(Milan Kwee in 2016)
Milan Kwee is best known as a Senior sports administrator, who served not only the Singapore Taekwondo Federation, but also the World Taekwondo Federation.
Taekwondo was virtually unknown in Singapore during the late colonial period and during the time of merger with Malaysia (1963 – 1965). It is believed that Choi Hong Hi, who was the only 9th Dan Black Belt, introduced Tae-Kwon-Do (TKD) to Singapore in about 1961. The Singapore Taekwondo Association (STKDA) itself was founded in 1963.
Milan Kwee was one of the pioneer local champions, winning multiple national titles and was a medalist in the early Asian Taekwondo Championships.
In 1970, when Han Cha Kyo, a seventh Dan Black Belt from the International Taekwondo Federation was the chief Instructor of the Tae-Kwon-Do Association and Minister for Social Affairs Othman bin Wok was the Association’s Patron, Milan Kwee was contesting the heavyweight division. This was a time when there was government concern about the rapid growth of martial arts skills that could be used for criminal or subversive reasons. It was necessary for black belt holders to be screened to establish their discipline and therefore their credibility.
In 1971, when a new Council had taken over administration of the STKDA, Milan was elected to be the Assistant Secretary. This was the beginning of his long-lasting career as a sports administrator. He remained competitive. In December 1971, he became the overall champion as a Black Belt 2nd Dan at the third Singapore Tae-Kwon-Do Championships.
In 1973, the Singapore Taekwondo Federation decided to send four representative heavyweights, to the First World Taekwondo championships to be held in Seoul, Korea. Milan Kwee was one of the selected combatants. As one of the leading active participants, it was taken for granted that he would also step in and act as a judge in local and international competitions.
In March 1976, Milan was involved in major steps to streamline the growth of Taekwondo in Singapore, here. Gradings were usually conducted by the Taekwondo clubs which were affiliated to the Federation. The system was replaced by a centralised system conducted by a Board of Examiners. And Milan Kwee one of the nine examiners identified to run the system.
His reputation as a top class and well-respected examiner led him to widen his responsibilities through writing. A handbook for national referees was published in 1982.
Milan Kwee and Lim Teong Chin were the co-authors.
Milan became the president of Singapore Taekwondo Federation, from 1983-1984 and then again from 2004 to 2018. He was the recipient of a Singapore Sports Council Commendation Award in 1983. Part of his responsibility was to identify promising members of the Federation to spend time training in South Korea. His reputation as an administrator led him to become an Executive Board member of the ASEAN Taekwondo Federation in 2005.
In 2012, he was elected as an executive committee member of the Singapore National Olympic Council. And he represented the National Sports Associations from 2012 until 2018. It was the first time a representative from Taekwondo had held that position. He served as a member of the Competition Supervisory Board at the 2012 London Olympics and was a member of the Games Selection Committee.
Mr. Milan Kwee, the President of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) was elected as an Executive Committee, or Council, member of the Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC). It marked the first time in the history of the SNOC that a taekwondo or a martial arts member was included in the Council.
With the SNOC, he took on a range of other responsibilities :
- Chairman of the Special Training Assistance Committee
- Member of the Singapore Sports Awards Selection Committee
- Member of the Affiliation Committee
- Member of the Marketing Committee
In acknowledgement for his extensive contributions towards the growth of Taekwondo, Milan was awarded Seoul honorary citizenship in 2016. The following year, he was made the Chef de Mission of the Singapore contingent at the 2017 SEA Games held in Kuala Lumpur.
Perhaps the most significant accolade occurred in June 2018 when he became one of the four Singapore National Olympic Council Vice-presidents.
This article was contributed by Dr Nick Aplin. He is an Englishman and a PR of Singapore, who has observed sport here from close range for more than 30 years. He is the number one fan of his wife (a Badminton champion), his eldest son (a Football international) his second son (an ASEAN age-group Chess champion) and his third son (a SEA Games Bronze medallist).
Follow us on Telegram for more news and updates.
