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”.