selected to represent China in 1948 in London.

During that time, any ethnic Chinese person was allowed to represent China even if they were not born in the country.

"As a mark of respect, there will be a minute's silence before the AFF Mitsubishi Cup Group B match between Singapore and Myanmar this Saturday at Jalan Besar Stadium," said the Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin dedicated a Facebook post to Chia, describing him as "a prolific footballer in his heyday".

Tan wrote:

"We last saw him in April this year when IOC (International Olympic Committee) President Bach visited Singapore. I was glad to chat with him then.

He will be missed by many. Deepest condolences to his family."

His nickname was "twinkletoes"

Chia, who was nicknamed "twinkletoes" for his skills and tricks, started playing football in Pasir Panjang in Singapore when he was a teenager.

He became an essential part of the Singapore team that won three consecutive Malaysia Cups, from 1950 to 1952.

Even after his retirement at the age of 30, Chia continued to contribute to the local football scene.

He became an FAS council member and was team manager of the national team on a part-time basis between 1977 and 1980.

Top images via FAS & SNOC.