Tan wrote a letter to all sports federations in the nation to remind them of their duty to athletes and to sport.

His comments come as high-profile organisations such as the International Association of Athletics Federations and FIFA, world football’s governing body, remain embroiled in corruption and doping crises, while table tennis in Singapore has also faced problems of late.

Yang Chuanning was sacked as coach of the men’s Singaporean table tennis team with just a year to go until Rio 2016 after it was claimed he failed to treat the players equally and struggled to adapt to new training regimes.

“In light of these crises, we must remind ourselves of our purpose and the responsibilities we have on hand, and to conduct ourselves and act above board at all times,” he wrote.

Tan told sports officials in the letter, which he also posted as a blog, to fulfil their duties in a transparent manner by declaring any conflicts of interest and by not abusing their positions for personal gain.

“Our athletes are at the epicentre of the work we do,” he added.

“The decisions we make and the policies we set directly impact our athletes.

“We must continue to help them to develop their sporting potential and if possible, help them to realise their sporting ambitions...and not be disrupted by other irrelevant demands and unnecessary distractions.

“Colleagues, let us continue to promote sports and provide opportunities for our athletes and officials to excel in sport without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit.”

The full letter can be viewed here.

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