TARGET: 30 TO 33 MEDALS FOR TEAM SINGAPORE AT THE 16TH ASIAD IN GUANGZHOU@SSC
Largest Contingent To Feature At The Asian Games Will Take Part In 22 Of 42 Sports Events
Singapore, 3 November 2010 - Team Singapore is looking to better its performance by bringing home a total of between 30 to 33 medals at the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou. This, if achieved, will be Team Singapore's most successful outing at the Asian Games to-date. The contingent's feature at the previous Games in 2006 saw a haul of 27 medals, coming from nine sports.
2 Team Singapore is not only sending its largest contingent (241 athletes and 120 officials) to the Asian Games since the nation's first participation in 1951, she is also increasing the breadth of her participation by competing in 22 of the 42 events featured. This is compared to only 16 sports at the last Asiad in Doha.
3 With the addition of the dragon boat team to the contingent, Team Singapore is also participating in the most number of team sports in the history of its participation at the quadrennial event, showing the depth and growth in the nation's sporting scene over the past four years.
4 Leading the team as Chef-de-Mission is Mr Low Teo Ping, Vice-President of the Singapore National Olympic Committee and the President of the Singapore Rugby Union. Mr Low is also a Vice President of the International Sailing Federation and an advisor of the Singapore Athletic Association and was previously Chef-de-Mission to the Singapore contingent in the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand.
5 The honour of carrying the Singapore flag this year rests with the celebrated female bowler Jasmine Yeong-Nathan. At the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 Flag Presentation ceremony held at Dunman High School today, Jasmine received the Singapore flag from CDM Low Teo Ping. The 2006 Asian Games gold medallist sailor Roy Tay then led the Team Singapore contingent in reciting the National Pledge.
6 Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Mr Teo Chee Hean, who is also the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council, was the Guest-of-Honour at the Flag Presentation Ceremony. DPM Teo said, "I am proud to note that more team sports have qualified on merit for the Asian Games, and this year we will be sending teams to represent Singapore in five team sports events, namely in Water-Polo, Football, Rugby (Women's), Hockey and Dragon Boat where both the men's and women's teams have made the cut."
Promising Performances
7 Following Team Singapore's stellar performance at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games (where 31 medals were clinched in total), public expectations on the team's showing at the 16th Asiad are high. But the athletes are all fully prepared and raring to take on Asia's best to show that Singapore is a sporting force to be reckoned with.
8 A whopping 83% (199 out of 241) of the contingent are debutants to the Asian Games. The Team Singapore contingent is also relatively young, with 98 members who are 21 years and younger, with the youngest being 13-year-old optimist sailor Ryan Loh Jun Han. The oldest member is 49-year-old Elise Lee Shi May who is the steerswoman of the women's dragon boat team.
9 Shooting will feature 22 Team Singapore athletes in the coming Asian Games. The line-up includes Commonwealth gold medalists Gai Bin, Lim Swee Hon, Poh Lip Meng, Jasmine Ser and Aqilah Sudhir.
10 Sailing, which contributed five out of eight gold medals at the 2006 Asian Games, is looking to make a dash for gold again. 20 sailors are headed for Guangzhou this time, including Olympian Tan Wearn Haw, 2006 Asiad gold medallists Roy Tay and Teo Wee Chin as well as Asian Sailing Championships bronze medallists Siobhan Tam and Dawn Li.
11 Having done Singapore proud at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in October this year, gymnasts Lim Heem Wei, Singapore's first-ever silver medalist for gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, and bronze medalist David Jonathan Chan, will also be competing in the Asiad. Also in the contingent is Singapore's golden team - the table tennis team that has been participating in various competitions ever since the Commonwealth Games ended to further prepare themselves for the Games in Guangzhou.
12 Swimmer Tao Li made a splash at the previous Asian Games in 2006 when she surprised Singapore, and the world, by clinching the gold medal at the 50m Butterfly event. This time round, she is looking to defend her title, as well as make her presence felt in the other events. Team Singapore's swimming contingent also includes four young swimmers who had represented Singapore at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games. They are silver medallist Rainer Ng, Clement Lim, Pang Sheng Jun and Amanda Lim.
13 "We have assembled a sterling cast of athletes for this edition of the Asian Games. I know everyone's ready to do their best and in doing so, I am certain they will bring glory to Singapore and perhaps write a new glorious chapter in our sporting history," said CDM Mr Low who hopes to see all Team Singapore athletes participate with sportsmanship high on their agenda.
14 "To our athletes - do your best to win but do not do it at all costs. It is always important to uphold the values of sportsmanship whenever Team Singapore athletes participate in any events, and when we wear the national flag across our chests."
Following Team Singapore's Action on New Media
15 For the first time in history, fans can now keep up with Team Singapore in action through SingaporeSports.tv, a free to access online portal launched by the Singapore Sports Council that will provide 'live' feeds of the sports events that feature Team Singapore athletes as they take place in Guangzhou.
16 For Singaporeans and members of the public who have missed the 'live' action, they can also log on to the online portal and click on 'Sports on Demand' to view video clips of the highlights during the Games.
17 Apart from providing 'live' feeds during major Games, SingaporeSports.tv will also feature major sporting events such as the upcoming Singapore Cricket Club Rugby 7s taking place from 5 November to 7 November, as well as the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore on 5 December.
18 Members of the public can also follow Team Singapore's recently launched Facebook page (www.facebook.com/TeamSG) which provides fans with minute by minute updates during key events at the Games, quotes, results and photographs of Team Singapore?s athletes in action. For mobile-friendly fans, the Team Singapore iPhone application is available for free, to provide event schedules, news, updates and results on the move. The free SMS alert service that provides updates will still be available through the Team Singapore website at www.teamsingapore.com.sg.
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