Marc Tay

Marc Tay Tze-Hsin (1959/1960 – 15 August 2023) was a Singaporean competitive swimmer and ophthalmologist. He broke the national under-17 100-metre freestyle record in April 1977 and was named Sportsboy of the Year by the Singapore Sports Council. Tay represented Singapore in swimming at four editions of the biennial SEA Games. As an eye surgeon, he served as part of the Singapore Armed Forces' medical team in Riyadh during the Gulf War. Tay later worked at the Singapore National Eye Centre, before founding his own clinic. In 2014, Tay was convicted, fined and suspended from practising for failing to report undisclosed income.

Career Swimming Tay began swimming at the age of eight. He attended Anglo-Chinese Junior College and was coached by Lenn Wei Ling and Wee Moh Nam. In April 1977, Tay broke the national 100-metre freestyle record for his under-17 age group by 0.22 seconds with a time of 56.08 seconds. In Kuala Lumpur, Tay finished third in the 100-metre freestyle.

In September 1982, Singapore Amateur Swimming Association (SASA) secretary Woon Sui Kut claimed that Tay had qualified for the 100-metre freestyle at the year's Asian Games with a time of 54 seconds. Both SASA vice-president Fong Hoe Beng and Tay himself rejected Woon's claim; Tay added that he had not put up a time of 54 seconds in the 100-metre freestyle since 1978. Tay's competitive swimming career ended the same year. Overall, he represented Singapore at four editions of the SEA Games and secured two golds, three silvers, and three bronzes.

Sometime before February 2009, the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) began investigating the matter, which was eventually brought to court. Tay was charged with eleven counts of misappropriating funds and one count of violating the Companies Act. On 26 February 2014, Chief District Judge See Kee Oon ruled against Tay and fined him S$32,000.

Personal life and death Like his father, who was an electrical engineer, Tay enjoyed motorcycling in his free time.

Tay died on 15 August 2023, at the age of 63. Former national swimmer Patricia Chan described Tay as "always very helpful, a very giving chap".