spexEducation Athlete Stories

Olympian Ryan Lo – Team Singapore Sailor

Degree in International Business, James Cook University Singapore

Ryan Lo claimed a gold medal in the 2025 SEA Games Men's ILCA 7 event, and achieved 14th place at the 2025 ILCA 7 World Championship in Qiandao, China, securing the best Asian result at this LA 2028 qualification event. He previously also claimed a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games.

Ryan is currently pursuing a degree in International Business at James Cook University Singapore (JCUS), having previously completed his first year at Erasmus University in the Netherlands. His main challenge was finding an educational pathway that would accommodate his demanding training schedule and frequent overseas competitions whilst allowing him to continue his academic pursuits.

When Ryan engaged with the spexEducation Programme Office (spexEd PO), we connected him with JCUS, a spexEducation partner committed to implementing athlete-friendly practices for their student-athletes. JCUS recognised his prior undergraduate education and accepted him into their Business degree programme, enabling him to complete his studies in less than 18 months.

JCUS has been exceptionally supportive of Ryan's sporting career, providing flexibility for leave of absence from tutorials and lectures during training camps and competitions. The university also equipped him with online syllabi for reference whilst travelling for competitions and awarded him a 50% scholarship. This arrangement has enabled Ryan to pursue academic excellence while continuing to compete at the highest levels of international sailing.

Reflecting on his journey, Ryan shared: "spexEd PO has helped me in reaching out to universities to facilitate the process of choosing a university and finding out the various support schemes available to balance between academics and sports. Through the various partnerships with respective universities, I was able to get a lot of information to help with my decision to choose a university best suited for both sporting and academic excellence."

Ardi Azman - Team Singapore Swimmer

Diploma in Marketing, Temasek Polytechnic

Ardi Azman is our national swimmer who is a freestyle specialist, and has won a gold medal in the 2025 SEA Games Men's 4X100M Freestyle Relay Final, and a bronze medal in the Men's 4X200M Freestyle Relay Final. He completed his Diploma in Marketing at Temasek Polytechnic (TP) in 2024.

Following his 'O' levels in 2020, Ardi was determined to pursue marketing studies without compromising his swimming pursuits. He sought an educational pathway that would support both his academic ambitions and his swimming commitments.

When Ardi approached the spexEducation Programme Office (spexEd PO) with his aspirations to pursue a Diploma in Marketing, we connected him with TP, a spexEducation partner committed to implementing athlete-friendly practices for student-athletes. After discussions between TP and spexEd PO, Ardi successfully applied and was accepted into the programme.

TP has been exceptionally supportive of Ardi's sporting career, demonstrating flexibility by allowing him to drop modules during competition-heavy semesters and pick them up subsequently. The polytechnic scheduled his classes during the middle of the day to avoid conflicts with his morning and evening training sessions, and assigned a dedicated mentor who coordinated with his lecturers to ensure appropriate support. When away for training camps, TP provided recorded lectures, and made lecturers available for video calls to address queries. This comprehensive arrangement enabled Ardi to graduate within the standard timeframe in 2024 whilst maintaining his training commitments and athletic performance.

Ardi is currently serving his national service obligations and looks forward to furthering his university education in 2026. He has been accepted into SMU, another spexEducation partner.

Reflecting on his journey, Ardi shared his appreciation for the comprehensive support he received throughout his polytechnic years, which enabled him to manage both his academic workload and athletic commitments without compromising either pursuit.

Avvir Tham – Team Singapore Diver

Diploma in Sport Science and Management, Integrated Management and Sports College (IMSC)

Avvir Tham is our national diver who claimed double gold at the 2025 SEA Games, winning both the men's 1m and 3m springboard diving events. He has completed his Diploma in Sport Science and Management at the Integrated Management and Sports College (IMSC) in 2024.

Determined to combine his passion for diving while studying sport science and management, Avvir spent 2023 searching for an academic programme that would support his dual ambitions. The key was finding flexibility so that Avvir could also devote to his diving goals and ambitions.

When Avvir approached spexEducation Programme Office (spexEd PO) seeking guidance on educational pathways, we recommended IMSC, a spexEducation partner offering certificate, diploma and degree programmes with partner universities and professional organisations. spexEd PO connected Avvir and his parents with IMSC, and he was impressed by the college's commitment and proven track record of supporting high-performing athletes.

