From troubled teen to caring teacher: How this 31-year-old educator found his calling helping children with special needs
'My younger self would not have imagined what I am doing right now,' the 31-year-old said. He has since spent a decade coaching sports to children with special needs.
For the past six years, he has been teaching PE at Lighthouse School in Toa Payoh and he is also the co-founder of Fitty Witty Sports, an organisation that teaches sports to underprivileged and special needs children.
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Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- Independent Singapore
Singapore Lions continue their Asian Cup campaign against India, tickets available from S$15
Photo: Association of Singapore SINGAPORE: The Singapore Lions will resume their international Asian Cup campaign at the National Stadium on Oct 9, 2025. The national team will now proceed to their Group C match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Saudi Arabia Qualifiers for 2027. Furthermore, this match against India will be the first of two games between the teams during the October FIFA international break. The Lions will then travel to India for their second match on Oct 14. This game will also be interim Head Coach Gavin Lee's first match in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, and he plans on building and strengthening the foundation made by former Head Coach Tsutoma Ogura for the team. Tournament updates Singapore is currently leading Group C, with four points from their previous opening matches. The team also had a 2-1 away victory against Bangladesh in June. Hong Kong, China, has four points as well and is in second place. Bangladesh and India have one point each. See also Lions to face China without Safuwan, Lionel, and Anumanthan The national team's match against India is an opportunity for them to prove that they are capable of being in the top spot, especially now that they are pushing towards the qualification for the AFC Asian Cup for the very first time. On social media, netizens expressed their support for the Lions and stated: 'These 2 home and away games against India will determine if SG stand any chances of making it to tournament proper.. Hopefully, after these 2 matches, SG will still occupy top position in grp standing as what it is as of now.' Moreover, there were comments from netizens about the interim head coach: 'Big games coming and still no proper experience serious professional coach,' and 'It seems FAS don't have plan to bring in new head coach anytime mention Gavin Lee leading the team. Bye2 then.' The game will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are priced from S$15 and will start selling on Aug 8, 2025, at 12 p.m. The Early Bird sales period will run until Aug 16. Here are more ticketing details: EARLY BIRD PRICING (Ticket sales period from Friday, 8 August 2025, 12 p.m., to Saturday, 16 August 2025, 11:59 p.m.) Category Prices* CAT 1 S$22 CAT 2 S$17 *Above mentioned ticket prices exclude ticketing fees: S$1 per ticket for ticket prices S$19.99 and below, S$2 per ticket for ticket prices S$20 to S$29.99, S$3 per ticket for ticket prices S$30 to S$39.99, and S$4 per ticket for ticket prices above $40. REGULAR TICKET PRICING (Available for all categories – from Sunday, 17 August 2025, 12 a.m.) Category Prices* CAT 1 S$38 CAT 2 S$28 CAT 3 S$15 CAT – Away S$35 *Above mentioned ticket prices exclude ticketing fees: S$1 per ticket for ticket prices S$19.99 and below, S$2 per ticket for ticket prices S$20 to S$29.99, S$3 per ticket for ticket prices S$30 to S$39.99, and S$4 per ticket for ticket prices above $40. () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Alexander Zverev to meet Karen Khachanov in Canadian Open semi-finals
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Alexander Zverev of Germany serving during his quarter-final win over defending champion Alexei Popyrin of Australia on Aug 4. TORONTO – Alexander Zverev reached his 21st Masters 1000 semi-final on Aug 4 by ending the title defence of Alexei Popyrin 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Canadian Open. The final game, with Zverev serving at 5-3, was interrupted by shouts from an unruly fan who was tossed out by security. The distraction ended a run of 14 consecutive points on serve, with the top seed double-faulting once he was able to continue serving. He finished off the evening with a sharp volley winner at the net on his first match point. Zverev completed his 40th win of 2025 in just over 2½ hours. The world No. 3 won the tournament in 2017 but had not been past the quarter-finals in Canada since. 'After losing the first set, I had to tell myself we were both playing well,' the holder of seven Masters trophies said. 'I had one or two mistakes at the end of the first, but it was a high-level match. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim Singapore Beauty industry consumers hit by 464% rise in prepayment losses in first half of 2025 Singapore 13 taken to hospital after accident involving SBS buses, car in Tampines Singapore Singapore-made bot matchmakes strangers virtually – without profile photos Life Urinary issues: Enlarged prostate affects half of men in their 50s and up Business Lendlease Reit to sell office component of Jem to Keppel for $462 million Singapore Elderly man charged after he allegedly molested, performed sex act on 'vulnerable' man 'I felt that if I kept playing well, I would get my chances – and I did. I can't complain about the second and third sets.' Zverev will bid for the oddly scheduled Aug 7 final against three-time semi-finalist Karen Khachanov, who dismissed young American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). 'It was a very close, competitive match,' Khachanov said. 'I had to come back from some tough situations. 'How you handle that mentally is important. I was glad to close it out in the second set. 