Mark Chay Jung Jun (simplified Chinese: 蔡荣俊; born 18 February 1982)[1] is a Singaporean Nominated Member of Parliament and freestyle swimmer who has represented the country at the Summer Olympics
| Full Name: | Mark Chay Jung Jun |
| National Team: | Singapore |
| Birth Date: | 18 February 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Singapore |
Mark Chay Jung Jun Mark Chay was born and raised in Singapore, where he developed a passion for swimming at a young age. He attended Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College. Chay's notable abilities in the pool earned him a scholarship to Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah
At BYU, he continued to maintain his rank in swimming while getting a degree in Communications. While at the university, he became the Mountain West Conference Champion. Chay graduated with a degree in Communications
Chay is currently the chief development officer of Global Esports Federation, a non-governmental organisation headquartered in Singapore that promotes esports.[2]
Chay's international debut came at the 1997 Southeast Asian Games.[3] Over the next eight years, he competed in seven SEA Games. In addition to his SEA Games success, Chay represented Singapore in two Olympic Games: Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, the Asian Games in Bangkok 1998 and Busan 2002, and the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur 1998 and Manchester 2002.[4]
Chay's performance in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, positioned him as the top Asian swimmer in the 200m freestyle event during that year.[5] In 2005, Chay concluded his swimming career at the 2005 SEA Games, where he retired from international competition.
Chay retired from swimming in July 2007.[6]
Chay was previously the head coach of X Lab, a swimming academy.[7]
Chay was appointed as Singapore's chef de mission for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games held at Nanjing, China and also one of the two deputy chefs de mission for the 2017 SEA Games held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In June 2022, Chay was elected to the president of Singapore Aquatics for a two-year term.
On 14 January 2021, Chay was chosen as one of the 9 Nominated members of parliament (NMP) for the 14th Parliament of Singapore, which began on 21 January 2021.[8] After his appointment was announced, Chay said that he intends to speak on sports as an agent of social change and a way to unify a nation, prompted by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Singapore's sports scene. In addition, Chay plans to speak on economic issues too.[9] [10]
Chay is married to Joanna Seetoh and they have a daughter.[11]
In March 2024, Chay was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia.