Richard Schoon engaged in a variety of sports in his youth, including badminton and boxing, but during the Japanese occupation of Singapore during World War II he was able to remain active by playing field hockey. After the conflict, he worked in various positions alongside the British military presence, but when he heard in 1955 that Singapore was planning to form a field hockey team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, he trained hard to ensure that he made the squad. At the Games, Singapore was eliminated in the preliminary round and classified eighth overall. Domestically, he played both field hockey and soccer with the Singapore Recreation Club. He retired from active competition in 1970 and later served as an umpire and a national-level administrator in both sports.
Singapore