'I had to try and not give him the opportunity to step in and attack; that's what I did today.' Zverev has won five of the seven matches he has played against Khachanov. Popyrin and Zverev duelled throughout the evenly matched 71-minute opening set as it went into a tiebreaker. Zverev was unable to convert on two winning chances, but Popyrin came good on his own second opportunity with a net cord winner that caught his opponent stranded at the baseline. The German began to turn the tables in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead only to see the Aussie level at 4-4. Zverev pulled away to level the match at a set apiece, breaking for 6-4 as Popyrin sent a volley wide. The top seed began the final set with a 3-0 lead on his way into the tournament final four at the pre-US Open event. Popyrin remains winless against Zverev after losing all four of their matches. Over in Montreal, Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko stormed into the semi-finals of the women's tournament with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to continue her fairy-tale run. The 18-year-old, ranked 85th in the world, found herself a break down early in the second set, but won six straight games to become the first Canadian to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Open since 2019. "I'm so excited to be in the semi-final here. I want to thank everyone for your support once again. It has been unreal," said Mboko, who beat No. 1 seed Coco Gauff on Aug 2 and is set to enter the top 50. Mboko next takes on Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, who was leading 6-1, 2-1 when her opponent, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, was forced to retire from their quarter-final match due to a wrist injury. Rybakina will meet Mboko for the second time in as many weeks, with the ninth-seeded Kazakh winning 6-3, 7-5 when the pair faced off in the Washington Open last month. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open for the second consecutive year, tournament organisers confirmed to US media on Aug 4. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has opted out of the US Open warm-up tournament following consecutive semi-final exits at the French Open and Wimbledon, where he was defeated on both occasions by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Djokovic also withdrew from Cincinnati in 2024 as defending champion not long after his triumph in the singles event at the Paris Olympics. The US Open will take place from Aug 24 to Sept 7 in New York. AFP, REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Los Angeles FC agree to terms with Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-Min: Reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-Min applauding fans after playing his last game for the club on Aug 3. LOS ANGELES – Son Heung-min, who spent 10 seasons with Tottenham Hotspur and stars for the South Korea national team, has a deal in place to join Los Angeles FC (LAFC), according to multiple reports. LAFC will pay a transfer fee of around US$26 million (S$33.5 million), GiveMeSport and ESPN reported, which would break the Major League Soccer record of US$22 million that Atlanta United paid to acquire Emmanuel Latte Lath last off-season. Son, 33, announced over the weekend that he planned to leave Tottenham, saying he achieved everything that he could with the north London club and he was interested in a new challenge. Tottenham faced Newcastle United in a friendly in Seoul, which served as Son's farewell match. He received a standing ovation and a guard of honour and said he had 'a huge respect and am very grateful' to his old club. Son scored 172 goals and added 94 assists in 451 matches for Tottenham across all competitions, with 127 coming in the English Premier League. As captain, he helped the Spurs win the 2025 Europa League for the first major trophy of his career. He previously played in Bundesliga for Hamburger SV and Bayer Leverkusen. Son has also scored 51 goals in 134 matches for South Korea and is the country's second-leading scorer of all time. Son played in the past three World Cups. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 'She had a whole life ahead of her': Boyfriend mourns Yishun fatal crash victim World Israel says it will allow controlled entry of goods into Gaza via merchants Singapore Singapore-made bot matchmakes strangers virtually – without profile photos Life Urinary issues: Enlarged prostate affects half of men in their 50s and up Business Lendlease Reit to sell office component of Jem to Keppel for $462 million Singapore Conditional warning for ex-manager at Mendaki accused of trying to obtain laptop as bribe In LAFC – who also signed Scottish defender Ryan Porteous from Watford on Aug 4 – Son is joining a decorated Major League Soccer side who are vying for another play-off berth. Los Angeles (10-6-6, 36 points) are sixth in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Czech striker Patrik Schick has extended his contract with Son's former team Leverkusen through to 2030, the Bundesliga club announced on Aug 4. Schick, 29, was an integral part of Leverkusen's unbeaten German domestic double-winning squad in the 2023-24 season. Since joining the Werkself in 2020, Schick has netted 81 times in 168 appearances in all competitions, as well as laying on 12 assists. Under the tutelage of now-departed coach Xabi Alonso, Schick contributed vital goals on numerous occasions as Leverkusen became the first club to win the Bundesliga without losing a match. He also lifted the German Cup and German Super Cup in 2024. 'I want to and will continue to contribute goals, that's my strength. In addition, I'm also looking to being a key part of the rebuild into a new team capable of winning trophies,' said Schick. The forward's decision to extend his contract bucks the trend of departures this summer from the Bundesliga runners-up. Alonso left to coach Real Madrid, and has been followed out the door by star playmaker Florian Wirtz, as well as Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka and Jonathan Tah. 'With the rebuild in the next cycle at Bayer 04 we see Patrik as a motor of development,' said managing director of sport Simon Rolfes. 'He combines top-quality ability and an exceptional goal return with international experience and he will give the squad the necessary stability and structure.' Former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has replaced Alonso in the Leverkusen hot-seat as the club start down a new path. He and Schick will be supported in that project by the recent arrivals of centre-backJarell Quansah from Liverpool, goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Brentford and American creative midfielder Malik Tillman. Elsewhere in Germany, Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus returned to training on Aug 4 following his weeks-long suspension and publicly apologised about a video in which he had appeared to mock the Bundesliga club's sporting director Roland Virkus. Neuhaus was fined and suspended for four weeks in early July. In a video posted on social media last month, 28-year-old former Germany international Neuhaus could be seen talking to several people wearing Gladbach kits about Virkus, who he called 'the worst manager in the world'. REUTERS, AFP
