Arumugam Vijiaratnam

Dr. Arumugam Vijiaratnam (born 24 August 1921) is the only Singaporean who has represented Singapore in four sports — hockey, cricket, football and rugby — doing so from 1946 to 1956.[1][2] He also holds the distinction of being the first Singaporean engineer.

Vijiaratnam represented Singapore at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games in hockey, where he was instrumental in the 6-1 rout of the United States.[3]

Vijiaratnam studied in Victoria School from 1937 to 1940.[4] He was one of the first government scholars to demonstrate that sports and studies could be balanced successfully. He was awarded government scholarships to study engineering at Kuala Lumpur Technical College in 1941 and Brighton College of Advanced Technology in 1950 where he graduated with an engineering degree. He captained the hockey and cricket teams at the Brighton College of Advanced Technology.

After he returned to Singapore in 1953, he worked for the Public Works Department and Port of Singapore Authority (PSA). He retired from the PSA as the director of engineering at the age of 75. He became the first Pro-Chancellor of Nanyang Technological University in 1992 and served until 2005.

References

  1. ↑ "More training is needed...". The Straits Times. 6 January 1973. p. 14.
  2. ↑ Ong, Terence (12 October 2014). "8 Singapore sporting pioneers you may not have heard of". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  3. ↑ 'http://www.youth.sg/content/view/3969/ Singapore - Man for All Seasons, Arumugam Vijiaratnam'
  4. ↑ Speech by President S R Nathan at the 130th Anniversary and Official Opening of the Victoria School New Campus at Siglap Link, 22 July 2006

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