Singapore Aquatics ( abbreviation: SAQ) is the national governing body for

competitive swimming Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), a ...

synchronised swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming) or artistic swimming is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by FINA (the ''Fédératio ...

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

and

open water swimming Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers. The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam s ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. SAQ is also charged with selecting the Singapore Olympic Swimming team and any other teams that officially represent Singapore, as well as the overall organisation and operation of the sport within the country. Swimming is the country's strongest sport. Singapore was the best nation at the inaugural Asian Games for swimming. It peaked when Singaporean swimmer

Joseph Schooling Joseph Isaac Schooling (born 16 June 1995) is a Singaporean professional swimmer who specialises in butterfly, freestyle and medley events. He was the gold medalist in the 100m butterfly at the 2016 Olympics, achieving Singapore's first ev ...

won an Olympic gold medal at the Men's 100 metre butterfly, the first Asian swimmer ever to do so, having also broke the

Olympic record Olympic records are the best performances in a specific event in that event's history in either the Summer Olympic Games or the Winter Olympic Games, including: * Archery (list) * Alpine skiing (records recognized only by FIS) * Athletics (list) ...

in the process. Singapore is also a powerhouse in swimming at the regional

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with sup ...

, having consistently been the best nation for most of its editions and winning the most medals by a wide margin. Founded in 1939 as the Singapore Amateur Swimming Association ( abbreviation: SASA); the body adopted its current name in 2002. It has been a member of

FINA FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...

since its founding, and is one of the founding members of the Asia Swimming Federation. Its headquarters are located at 7 Stadium Drive in

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the ...

History

Founding

In April 1939, 3 major swimming clubs (namely the Singapore Swimming Club, Chinese Swimming Club, and the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)) formed the Singapore Amateur Swimming Association (SASA). Immediately after this formation, the Tiger Swimming Club, Singapore Cantonese Swimming Union, Overseas Chinese Swimming Union and the land, sea and air force units of the British Armed Forces joined SASA as Affiliates.

Halt in activities

All SASA activities were halted from 1939 to 1945 due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Participation in international competitions for swimming, diving and water polo resumed in 1948 after the war.

Renaming and growth

June 1986: Four training branches were established under the SPEX21 Development Programme: Bedok, Clementi, Queenstwon and Toa Payoh with the full support and endorsement of then Singapore Sports Council (now

Sport Singapore Sport Singapore (SportSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Government of Singapore. It is the lead agency tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation. History Sport Singapore was ...

). 2002: SASA was renamed Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) to signify the movement towards professional management of swimming, water polo, diving, and synchronised swimming and its governance. 2004: Leadership transition and changes from SSA occurred due to a need to comply with the Code of Governance. 2007: SSA Branches and the People's Association joined forces under the auspices of The Grassroots Aquatic Club (TGAC). 2023: SSA rebranded itself as Singapore Aquatics.

Swimming

2005: SSA introduced a new concept of competition focus (Target vs Preparatory) at the different elite and developmental levels. Performance-based selection criteria, with stipulated Qualifying Windows, were introduced and published on the web for the public to access. Following the new concept, SSA revamped the 1st Singapore National Swimming Championships 2005 held in June, which incorporated international competition format. This meant heats were swam in the morning, evening finals sessions, dope testing, etc. 2006: Singapore hosted its first major regional swimming competition with the Milo 7th Asia Swimming Championships Singapore 2006 in March. In the same year on the FINA front, SSA won the right to host the FINA Swimming World Cup Series 2007–2009 (April). SSA also hosted two FINA events: the FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup 2006 and the FINA 7th World Swimming Officials Seminar Singapore 2006 (October). The latter event saw over 100 officials from nearly 50 different countries in attendance. 2007: SSA successfully hosted the FINA/Arena Swimming World Cup 2007 Singapore at the Singapore Sports School Swimming Complex in October. It was the first highest-level aquatics competition to ever be run in Singapore. In a fitting tribute, Natalie Coughlin (USA) broke the 100m Backstroke (SCM) World Record, 'christening' this world-class competition venue. In the same month, SSA also hosted the FINA Fuji Xerox 10 km Marathon Swimming World Cup 2007. 2009: Former National Swimmer and Olympian Ang Peng Siong was appointed as Singapore's first National Head Coach of Swimming. 2010: SSA organised the 1st Inter-School Synchronised Swimming Competition held at the Co-Curricular Activities Branch. Singapore also hosted the first edition of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) at the Singapore Sports School Swimming Complex. 2012: International coach Ian Turner was appointed SSA's national swimming technical director and head coach. 2014: The opening of the Singapore Sports Hub began with the opening of its first facility, the OCBC Aquatic Center, which henceforth will serve as home to Singapore Aquatic Sports (namely, Swimming, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo, and Diving). 2015: Former Olympian and competitive swimmer Sergio Lopez was appointed as the national head coach (swimming). He and national assistant head coach Gary Tan then established the National Training Center (NTC), where all national swimmers will train together. SSA then launched its "Swim With Us" campaign, announcing a brand new identity for the National team. The campaign was an initiative to rally the public behind aquatic sports in Singapore. The perfect opportunity for Coaches Sergio and Gary to put the effectiveness of the new system to the test arrived in the form of the 28th South-East Asian Games in June. All aquatic events of the 2015 SEA Games were held at the OCBC Aquatic Center, Singapore. A total of 29 swimmers represented Singapore, competing on home ground. They walked away at the end of the meet with a record-breaking 42 medals, the highest medal tally amongst all other sports in Singapore. In the same year, SSA sent a total of 11 athletes to compete in the 16th FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia. SSA also successfully hosted the 5th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Center.

Water Polo

2006: Water Polo began its rebuilding process with leadership renewal. 2008: SSA hosted its first major international water polo tournament, The Road To Beijing Pre-Olympics Water Polo Invitation 2008. The event saw top water polo teams from Australia, China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Montenegro and Russia engage in a talented display of strategy and athleticism.

Diving

2007: SSA restarted its diving programme after a lapse of 12 years. 2010: Despite SSA's efforts to make its mark on the diving scene, they saw little success with the National Diving Team. It was only at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG) where Singapore Diving made its comeback after 7 years. All diving events of the 2010 YOG were held at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex. 2016: In January, Shannon Roy was appointed National Head Coach (Diving), following the resignation of Former National Head Coach Xiu Jie who returned to Canada to be with his family.

References

External links

Official Website
{{Sports governing bodies in Singapore 1939 establishments in Singapore National members of the Asian Swimming Federation

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

Sports organizations established in 1939 Swimming in Singapore