Soh Rui Yong Challenges Ashley Liew To Donate S$180K To Bring Saga To An End
One would have thought that the defamation case involving runners Soh Rui Yong and Ashley Liew would’ve concluded with Soh’s recent unsuccessful appeal.
Soh Rui Yong Loses Appeal Against Defamation Suit, Ordered To Pay Additional S$18K
However, that doesn’t appear to be the case just yet.
On Tuesday (5 Apr), Soh issued a challenge via his Facebook page, urging Ashley Liew to donate the S$180,000 in damages he received to Singapore sports. This will apparently allow Liew to prove his level of sportsmanship.
Soh reasoned that a large portion of the sum had come from public donations and that doing such a “good deed” will put a nice end to the whole saga.
Soh Rui Yong challenges Ashley Liew to donate S$180k in damages
According to Soh’s blog post on Tuesday (5 Apr), Soh issued an “open challenge” to Ashley Liew — a fellow runner whom he had been embroiled in a defamation suit with since 2019.
According to Soh, a sum of about S$320,000 had been paid out to Liew comprising S$180,000 in damages and S$140,000 in legal fees.
Soh pointed out that “a lot” of the money had come from public donations via crowdfunding efforts.
As such, Soh urged Liew to donate the S$180,000 in damages as a display of his sportsmanship. He also proposed gestures such as setting up a fund or scholarship that would benefit Singapore athletes.
Soh said doing such a “good deed” will bring a “nice closure” to the unfortunate episode.
The SEA Games champion ended the post by wishing Liew well for his future, regardless of his decision.
Hope this marks the end of the unpleasant episode
It’s never pleasant seeing athletes representing the same country engaged in such a public row.
While it remains unclear if Liew would take up Soh’s challenge, we hope both athletes will put the episode behind them soon and focus on what’s ahead.
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Featured image adapted from Ghana Segaran on Facebook.
