Page 126 - NYAA GAHA 30th Anniversary "Service Beyond Gold"

Helena Wong Kar Mun

Manager, School of Business (Sport Studies)

Institute of Technical Education College Central
NYAA Gold Award Holder (2008 Cohort)

Helena Wong Kar Mun is a pioneering athlete, Games, finishing 8th in the Men’s 55kg category — a
educator, and mentor whose career bridges Olympic feat achieved within just over a year of taking up the
Sport, education, and youth development. Best sport.
known as the first female weightlifter to represent
Singapore at the Olympic Games (London 2012), Helena’s personal sporting journey remains
Helena has since dedicated her life to advancing inspirational. Beyond her Olympic debut, she
sport education, athlete development, and youth represented Singapore at the XIX Commonwealth
leadership, embodying the GAHA ethos of ‘Service Games (2010) and the 26th SEA Games (2011),
Beyond Gold.’ earning recognition as the recipient of the Singapore
Sportswoman Meritorious Award (2013). She also
At the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Helena served as an International Weightlifting Federation
serves as Manager of Sport Studies at ITE College Category 2 Technical Official, officiating at
Central, where she leads curriculum design, industry international competitions, and previously clinched
partnerships, and graduate employability. Since titles at the British Universities Championships (2011)
joining ITE in 2011, she has held diverse roles and British Senior Championships (2010).
across education and corporate affairs, consistently
championing applied learning, career readiness, and Her commitment to service began early when
leadership development for her students. she received the NYAA Gold Award (2006) for her
leadership in organising a Mount Ophir expedition
Beyond the classroom, Helena plays a pivotal role in and participating in the OBS Sabah programme.
Singapore’s sporting ecosystem. As Vice-President of Since then, she has remained a strong advocate for
the Singapore Weightlifting Federation, she oversees youth leadership, outdoor education, and women in
national strategy, governance, and athlete pathways. sport, inspiring young people to pursue excellence
A certified Olympic Weightlifting Coach and Coach while giving back to their communities.
Developer, she designed the COACHSG Level 1 and
Level 2 Integrated Programmes (Weightlifting), Through her groundbreaking achievements as
securing national grants and raising the standards an athlete and her unwavering dedication as
of coaching education. She also mentors emerging an educator and mentor, Helena Wong Kar Mun
athletes, integrating sport science and holistic continues to shape Singapore’s sporting and youth
development into high-performance training. leadership landscape.

Her impact is evident through her work with the
National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI), where she
contributed to the Talent Optimisation Programme.
Notably, she coached David Mok, who represented
Singapore at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth

124 30 Years of Service and Leadership