COVER BOYS

By Jeannette Xavier

Need some good looking guys? Try those from Team Singapore and you can’t go wrong. That seems to be the working formula for magazine editors in search of eye candy as swimmer Parker Lam (pictured) and basketball player Hong Wei Jian become the latest TS athletes to hog the limelight with their appearance as Cleo’s cover boys.

Athlete As Model
They are hardly the first to take this road. Sprinter Colin Wee made it all the way as an international super model. Swimmer Leslie Kwok was among those who pioneered the "athlete as model" path. Fellow swimmer Mark Chay and water polo player Marcus Ng have also graced the covers of magazines. In the past, Leslie, Marcus and water polo players Lim Yao Xiang and Kevin Teo were also identified by Cleo as among its "eligible bachelors".

Polo Boys
Yet another "polo boy" Yip Renkai won the title in the mypaper executive LOOK 2008 contest. Teammate Paul Tan, talent spotted at a model search in 2002, has been featured in a number of advertisements, including a TV commercial for online job search portal Monster.com.

More Than Looks
But TS athletes aren’t just about looks. For a start, they excel in their respective sports. Many also have their hearts in the right places. Athletes like Mark, Marcus and Ren Kai, for instance, have been involved in the various initiatives undertaken by the TS Editorial to reach out to the young in schools, ITEs and tertiary institutions.