Singapore Aquatics targeting at least 20 golds at SEA Games, but also keeping 'bigger picture' targets in mind

SINGAPORE: Traditionally a major contributor of Southeast Asian Games medals, Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) will look to continue in the same vein next month.

Speaking at a media event at the OCBC Aquatics Centre on Monday (Nov 10), SAQ president Kenneth Goh said that a target of at least 20 golds has been set for the 71 athletes expected to compete at the Games in Thailand.

The athletes will compete in artistic swimming, diving, open water swimming, swimming and water polo. Of the 71, 40 are Games debutants, including divers Ainslee Kwang and Ryenne Chan, who are both 14.

This is the first time since the 2017 Games that artistic swimming has been included in a SEA Games programme.

"The SEA Games really serves as a gauge of the state of (the) aquatics ecosystem as we work towards our bigger goals at the Asian Games and the Olympic Games," said Professor Goh.

Games medals are but one indicator of the state of the ecosystem, he added.

"What we are really looking at ... is how this reflects the depth of our pipeline, whether our athletes are on aggregate hitting their personal milestones. And then taking this information and recalibrating their plans towards our future and larger goals and ambitions," he said.

At the last Games held in Cambodia in 2023, Singapore won 23 golds across the various aquatics sports, with 22 from its swimmers and one courtesy of its men's water polo team. This was close to half of the 51 gold medals won by Team Singapore at that event.

"We come up with these estimates by talking to our coaches, the technical directors as well. So it's an educated guess," said Prof Goh. "This is sport, there's always variation in outcomes."

Ultimately, SAQ is not "fixating" on medals, but rather focusing on athletes working