Seow steps down after II years, Chen to be fencing chief

When Juliana Seow was asked to run for the position of Fencing Singapore (FS) president in 2013, she never expected herself to stay in the role for over a decade.

- Kimberly Kwek

A year after winning the election, she was diagnosed with Graves' Eye Disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid, with doctors telling her that she could go blind.

Fortunately, the complications of her condition were not as severe as initially feared, and she was able to stay on.

After 11 years, the former national sabreur will be stepping down as president at the association's annual general meeting on Sept 20 after choosing not to run for another term.

She will be replaced by current Fencing Singapore secretary-general and former national fencer David Chen.

Seow, 52, said: "I had made my intentions clear at the last election that this was going to be my last term now that there is more stability in the sport of fencing."

Under Seow's leadership, Singapore's fencers have established themselves as powerhouses in South-east Asia.

At the 2011 SEA Games, Singapore were bottom of the medal table in fencing, with one silver and two bronzes.