Former international Sidney Kumar to head Singapore Rugby Union
There is a new but familiar face at the helm of the Singapore Rugby Union (SRU), as former national player Sidney Kumar will take over Choy Weng Leong as its general manager from Tuesday.
The national sports association made the announcement on Monday following a local and regional search for candidates. Choy leaves the role after a 12-month stint.
As a forward in rugby sevens and a centre for the 15s, the 37-year-old represented Singapore for 10 years, winning a silver at the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.
Kumar retired from international rugby in 2019, but remained active as a coach and physical education teacher for over a decade – he was also the teacher in charge of rugby at St Andrew’s Secondary School.
He said: “Representing my country in the sport that I love has always been my dream and, having accomplished that, I am happy to be allowed to contribute in another way in leading the secretariat.”
Kumar will oversee the SRU’s executive functions and has to hit the ground running amid a busy year for the sport.
His duties will include assisting the national teams’ preparations for international competitions such as the Sept 23-Oct 8 Asian Games, working on the recently announced Singapore leg of HSBC SVNS for 2024 and 2025, and a series of rugby development initiatives and programmes to grow the men’s, women’s and youth games domestically.
SRU president Sunny Seah said: “We head into an exhilarating time for the community with local, regional and international rugby at our doorstep.
“We are confident that Sidney’s experience in both the civil service and private sector, coupled with his deep roots in the rugby community, will propel the organisation in these promising times.”
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