A few days after getting the all-clear to compete in Paris, Singaporean swimmer Quah Ting Wen was unexpectedly left out of her city’s Olympic delegation.
The 31-year-old had to withdraw from the women’s 4×100-metre medley relay because of squad size constraints, even though she was a crucial team member that achieved Singapore’s first-ever qualification.
Quah Ting Wen’s withdrawal from the Paris Olympics reverses the circumstances that led to her being granted a seat in the Tokyo Games three years ago. Gan Ching Hwee has been given her spot instead, and she will compete in the 800 and 1,500-metre freestyle events.
Quah was about to compete in her fourth Olympics, but the qualification regulations forced Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) to restrict the number of competitors they could send to the French capital, which devastated Quah’s dreams.
She stated, “Though the same team will probably not compete in Paris, I was one of the four that helped Singapore qualify for the Olympics with its first relay team.”
The Olympic qualifying obstacles for Singapore swimming
Quah met the Olympic qualifying standards for the 4×100-metre medley relay at the world championships in February, along with her sister Jing Wen and her national colleagues Letitia Sim and Levenia Sim.
Letitia Sim qualified for the Olympics by meeting the ‘A’ level, and Jonathan Tan earned his spot to compete in the 50- and 100-metre freestyle events. Gan obtained an invitation to compete after meeting the “B” standard. Rules about Olympic qualification prevented the city’s governing authority from requesting that World Aquatics include six women in the squad.
SAQ President Mark Chay stated; “We argued to World Aquatics that Singapore could send its finest swimmers to the Olympics if we sent the relay team that met the qualifying position for the Olympics, in addition to the two OQT swimmers and the OCT swimmer”.
Asian Games 2023 complete team list: Shanti, Kean Yew + 429 other athletes represent Singapore
SINGAPORE: There are only a few weeks till the Hangzhou Asian Games, to be held from Sept 23 to Oct 8, and excitement is in the air over the Singaporean athletes competing this year. Here is Singapore’s Asian Games 2023 complete team list.
The Singapore National Olympic Council announced last weekend that this year’s 431-strong contingent across 32 sports is the largest so far and unveiled that Mr Jowen Lim (Wushu) and Ms Amita Berthier (Fencing) are to be the flagbearers at this year’s Games.
Ms Berthier will also double up as the pledge taker.
The team includes former badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew and his older brother, Loh Kean Hean, as well as Sprint Queen Shanti Pereira, who has been having an amazing year.
Dr Koh Koon Teck, Chef de Mission for Team Singapore, said, “The athletes have their targets set and will be working closely with their performance team to meet them. I am confident that if they continue to train well and keep their focus, they will be able to perform to the best of their ability in Hangzhou.
“This year, we have also seen impressive performances from our athletes at the Cambodia 2023 SEA Games as well as at other competitions, and I hope Singaporeans can join us in encouraging them to continue to put their best form forward for Singapore.”
This year’s games had been scheduled for last year but were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There will be 483 events in 40 sports at the Asian Games.
Here is the full list of athletes on Team Singapore
China’s Qin Haiyang holds the world record in the 200 metres breaststroke, which he set at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. He swept to a 50, 100 and 200 metres treble in Fukuoka, becoming the first swimmer in history to win all three breaststroke events at a single edition of the championships.
Subsequently, at the 2023 Swimming World Cup, Qin won gold in all three breaststroke events (50m, 100m, and 200m) at all three World Cup legs, held in Berlin, Athens and Budapest.
Thanks to his scintillating performance, in 2023, Qin became the first Asian to be named the Male Swimmer of the Year by World Aquatics.
— Chris Labrusca (not an alt) (@christherebooot) July 27, 2024
Doping controversies
However, the 25-year-old swimming sensation will be among the Chinese swimmers swimming under a cloud in the Paris Olympics because of doping controversies,
He was allegedly among the 23 Chinese athletes allowed to compete in the Tokyo Games despite testing positive for a banned drug.
This was revealed in April 2024 following a joint investigation by the New York Times and the German television channel ARD.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) accepted China’s explanation that the kitchen at their hotel had been contaminated but promised to increase the level of testing of Chinese athletes competing in Paris.
Meanwhile, in June 2024, the New York Times further alleged that Qin, along with swimmers Wang Shun and Yang Junxuan, had also tested positive several years earlier for a different performance-enhancing drug but had escaped being publicly identified and suspended.
