Athletes welcome plans to bring more major international sporting events to Singapore

SINGAPORE: Local sports fraternities believe athletes will gain from the government's plans to anchor major global sporting events in Singapore. 

The move will expose national athletes to world-class competitions, allow them to play against international competitors, and build Singapore's brand as a sports tourism destination, said observers.

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced plans to bring more sporting events to Singapore in his Budget speech last Friday (Feb 16).

One such upcoming event is the World Aquatics Championships in 2025.

Singapore Aquatics president Mark Chay said the nation’s swimming community is abuzz with anticipation of the competition, which is being held in Southeast Asia for the first time.

“It will be great exposure for our local athletes or aspiring athletes to see what the world standards are,” he said.

“When you bring the world to Singapore, there is an opportunity to have thought leadership, and symposiums and conferences to share knowledge at various levels.”

Mr Chay said Singapore's selection shows the trust international organisations have in the country’s ability to host large-scale events, even with a short turnaround time.

Next year’s edition of the championships was originally awarded in 2019 to the Russian city of Kazan. Last February, World Aquatics relocated the event to Singapore in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

This gives the city state just two years to organise the sport’s largest event. Over 2,500 athletes from 200 countries are expected to descend upon Singapore’s shores next year to compete across the six aquatic disciplines of swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo.

Mr Chay added that hosting such events will expose