Today's ST...great news!!! Check out the fact that Sailing is the only sport that PM Goh gave his charge of winning a medal at 2008 Olympics. SAILING Banker Low will be 'fully at sea' soon By Marc Lim Sailing body chief to boost the sport after retirement LOW Teo Ping, president of SingaporeSailing, will be retiring from his job as managing director with Swiss bank UBS AG at the end of the month. Although there are many who expect the 55-year-old to ease into the quiet life of retirement, he insists that although he will be retiring from his bank job, he is far from retiring from sports. 'This is my third attempt at retirement and I am glad to say that I am finally successful,' said Low, who has been working in the banking industry for over 30 years. 'It will give me a chance to be led by my heart and not by my head. This will be an opportune time for me to pursue my other interests outside of the banking arena.' Low, who was appointed SingaporeSailing's president last June, will then be able to devote more time to sailing, as well as his other responsibilities. SingaporeSailing will take up to five days of the week, more than double of the time he puts in now. He is also a board member of the Singapore Sports Council, an executive council member of the International Sailing Federation and vice-president of the Automobile Association of Singapore. The extra time that Low has will allow him to guide SingaporeSailing to the next level in its bid to accomplishing its goals, one of which is to win a medal at the 2008 Olympics. And he wants to do it in the best way he knows how. 'SingaporeSailing needs to be very professional and business-like if we want to do well, so I plan to run it the way same I ran the bank,' said Low. 'We will continue to do our business as usual, competing at the highest standards in our region, but we will also embark on some R&D, which if successful, will bring us medals in the 2008 Olympics.' One way Low aims to increase the Republic's chances of an Olympic medal in sailing is to expand the broadbase development of sailors by working closely with the schools and sailing clubs and ensuring that there is continuity among the sailors. The adoption-and-linkage scheme is a programme SingaporeSailing has put in place to help tap the large group of sailors at the Optimist level, which average about 100 to 150 boats. Sailors can sail only in the optimist fleet from the age of seven to 15. With the aid of the adoption-and-linkage scheme, these sailors will either be linked to different classes of boats because of interest or other classes can talent-spot these sailors and adopt them. Other ways that Low intends to professionalise SingaporeSailing is by appointing a CEO to oversee the organisation and help strategise its efforts of achieving its goals. He also plans to implement a bonus scheme to spur the athletes and coaches to greater heights, much like that in a corporation. Likening SingaporeSailing to a pre-IPO company, he estimates that it will take about two years for the organisation to be in full gear. Till then it will be business as usual. Bigger and better A 69 per cent increase in participation, based on registration for next year's National Schools' Sailing Championships. The setting up of two additional fleets, bringing the total to seven, to ensure continuity and transition (in accordance with the adoption-and-linkage scheme).