SINGAPORE — The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) has taken the plunge in a positive direction to rebrand itself as Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) from July 1, as it seeks to better reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the country’s most successful sport. This was announced during the 2023 SSA Awards and Appreciation Night held at the Raffles City Convention Centre.
Unveiled by Minister for culture, community and youth Edwin Tong, chief executive officer of Sport Singapore Alan Goh, and SSA’s president Mark Chay; the logo is inspired by the image of an athlete swimming.
“We are the only sport, which literally is many sports in one. In Singapore, while we may be called the Singapore Swimming Association, we are also about diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming. We are five sports, united by water, by one flag and by one community for one mission: to make Singapore a world-class aquatics nation,” said SSA president Chay.
Singaporeans may have been accustomed with our dominance in the pool with swimming and water polo, especially bringing home medals in regional competitions, and the Republic’s first Olympic gold medal courtesy of Joseph Schooling’s win in 2016 – but there are athletes from the other disciplines that have recently created waves in the pool too. In 2022, diver Max Lee became the first Singaporean to finish in the top four of the World Junior Diving Championships. In aquatic swimming, Debbie Soh and Miya Yong finished among the top Asian countries at last year’s World Championships.
“As a diver, I am excited that we are now Singapore Aquatics. Even though it’s only a name change, just being recognised as one big family, will further strengthen the bonds between the various aquatics sports,” said 15-year-old Lee.
Recognition was also given to para swimmers from the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) as they were honoured for their involvement in major competition, as a gesture from SSA to recognise fellow members of Singapore’s aquatic family. The SDSC will be hosting the Citi Para Swimming World Series Singapore 2023 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, Singapore Sports Hub from Apr 29 to May 1 at the OCBC. The competition featured para-swimmers from around the world competing for the World Series titles and seeking to seal their entry to the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships.
Chay, a former national swimmer and current nominated member of parliament (NMP), added that the name change will also help raise the profile of the less popular aquatic sports.
“Swimming and water polo have enjoyed a rich tradition in Singapore sport. And while they still enjoy great success and a healthy following, the other aquatic disciplines like diving, aquatic swimming and open water swimming are growing and beginning to show results on the world stage,” explained the NMP.
The evening also saw over $370,000 raised for the sport through sponsorship and donations. Among the sponsors were Amino Vital, OCBC Bank, 100Plus, Yakult, Evacuation and Medical Support Unit Pte Ltd and TYR.
“We are grateful for the strong support of our sponsors and partners. They are the unsung heroes who help provide the platform for our athletes to go out there and make Singapore proud,” added Chay.
The money raised will go towards supporting the sport’s high performance programmes such as Pathway Development for Team Singapore athletes and providing opportunities for elite athletes to compete on the world’s biggest stages, like the World Championships. The money raised will be eligible for the One Team Singapore Fund, which matches all the donations, dollar for dollar.
SSA recently hosted the Asian Water Polo Championship in March, with the men’s national team finishing in fifth spot behind arch-rival Thailand, and the women’s team qualifying for May’s World Cup Division 2 event. Singapore was also announced as the host of the 2025 World Aquatics Championships after Russia was stripped of its hosting rights.
The association is currently in the midst of preparing their athletes for the 2023 SEA Games which will be hosted by Cambodia. According to the official 32nd SEA Games website, swimming is scheduled for May 6 to 11, while diving will be from May 8 to 11. The final swimming event will be from 12 to 14 May and the water polo competition will take place from May 12 to 16.