Singapore, April 27, 2020: Singapore sports icon and lawyer Annabel Pennefather died on Monday, April 27 at the age of 72, reports Channel News Asia.
Ms Pennefather was a former Vice President of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and former President of the Singapore Hockey Federation as well as a consultant in sports law.
A former national hockey player, she became the first woman to be elected as Vice President of Singapore NOC in 2002, a position she held until she stepped down in 2018.
Singapore NOC President Tan Chuan-Jin said the council was "deeply saddened" by Ms Pennefather's death.
"Annabel was one of the pioneer women sports administrators in Singapore and was very passionate in championing the Olympic movement and women in sports," Mr Tan said.
"Her contribution was not limited to Singapore. We are grateful for all that she has poured in, and will miss her greatly," he added.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the Singapore Hockey Federation said Ms Pennefather had served as President of the federation from 2004 to 2012 and had brought the men's Junior World Cup to Singapore in 2009.
“The Singapore Hockey Federation and our fraternity today mourns the passing of Ms Annabel Pennefather, who was one of our past Presidents,” the hockey federation said.
“As an outstanding official, she led the way internationally in officiating and administration. In 1996 and 2000, Annabel was the Technical Delegate for the Women’s Competition at the Olympic Games and she also served as Vice President of the Asian Hockey Federation and Vice President of the International Hockey Federation.”
As a player, Annabel captained the national team and played for Girls Sports Club and Singapore Cricket Club.
The Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) said Ms Pennefather was a "pioneering sports administrator".
In a Facebook post on Monday, the council said Ms Pennefather was due to be inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in March, but the ceremony was postponed to March next year due to the COVID-19 situation. She will be inducted then, the council said.
The Singapore Swimming Association said her impact on the Singapore sporting community would never be forgotten.
The daughter of two national hockey players - her father captained Singapore at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne - Ms Pennefather started playing the sport at a young age.
She represented Singapore in 1964 and would go on to play for the country for the next 15 years, until 1979.
She served as Chef de Mission for Singapore at the 2004 Olympics, the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2010, the 2006 Asian Games and the 2013 SEA Games.