Singapore to host first ever Asian leg of World Para Swimming World Series
Singapore para swimmers will be looking forward to May, when they will have a major competition on home soil for the first time since the 2015 Asean Para Games.
The World Para Swimming (WPS) World Series will host an Asian leg for the first time in its three-year history, and Singapore has been chosen for the honour. The Republic will be the fifth stop of the seven-leg series, which began in Melbourne in February and is set to end in Berlin in June.
More than 150 para swimmers from around the world are expecting to take part in the event from 10-12 May at the Sports Hub’s OCBC Aquatic Centre. The competition will feature a unique points system, which will allow swimmers with different disabilities to swim in the same events, as their results would be compared against their respective classes’ world records for point allocation.
Kelly Fan, executive director of the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), said in a media release on Tuesday (2 April), “One of the key reasons for us to host this series is to promote the understanding of disability sports and para athletes.
“Our para swimmers have been adding to this awareness with their achievements, so this is a rare opportunity for Singapore to witness their hard work up close.”
Upcoming world championships, Paralympics
With the World Para Swimming Championships coming up later this year – as well as next year’s Tokyo Paralympics – Singapore para swimmers such as Toh Wei Soong are looking to put up a good showing to set them on the qualification route for the two prestigious events.
The 20-year-old double gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Para Games told Yahoo News Singapore at a media event in the Sport Singapore office, “Definitely, we will be racing with an eye on getting a good timing so as to qualify for the world championships. And, being just a year away from the Paralympics, this will also be a good gauge for myself to see how I stand among the top swimmers in the world.
“Being on home ground, we know there will be people watching, and hopefully they will be inspired to come down and support us, and leave with a new understanding of the commonalities between sportspeople.”
Toh will be joined by 14 other Singapore para swimmers at the event, including three-time Paralympic gold medallist Yip Pin Xiu, world-record holder Theresa Goh and seven young para swimmers making their debuts in an international para swimming event.
Six-figure sponsorship from Kenn Foundation
Tuesday also saw the announcement of local philanthropic organisation Kenn Foundation as the event’s presenting sponsor. The foundation will be sponsoring $100,000 for the event.
Said its chairman Kenneth Kam, “This is Kenn Foundation’s first sponsorship of a sporting event, and we cannot imagine a better event to be a part of. The impact this event will have on future para athletes…uplifts and inspires us all.”
The foundation will be selling 3,000 plush bears at $20 each at the World Series event, with all proceeds going to the SDSC. The 15 Singapore para swimmers have each been given a plush bear to design an outfit for, and these 15 bears will be auctioned off for fundraising efforts for SDSC’s programmes from 3 April onwards.
Tickets are free for the morning heats and at $2 for the evening finals for the three-day meet. For special schools and social-service organisations, they will receive complimentary tickets for the event. Ticket reservations are available here.
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