Singapore’s first para swimming relay team to debut at World Series in May
(From L-R): Para swimmers Yip Pin Xiu, Theresa Goh, Eugene Png and Toh Wei Soong will compete in the mixed relay at the Singapore 2019 World Para Swimming World Series.
SINGAPORE — Come next month, para swimmer Eugene Png will make his competitive debut at the Singapore 2019 World Para Swimming World Series at the age of 46.
He is “very nervous” about sharing the stage with some of the world’s best para athletes, but Png is not the only one with butterflies in his stomach.
While his relay teammates Yip Pin Xiu, Theresa Goh and Toh Wei Soong boast decades of experience between them, the veteran swimmers are also feeling the jitters as this is the first time that they will be competing together in a mixed relay event.
The quartet are members of Singapore’s first para swimming relay team, which was put together by swimming legend Ang Peng Siong with the aim of competing at this year’s world championships and the Paralympics.
On competing in the world series at the OCBC Aquatics Centre, held from May 10 to 12, Png said: “That one I really have to give my 200 per cent, because I don't want to disappoint the rest of them.”
Agreeing, Yip Pin Xiu, 27, a three-time Paralympics gold medallist, said that it is “more stressful as everyone plays a part in the team and everyone has to do their best”.
Theresa Goh, 32, who has won multiple medals at the Asean Para Games, agreed. “You can’t control how your teammates perform, unlike individual events where you have full control over your (own performance). Relay is the only way where swimming is a team sport.”
A total of 15 swimmers will represent Singapore at the three-day competition next month, with six international debutants — Png, Colin Soon, Lim Kong Boon, Nicole Fu, Darren Chan and Jazlene Tan — forming part of the squad. More than 100 swimmers from around the world will travel here to compete in the world series.
This is the first time that Singapore is hosting an international para swimming competition and it is the first and only Asian stop on the world series. Singapore is the fifth leg of the series, with the other events held in Australia, Brazil, Britain, Germany, Italy and the United States.
Singapore philanthropic organisation Kenn Foundation was unveiled on Tuesday (April 2) as a major sponsor of the event, pitching in S$100,000 to help the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC), which is organising the event.
“We are honoured to collaborate with SDSC in bringing this event to Singapore, showcasing our athletes as they do our nation proud on the world stage. It is uplifting and inspiring to imagine the impact this event will have on future para athletes and on all of us,” said Mr Kenneth Kam, chairman of the Kenn Foundation.
A three-day coaching and athlete camp and a Technical Official Course will also be held before the world series.
Members of the public will be able to catch the heats of the Singapore 2019 World Para Swimming World Series for free, while tickets to the finals are priced at S$2 each. Special schools and social service organisations will receive complimentary tickets to the event.
Ms Kelly Fan, executive director of SDSC, said: “One of the key reasons for us to host this series is to promote the understanding of disability sports and para athletes. Our hope is to fill the 3,000-pax stands for all three days and have everyone play a part in Team Singapore as we root for our athletes on home ground and welcome the rest of the world.”
All 15 swimmers will also be personalising a plush toy bear, which will be auctioned to raise money for SDSC’s programmes. Kenn Foundation will also donate a limited-edition series of plush bears as part of a fundraising drive for SDSC.
