Para Sailor Spotlight - Q&A with Jovin Tan

Jovin’s condition means that mobility below the neck is severely limited and before finding sailing he would often spend most of his time at home, either in bed or watching television. That was until he was 15. He has been attending camps run by the Asian Women’s Welfare Association since the age of two, and they referred him to the Singapore Disability Sports Council where there was a sailing programme.

The rest, as they say, is history.

He was one of the first Singaporean sailors to ever participate in the Paralympic Games and has gone on to compete in four; Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 where he finished eighth with teammate Desiree Lim in the SKUD 18, London 2012 where they finished one better in seventh, and Rio 2016.

When did you start sailing?

I started sailing in 2001 through an introduction by the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC). I just wanted to use sailing as an escape from home because my bad-tempered father wasn’t able to accept my disability; every weekend he was the one taking care of me while my mother was at work. It is a good thing that sailing came into the picture, because there were volunteers who were able to take the sailors to and from the training.

Sailing has changed my life a lot since then, and a lot of people’s perspectives. The greatest fear was that I wasn’t able to swim but I didn’t think much about it or representing Singapore or even wanting to do well. I just used it as an escape at the weekends.

I started sailing with the Hansa 2.3s, because that was the only boat we had at the time. In Athens 2004 Singapore was a wildcard, and we had a selection locally. I was chosen as the helm, and we used the Sonar. Our target was just to finish the races within the time, even if we finished last. We managed this and didn’t always come last. Second last… but it was still a huge achievement.

Who is your biggest supporter? 

Without the support from the SDSC, the volunteers and especially my family members. My sibling was not mature enough, at the time, to understand my disability but I managed to change the mentality of my sister and she became a volunteer, a care-giver to me, and has travelled to a lot of places with me because I was with the elite team preparing for the Paralympic Games.

And not forgetting my coach, Edward Yao, who did not expect me to be able to excel. He was thinking about getting the Servo Assisted boat for me, as I cannot bring my hands to my mouth. I am very competitive; I can see how sailing has changed my life mentally and physically. All of these people are very important to me.

Until today, I continue to learn from my coach. He has been a mentor to me throughout. He always wanted me to try my best and wouldn’t let the others help me. I often wondered why he would do this, but at Athens 2004 there was a moment where the volunteers were all busy and I had to do it by myself so then I realised why he was training me to be tough.

What is your biggest strength?

I have developed the mentality to never give up. I think it is most important in sailing. You are dealing with elements beyond your control and have to make the best use of what you have. Sometimes, when there is no wind, you have to make things happen rather than waiting. Sailing has taught me a lot of lessons. I also never use my disability as an excuse. If I need more time, then I need to work my way back earlier.

There is still a lot to learn because every time on the water it is different. We are still quite inexperienced as a team, and it is difficult to judge where we stand. In time, greater exposure to other environments will help us. The key is repetition, as we compete more and more, we will get better and better.

How important do you think the Para Sailing Development Program (PDP) is to help develop Para Sailing across the region?

I think this program is very good and of great value for countries without a Para Sailing programme so far, as well as those with a new program that just needs to be tweaked to improve. The perception is there is a lot to do, and they don’t know how to do it, but the PDP helps to open the mind and talk to people to share what is required and how to help the sailors.

If Para Sailing is reinstated for LA28, would you try to qualify for your fifth Games?

If sailing is back in the Paralympic Games I would want to campaign. Sailing is in my blood. I feel that this absence is temporary. I am trying to upgrade myself to become a national race officer and a national judge. If Para Sailing is not in the Paralympic Games I can be involved in sailing in events or on the jury, but the pathway is challenging.