SINGAPORE: Sports Schooling, a swim school founded by retired national swimmer and Singapore’s Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling, has partnered with Singapore Aquatic to bring aquatic sports to underprivileged children.
Coaches from Sports Schooling will conduct a swim clinic in May to impart aquatic skills to 20 children from the Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home, a beneficiary selected by the Rotary Club of Singapore.
The clinic will equip the children with water survival and swimming competency skills.
“Being able to play a part in such a meaningful cause is incredibly rewarding. As someone who has benefited greatly from swimming, I believe in the transformative power of aquatic sports.
It is heartening to see Sports Schooling, SAQ and Rotary Club of Singapore come together to positively impact our community,” mentioned Joseph Schooling.
Low Kee Hong, Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home Executive Director, expressed gratitude, saying:
“We are deeply grateful for the collaboration between SAQ, Sports Schooling, and Rotary Club of Singapore, which has provided our children with invaluable opportunities to learn and grow through aquatics.
This initiative not only equips them with essential water survival skills but also instils confidence and resilience, contributing to their overall well-being.”
The clinic is part of Singapore Aquatics’ ‘Empowering Lives Through Aquatics’ initiative, which aims to get participants between the ages of six and 14 to complete the first three stages of SwimSafer, the national water safety programme.
It will also serve as a scouting platform for coaches to identify promising aquatic athletes.
The partnership between Sports Schooling and Singapore Aquatics was announced during the Good Friday holiday at the Sports Lifestyle Centre Swimming Pool in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Singapore’s annual swimrathon fundraiser.
National aquatics athletes, including Schooling and Paris Olympic qualifiers Quah Ting Wen, Quah Jing Wen, Letitia Sim, and Levenia Sim, took to the pool to raise funds.
Together, they have raised over $50,000 to help bring aquatic sports closer to the community and support two significant initiatives by Singapore Aquatics.
“Our collaboration with Sports Schooling and the Rotary Club of Singapore represents a significant step towards making aquatic sports more accessible to underprivileged children.
We are excited about the potential impact this initiative will have, not just in promoting water safety, but also in identifying and nurturing young talents in the sport.
This partnership underscores our commitment to use aquatics as a vehicle for social change to foster inclusivity and empowerment in our community,” said Singapore Aquatics president Mark Chay.
The first initiative is Singapore Aquatics’ ‘Empowering Lives Through Aquatics’ programme, which facilitates the participation of underprivileged children in SwimSafer and creates a pathway for future aquatic athletes.
The second initiative is to enhance the ‘High-Performance Sports Systems’ which will provide better support for aquatic national athletes.
Money raised from the swimarathon will also be channeled towards the Industrial and Services Co-operative Society Limited, which is an organisation supporting its members, who are ex-offenders, and their families in reintegrating into society.