Left to right: Munkhdemberel Togootogtokh, Jovin Tan and Chia-Sheng Liu. Credit: World Boccia
Team Singapore wrapped up an impressive campaign at the Canberra 2025 World Boccia Challenger, held from 3 to 11 November in Canberra, Australia. Paralympic sailor-turned-boccia athlete Jovin Tan scored his first international Boccia medal – a gold nonetheless – while teammate Aloysius Gan clinched silver in the Individual Male BC1 and BC3 events respectively.
Tan, who last competed in the Paralympic Games 2016 in sailing, switched sports to boccia in 2022. Sailing was dropped from the Paralympic Games roster after five editions; Tan had competed in four of the five editions.
Tan’s dedication to training qualified him for his international competition debut at the Manama 2024 World Boccia Challenger, held from 14 to 22 November 2024.
In Canberra, Tan swept through the competition, defeating New Zealand’s Matthew Whiting (15-0), Japan’s Masaki Kanno (11-0), Australia’s Dylan Schwarz (10-1), and Chinese Taipei’s Chia-Sheng Liu (4-3) in the semi-finals, before securing a resounding 9-0 victory over Mongolia’s Munkhdemberel Togootogtokh in the final to capture the gold.
Tan said: “I am truly happy and grateful for this win. It wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication in training, guidance from my coaches, and incredible support from my family, caregiver, employers, and the Singapore Disability Sports Council. This gold medal is not just mine; it’s a team effort.”
“This victory means a lot to me, but I see it as just the beginning of my boccia journey. There’s still so much more to learn, to grow, and to achieve,” added Tan.
Left to right: Aloysius Gan (ACP Eve Cher), Daniel Michel (ACP: A. Maddern) and Alejandro Diaz (ACP: D. Arcas) Credit: World Boccia
In the Individual Male BC3 event, Aloysius Gan and his ramp assistant, Eve Cher, defeated Spain’s Alejandro Diaz (4-3), Australia’s Moustafa Ardati (13-1), India’s Sachin Chamaria (6-1), and Ajeya Raj (7-1) to advance to the finals. Facing the reigning World Number 1, Australia’s Daniel Michel, Gan battled it out before finishing 1-5 to secure a silver medal.
Gan and teammate Elaine Eng, assisted by her ramp assistant Desmond Eng, competed together for the first time in the Pairs BC3 event, marking Elaine’s debut in a pairs event. They defeated pairs from Chinese Taipei (5-2) and Spain (6-4) in the group stage to advance to the semi-finals. The pair narrowly lost to India (3-4) before pitting against Spain again in the bronze medal match, scoring 3-7. The pair bowed out to finish fourth overall.
Tan will be gearing up to make his major games debut in boccia at the Asean Para Games held from 20 to 26 January 2026 in Thailand. He will be joined by Gan, Paralympic medallist Jeralyn Tan, Asian Para Games medallist Nurulasyiqah Mohd Taha as well as Asean Para Games medallist Toh Sze Ning.
