Singapore swimmers Gan Ching Hwee and Quah Ting Wen are once again at the centre of a selection saga ahead of the upcoming Paris Olympics. Four-time Olympian Joscelin Yeo, who was on the Singapore Aquatics’ Executive Committee in 2021, weighs in.
New: You can now listen to articles.take place once every four years. “Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter” is the motto of these Games. Translated from Latin, it means “Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together”.
After the debacle surrounding the same two swimmers in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, I was sure a revised selection criteria would have been put in place that was airtight. How are we then facing the same saga?Three years ago, a similar “switcheroo” situation occurred with a last-minute invitation from World Aquatics. At the time, I was on the Singapore Aquatics’ Executive Committee and privy to the communications.
Quah appealed, saying that the universality spot took precedence over the OCT, and the SAQ Appeals Committee overturned the Selection Committee’s decision. As a result, 3. NOCs without any qualified athlete or relay team may enter two athletes - one man and one woman in one event each. These are called universality places, and they encompass the value of Togetherness in the Olympic motto. Any NOC who has an athlete who makes the OQT may enter one universality athlete in the other gender.
Singapore’s women’s 4x100 medley relay made history by qualifying for the Paris Olympics, by coming in ninth fastest at the World Championships. However, out of the four swimmers, only one had an OQT, and none of the other three received invitations to individual events via their OCTs. This meant that Singapore’s original quartet had more than the allowed number of relay-only swimmers and had to apply for an exception, which they did.
At the last Olympic Games, the relay team missed an automatic qualifying berth by 0.3 seconds. This time, they made sure they didn’t leave any doubt by Should an invited relay not have enough qualified OQT and invited OCT athletes to participate, SNOC will request exceptional consideration for additional relay-only swimmers for the relay to participate.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Commentary: Trouble brewing for craft beer market as Singapore’s Archipelago bows outThe shutdown of Singapore brewery Archipelago reflects economic struggles in the industry and difficulties appealing to the choosy craft beer customer, says Christian Barker.
Read more »
Commentary: Are Singapore children overscheduled during school holidays?Singapore parents may sign their children up for camps and enrichment lessons during school holidays, but too many structured activities may do more harm than good, says Dr Cynthia Lim of the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
Read more »
Commentary: Looks like Singapore's tough stance on Airbnb-style short stays is justifiedAs more cities crack down on Airbnb and other short-term rentals to address housing woes and overtourism, Singapore has no such dilemma, says NUS Business School's Sing Tien Foo.
Read more »
Commentary: Singapore employees need to be assured their flexible work requests will be taken seriouslyEmployees may fear that requesting for flexible work arrangements might reflect poorly on their professionalism, says Dr Sherry Aw of James Cook University, Singapore.
Read more »
Commentary: What will it take for Singapore residents to get serious about recycling?Despite multiple awareness campaigns and recycling programmes, it seems that not many are taking recycling seriously, says Singapore University of Social Sciences’ Victor Seah.
Read more »
Shannon Tan becomes first Singapore golfer to qualify for the OlympicsThe 20-year-old's qualification comes five months after she turned professional.
Read more »