Young athletes' performance at SEA Games signal ‘bright sporting future’ for Singapore: Official

BANGKOK: The performances of Singapore’s youngsters at the 33rd SEA Games bode well for the future, said High Performance Sport Institute (SSI) chief Su Chun Wei on Saturday (Dec 20).

Speaking at a press conference at the end of the campaign, Dr Su said that he would sum up Singapore’s Games performance as a “dazzling display of youthful promise and veteran excellence”, and added that the young sporting talents signal a “very bright future” for Singapore sports.

Dr Su added that there were “momentous performances” from many emerging talents, including 14-year-old swimmer Julia Yeo and 12-year-old sailor Anya Zahedi.

Pointing out that about 60 per cent of the country's athletes were making their debuts, he added that half of them brought home medals.

“This ... underpins our future for sporting success, especially as Singapore gets ready our push towards SEA Games 2029 which is held back at home. And we want to have extraordinary performances by Team Singapore,” said Dr Su.

“This SEA Games provides us with invaluable exposure for these emerging athletes, building the foundation for future success.”

Singapore ended their Games campaign with a medal haul of 52 gold, 61 silvers and 89 bronzes, fifth on the overall medal table. There were also 12 Games records, 11 national records and 29 personal bests.

At the 2023 Games, Singapore finished with 51 golds, 43 silvers and 64 bronzes.

This time round, Singapore fielded its largest SEA Games contingent, with 926 athletes competing across 48 sports, including 548 debutants.

The contingent had an overall median age of 23 years old, while the debutants had a median age of 21 years old.

Notable breakthroughs at the Games included the Men’s 3x3 Basketball team securing Singapore’s first SEA