Related Articles
Related Topics
Recent Events & Programmes
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Topics
[BlogPost 162233592997 Gritty Lions Suffer Loss to China, BlogPost 162089384371 On Your Mark, Get Ready, Go Running, BlogPost 161670652697 Lions' Excellent Showing Against China, BlogPost 161435270031 Ogura Optimistic for Exciting Clash against China, BlogPost 161127614758 The Future of Basketball in Singapore: Why 3x3 is Here to Stay, BlogPost 161033673012 The Active Lifestyler's Guide to the New ActiveSG Delta Sport Centre, BlogPost 161128356680 Grand New Champions Crowned at WTT Singapore Smash 2024, BlogPost 160844835218 NSG 2024 Table Tennis: C Div Boys Pool Round, BlogPost 160210745115 NSG 2024 Basketball: Senior Div Girls Tampines Primary School vs Frontier Primary School, BlogPost 159881180544 Whirlwind Return to Women's Football, BlogPost 159633541417 Singapore Smash to Elevate a New Legacy, BlogPost 158983580420 NSG 2024 Rugby: B Div Damai Secondary School vs Peirce Secondary School, BlogPost 159003960202 SFA Fiesta: Kicking off 2024 to a Roaring Start, BlogPost 158830735126 NSG 2024 Football: B Div Girls Preliminary Round Meridian Secondary School VS Bowen Secondary School, BlogPost 158536989718 Team Nila Volunteers Recognized At Awards Ceremony, BlogPost 158270107806 NSG 2024 Hockey: B Div Boys Preliminary Round Raffles Institution VS St. Hilda Secondary School, BlogPost 157966862615 NSG 2024 Floorball: B Division Preliminary Rounds Kick Off!, BlogPost 157562433712 What Is Safe Sport?, BlogPost 157559446197 Sengkang Secondary: Cultivating Well-Rounded Footballers, BlogPost 157368261167 New National Training Centre for Cricket at West Coast Ground, BlogPost 155340164987 Active Ageing with Joey Bonifacio, BlogPost 155930815517 Inaugural Singapore Youth League kicks off from 24th February 2024, BlogPost 155340164727 Bukit Canberra : the Coolest Spot in the North, BlogPost 155368905255 How Padang Fandi Inspired Ayden to Chase his Dream, BlogPost 154755572826 Ageing Backwards with Elizabeth Cheang, BlogPost 154094657315 Running For Fitness, BlogPost 153318636178 Excitement Builds for FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2024, BlogPost 153198644247 World's Top Four Confirmed for 2024 HSBC Women's World Championship, BlogPost 149413941770 Cultivating Your Kids’ Interest in the Outdoors, BlogPost 149413941163 Making Sport More Appealing for Our Kids, BlogPost 149412549409 Solo Or Team Sport – Choosing the Best for Your Child, BlogPost 151197478798 Former Lions Stalwart Baihakki Khaizan Sheds Light on New Accreditation to Elevate Grassroots Football and Youth Development, BlogPost 80703591291 New Year, Fitter You! Here are the top 3 workouts for the New Year, BlogPost 81171151456 7 Reasons Why Sports are Great for Children’s Mental Health, BlogPost 80542065330 17 Best Yoga Classes & Studios in Singapore [+ Rating & Prices], BlogPost 149404351798 From Brush to Lens: A Student's Journey in the World of Art and Sports Photography, BlogPost 149402825063 The Benefits of Active Parenting, BlogPost 149397832009 Sweden Claim 9th Straight Gold at the Women's World Floorball Championship, BlogPost 149397831449 Lion City Sailors Win 2023 Singapore Cup, BlogPost 148511324266 Pitch Perfect with Jonathan Teo, BlogPost 148511724402 Seniors: Increase your flexibility bit by bit with these stretches, BlogPost 147866574167 A Valuable Experience In Spain for Singapore's National Development Centre U-14 Boys, BlogPost 146915317264 How one magical Kallang night changed the lives of Abirami and Daania forever, BlogPost 80700409988 Strength Training for Seniors, BlogPost 137536455174 Age Gracefully, Start Strength Training, BlogPost 145856643584 FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers: Singapore vs Korea Republic, BlogPost 144608971564 ActiveSG Football Academy sets up centralised development centres to broaden base for young players, BlogPost 144605361831 Hafiz Osman & sons' love affair with the beautiful game, BlogPost 137536455236 The Golden Years, BlogPost 142676085686 Singapore crowned Mirxes Nations Cup 2023 Champions!]