IMSC has been exceptionally supportive of Avvir's sporting career, providing online lessons when he was overseas and holding customised supplementary lessons where needed. The college exercised flexibility in assignment submission deadlines and exam schedules to accommodate his training and competition commitments and made available options for pursuing future degree programmes through their partner universities. This comprehensive arrangement has enabled Avvir to excel academically whilst achieving his breakthrough performances on the international diving stage.

Reflecting on his journey, Avvir shared: "IMSC embraced my sporting commitments as part of holistic development. The college's flexible framework allowed me to switch to online classes during competitions, adjust submission deadlines around my sporting schedule, and access supplementary catch-up sessions. They weren't just hands-off - they actively helped me succeed. When I was overseas competing, I could still attend lessons online during my off days."

Keyon Loo - Team Singapore Fencer    

Diploma in Sport and Wellness Management, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)

Keyon Loo is one of our Team Singapore Fencers and he earned bronze at the 2024 Istanbul Junior World Cup in fencing and is currently pursuing a Diploma in Sport and Wellness Management at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), with graduation planned for 2027.

Determined to excel both as an elite fencer and as a student, Keyon needed to find ways to integrate his intensive training schedule with the academic commitments of his diploma programme without compromising either pursuit.

When Keyon consulted spexEducation Programme Office (spexEd PO), we worked closely with him to understand his sporting aspirations and academic goals. spexEd PO subsequently coordinated discussions involving Keyon, his personal mentor and course manager at NYP, and his National Sports Association’s High-Performance Manager (NSA HPM) to develop an academic plan that would best support his training and competition schedule.

NYP, a spexEducation partner, is committed to implementing athlete-friendly practices and played a key role in supporting this arrangement. The lecturers from NYP’s Diploma in Sport and Wellness Management have been instrumental in helping Keyon integrate his sporting and academic commitments. His study programme was customised to allow for maximum full-time training while continuing to meet curriculum requirements. His Year 3 modules were planned around periods with lower competition demands to enable completion of compulsory modules, and selected modules were deferred with an extension of his course duration to provide greater flexibility for training and competition.

Reflecting on his journey, Keyon shared that the guidance and coordination provided by spexEd PO were integral to helping him pursue excellence in both sport and studies, enabling him to work towards his aspirations as a Team Singapore fencer without compromising his education: “I consulted the spexEducation team after the advice from others. Initially, the spexEd PO officer sat down with me to listen to my sporting aspirations and my ideal plans with regards to school. We worked together in planning possible options.  Subsequently, the officer helped coordinate a meeting with my personal mentor and course manager at NYP,  my NSA's HPM and myself to help plan my academic calendar to best facilitate my training and competition schedule. Their help has been integral to me achieving my aspirations in both study and sport.”

Diyanah Aqidah – Team Singapore Taekwondo (TKD) Athlete

Bachelor of Sports Studies & Marketing (Hons) Degree, University of Stirling (UK) offered through SIMGlobal Education, Singapore

Diyana Aquidah is our national Taekwondo athlete specialising in Poomsae, and won 2025 SEA Games Gold in the Mixed Poomsae Pair. She graduated with first-class honours from the University of Stirling's Sports Studies and Marketing degree programme (offered through SIM Global Education) in 2025, where she was named class valedictorian.

Having completed her Higher NITEC from ITE in 2021, Diyana was determined to pursue higher education in sports marketing while maintaining her commitment to elite Taekwondo competition. She needed to find pathways that could accommodate the unpredictable demands of international training camps and competitions.

Diyanah applied for the scholarship and after a round of interviews, Diyanah secured a scholarship from the University of Stirling. The University of Stirling demonstrated exceptional flexibility in accommodating Diyanah's Taekwondo commitments. When she needed to travel overseas for competitions and training camps, the university provided recorded lectures and seminars to ensure she never missed crucial academic content. spexEd PO coordinated closely with university administrators to facilitate online examinations, allowing Diyanah to complete assessments while travelling internationally. Clear guidelines for leave of absence applications enabled proper planning and coordination between her intensive training schedule and studies.

This comprehensive support enabled Diyanah to achieve remarkable success in both academic and sporting arenas, graduating with first-class honours and as class valedictorian in 2025 whilst maintaining her training commitments and achieving gold medal success at the 2025 SEA Games.

Reflecting on her journey, Diyanah shared: "Both spexEd PO and the University of Stirling administrators listened to my specific needs and helped me achieve my education goals while pursuing sport. Their customised and responsive approach helped me tremendously."