Unhappy competitors
The controversy has left several Olympic competitors in Paris unhappy with Wada’s handling of the affair.
Australian swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook, the former 200-metre world breaststroke record holder, said he was considering a poolside protest against the Chinese competitors in Paris.
Qin has accused American and European athletes of conspiring to distract Chinese athletes from their Olympic preparations.
“Some tricks aim to disrupt our preparation rhythm and destroy our psychological defence! But we are not afraid. When you have a clear conscience, you do not fear slander. The team is currently preparing at the established pace. My teammates and I will resist the pressure and win more medals to silence the sceptics!” he said.
At the Paris Paralympics, Yip Pin Xiu of Singapore achieved a first-ever three-peat by winning the women’s 100-metre backstroke S2 final. With a performance time of 2:21.73 at the La Defense Arena, the reigning champion secured Singapore’s first medal of the Paris Games.
She finished just in front of the silver-medallist Haidee Aceves of Mexico, who achieved a record of 2:21.79, and the bronze-medallist Angela Procida of Italy with a time of 2:24.48.
At the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics, Yip, 32, took home the gold in this event as well. Currently holding the world record for both the event and the 50m backstroke S2, she is Singapore’s most decorated Paralympian.
Three para swimmers from Team Singapore have qualified for the current Games, including the six-time Paralympic gold champion. Towards the end of the meet, Toh Wei Soong and Sophie Soon will also compete for their home country.
Yip will next swim on Saturday in the S2 heats of the 50-metre backstroke.
Singaporean sprinter Marc Louis’ skill wasn’t immediately apparent when Benber Yu started coaching him more than ten years ago. Louis wasn’t popular in races at first. But Louis had an incredible commitment to working hard to achieve his goals.
He started off concentrating on hurdles and showed promise, which led to a remarkable accomplishment: winning the gold medal for Singapore in the 400-metre hurdles at the 2019 Asian Youth Championships. This triumph represented a critical turning point in his developing track career.
Sprinter Louis gained attention in the world of athletics by breaking the long-standing national record in the 100m and winning two silver and three bronze medals in the SEA Games.
Now, at 21, he is ready to make his Olympic debut at the Paris Games, which will be held from July 26 to August 11.
Louis is among the 23 athletes who will represent Singapore in 11 sports in Paris. His place was confirmed by World Athletics through a universality spot accepted by the Singapore National Olympic Council on July 11.
Singapore’s Olympic dreams are secured by teamwork
Yu, 43, underlined that getting Louis his Olympic ticket was a real team effort.
His accomplishment was greatly aided by Team Cicada, which consisted of his own family, teammates, and other parents. Yu said, “He’s had to work hard to prove to other people that he can do it.”
Yu stated; “The fact that Marc is now competing in the Olympics is the result of a team effort; this means a lot to me, Marc, and everyone who supported him.”
Singapore may be able to enter its top-ranked male athlete in the 100m, 800m or marathon events under the universality quota, thanks to sprint star Shanti Pereira’s qualification for the women’s 200m event in Paris 2024.
By giving opportunities to nations with historically smaller delegations based on athletes’ performances between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, if no direct qualifications have been acquired, this unique provision seeks to increase diversity in the Games.
Shanti Pereira endures an injury setback prior to 2024 Paris Olympics
Shanti Pereira, the sprint queen from Singapore, incurred an injury a few months before the Paris Olympics. Singapore Athletics (SA) announced the unfortunate news through a statement posted on their website.
It stated: “Shanti has been ruled out of action with a leg injury ahead of the 84th Singapore Open Track & Field Championships as well as the Diamond League competition in Xiamen and Shanghai.”
Coach Luis Cunha reported that the runner had suffered a “common sports injury” and that, as a precaution, her competitive schedule would be modified to prioritize her healing. According to a statement from Singapore Athletics, it will collaborate with Pereira, her coach, and the Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) to make sure she gets all the help she needs to rehabilitate.
Pereira and Paris
She was supposed to travel back to Singapore to compete in the Singapore Open Track and Field Championships. She has been in Florida, USA, for training at the National Training Centre in Orlando. Moreover, Pereira was to be primarily situated in Europe to help her get ready for the August Games in Paris.
The organization declared that they will be “working closely with Luis to reorganize her training preparations towards Paris 2024 in the coming weeks.”
“In the meantime, she will train and undergo rehabilitation in Singapore,” her coach expressed.
Pereira’s race in the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary in August 2023 qualified her for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in the 200 meters division.
