Singapore volleyball player Jordan Wong signs for Vietnam pro champions Bien Phong

SINGAPORE – At 1.94m, Jordan Wong has already won the battle of the giants in his family.

His father, 10-time SEA Games discus and hammer champion James Wong, is three centimetres shorter, while his mother Jana Lauren – a former German national discus thrower – and older sister Jessica are 1.82m and 1.84m respectively.

Now, he is taking his volleyball career to new heights after signing for Volleyball Vietnam League champions Bien Phong.

The 23-year-old leaves for Ho Chi Minh City on Oct 17 and is set to make his debut when the second phase of the season kicks off from Oct 28 to Nov 8.

He told The Straits Times: “Playing professionally overseas was something I’ve wanted to pursue for a while, so I’m grateful for this opportunity.

“I’m excited to take this next step in my career, gain experience in a different volleyball environment, and see how far I can go as a Singaporean competing overseas.”

After impressing with his performances at the 2025 SEA Games, he was approached by clubs from Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, but could not move owing to his national service which ended on Oct 8.

The opportunity with league leaders Bien Phong came about in August, when he helped Singapore to third place in the ASEAN Army Open volleyball tournament in Vietnam. He was approached by a Vietnam national assistant coach to play in their professional league.

He said: “As this is my first time going overseas to pursue a professional volleyball career, I’m going into it with an open mind. I don’t know exactly what to expect, but my goal is to do the best I can, learn as much as possible from the players around me, and adapt to the level of competition there.

“I also hope to perform well and use this experience as a stepping stone to open up more opportunities in the future, whether that’s in Europe or some of the top leagues in Asia.”

The outside hitter with a spike height of 340cm hails from sporting pedigree.

From 1993 to 2011, James dominated the regional athletics scene with 10 golds in the discus and hammer, while his mum competed at the world championships.

Growing up, Wong tried many sports, including athletics, badminton, basketball, football, gymnastics, swimming and table tennis. He started playing volleyball at 10 and was encouraged by a teacher to continue pursuing it.

Jordan said: “I was choosing between football and volleyball, and the volleyball teacher-in-charge asked me to try it for a week and said I could leave if I didn’t enjoy it. She didn’t let me leave, but okay lah, I enjoyed it.”

After joining a local club, he was invited to a sparring match against the national men’s team when he was only 15. He was recruited for the team and made his SEA Games debut a year later, before going to compete in 2023 and 2025.

“It was a big jump from school volleyball to training alongside players I had looked up to for years. The environment was much more intense and challenging, but it helped me grow tremendously,” he said.

James’ status as a SEA Games legend does not faze Wong.

He said: “Seeing that dedication from such a young age has influenced the way I approach my own sport. It motivates me to keep working hard, to keep improving, and to see how far I can go. I have a lot of respect for what he’s achieved, but ultimately, I want to build my own legacy in volleyball and hopefully achieve something meaningful for Singapore in my own way.”

His parents have also helped in more practical ways, as his dad gives training advice while mum prepares tailor-made gym programmes and does recovery yoga with him.

James told ST that his advice to his youngest child was to “be the great game changer and dare to dream and change the team”, and for him to “enjoy the process – these are life lessons money can’t buy”.

Singapore men’s volleyball coach Wong Wei Zhi, who has seen Jordan’s development in the national team, said: “Besides his physical attributes, Jordan is a very hardworking player who is always finding ways to correct his actions, improve himself and be a better player all round. With opportunities to play in a strong professional league for a longer period of time, he has the potential to get better and go further.”

“And if he does well, it will show others that Singapore also has good volleyball players and open doors for others to play overseas too.”

While the national volleyball teams have won one silver and seven bronzes at the SEA Games, their most recent medal was a women’s team bronze in 2015. The women’s and men’s teams finished fifth and sixth respectively at the last two editions.

With a number of full-time national servicemen, the men’s team’s weekday training sessions are sometimes attended by only half of their 16-man squad, making match play impossible as the players work on individual drills instead.

As they struggle to balance sporting commitments with studies, NS, or day jobs, Jordan noted that a big challenge for Singapore volleyball is “building a sustainable sporting culture where players can continue competing at a high level for a long period of time”.

It is a far cry from the full-time, professional set-ups and strong volleyball culture in powerhouses Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, whose women’s team secured historic Olympic qualification in August.

At the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, Jordan even found himself mobbed by fans wanting to take wefies, gifting him keychains and snacks.

He said: “It is quite surreal because I’m not used to people recognising me in Singapore. Knowing there are supporters who enjoy watching me play gives me even more motivation to keep going and do better.

“It’s great to see an ASEAN team make the Olympics, it shows that teams from our region can make an impact internationally, and it encourages us to not limit what we believe we can achieve.

“I want to continue improving through playing professionally overseas, and contribute to raising the standard and profile of Singapore’s volleyball scene. I hope one day, we can also reach a level where we’re competing more consistently with the top ASEAN teams. It won’t happen overnight, but we should keep working towards that goal.”