Chia Boon Leong
Chia Boon Leong (simplified Chinese: 谢文龙; traditional Chinese: 謝文龍[1], 1 January 1925 – 20 December 2022) was a Singaporean footballer who competed for China in the 1948 Summer Olympics and for Singapore at the 1954 Asian Games.[2][3] He was known as "twinkletoes" in the football scene.[4]
Chia was born on 1 January 1925 to philanthropist Chia Yew Siang.[5] He grew up in Pasir Panjang, Singapore.[5] Chia attended Pasir Panjang English School and Raffles Institution.[5]
Chia was a founding member of the Pasir Panjang Rovers.[4]
During World War II and the Japanese occupation of Singapore, Chia studied at a Japanese school in Queen Street in late 1942.[4]
In mid-1943, Chia worked in a telegraphy company, where his work consists of sending and receiving messages in morse code.[4] Every day after work, he would go to Jalan Besar Stadium to play football for the Pasir Panjang Rovers.[4] Chia was also part of a Syonan team that travelled to Malaya to play against the state teams.[4]
Chia died on 20 December 2022, at the age of 97.[5]
References
- ^ "本地足球名将"闪电脚"谢文龙逝世 享年97岁". 8world (in Chinese (Singapore)). Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ "Chia Boon Leong". National Library Board Singapore. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Chia Boon Leong". Olympedia. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Gene, Ng Keng (13 February 2022). "Ex-footballer recounts Japanese Occupation years; journey from execution screening to 1948 Olympics". The New Paper. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d Lee, David (21 December 2022). "S'pore's only Olympic footballer 'Twinkletoes' Chia Boon Leong dies at 97 | The Straits Times". The Straits Times. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
External links
- at FIFA (archived)
- Chia Boon Leong at WorldFootball.net
- Chia Boon Leong at Olympics.com
- Chia Boon Leong at Olympedia