The 17-year-old world champion is among the favourites to win gold in Paris.
Max Maeder celebrating after winning the men's kitefoiling gold medal at the Asian Games in Ningbo on Sept 27, 2023.
Even before he makes his Olympic debut, Maximilian’s record speaks for itself, as Mr Tong said: “We always look at the long term trajectory and development potential of our athletes. In fact, we look at it beyond just the next Olympic cycle, we look to two cycles at least. In the case of Max Maeder, he has done very well. He’s now double world champion, the European Champion, won Asian Games gold last year.
Citing former badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew, who enlisted early, and swimmer Jonathan Tan, who qualified for Paris 2024 while serving national service, Tong added that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth works together with Mindef to build a range of programmes to support the training and competition needs for those who are not on long-term deferment.
The deferment is welcome news for Maximilian, who turns 18 on Sept 12, as he can focus on preparing for another Formula Kite medal tilt at Los Angeles 2028. His parents, Valentin Maeder and Teng Hwee Keng, said: “It is reassuring to receive this news ahead of the Olympics. We are grateful for the opportunity for Max to continue to represent Singapore with a peace of mind and with continued dedication.
He has won the Youth World Championships thrice in a row since 2021 to match his three back-to-back Sportsboy of the Year awards since 2022.
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