Singapore Aquatics Gala & Fundraising Dinner 2026

Associate Professor Kenneth Goh, President of Singapore Aquatics

Singapore Aquatics Hall of Fame inductees

Partners, volunteers

Athletes, coaches and officials

Ladies and Gentlemen

• Good evening.

• It’s truly my privilege to join you tonight to celebrate Singapore's aquatic excellence.

• Looking around this hall, the presence of families, athletes, coaches and partners is truly energising and inspiring.

• This community has formed the heartbeat of our aquatic family. It shows that when we unite with shared purpose, we can achieve extraordinary things So this evening belongs to all of you.

From Heritage to History

• Since Singapore Aquatics last gathered in 2024 to celebrate its 85th Anniversary, the community has written some remarkable chapters in Singapore’s sporting history.

• At Paris 2024, five swimmers made their Olympic debut under the shining lights of La Défense Arena.

  • Gan Ching Hwee set two new National Records at her events.

  • Our women's relay team made history as the first to qualify for the Olympics, and later finished the Games at an impressive 14^th place overall;

• And in the same Arena, our nation’s most decorated Paralympian, Yip Pin Xiu, delivered a remarkable three-peat of golds in the women’s 100m backstroke S2, and defended her title in the women’s 50m backstroke S2.

• That 2024 momentum carried us into 2025, our SG60 year, when Singapore proudly hosted the World Aquatics Championships in July, and the World Para Swimming Championships in September that year. Both were firsts in Southeast Asia.

• We delivered excellence. At the World Aquatics Championships, over 10 championship records were broken, including three world records set in Singapore's waters. And another 23 at the Para Championships.

• And we saw our athletes rise magnificently—Ching Hwee shattered three national records in two days, while our Men's Water Polo team made a spirited World Championships debut.

• Pin Xiu won her fourth consecutive world title and eighth Championships gold in 50m backstroke S2, while teammate Sophie Soon clocked a national record in the women’s 100m backstroke S11.

• And the list goes on.

• The momentum then continued at the SEA Games last December, and ASEAN Para Games in January. Our contingent returned from Thailand with a stunning five national records, ten meet records, and seventeen personal bests, signalling good momentum as we prepare for 2029.

  • We witnessed Avvir Tham claim our first men's diving gold in sixty years, Letitia Sim dominate with five golds, Debbie Soh with Yvette Chong triumph in artistic swimming duet, and Toh Wei Soong completing a hat-trick of gold medals for the third time across four Games.

• That was just in a short span of 3 years. Imagine how much you can achieve moving forward.

• These sporting results are a testament to what this community – all of you here – has made this possible.

The Village that Raises Champions

• We know it takes a village to raise champions.

• Behind every record-breaking swim are the early morning drives, the unwavering support of families, the dedicated expertise of our coaches, and the steadfast support of staff and partners who believe in our athletes.

• I would like to say thank you to Singapore Aquatics, our coaches, parents, and partners in the wider aquatics community—your belief in our athletes, and support for them every step of the way, are the assurance that our athletes need to pursue excellence.

• And to our athletes right here – you carry the hopes of a nation with grace and grit. Thank you for inspiring us, and for reminding us of what is possible when passion meets discipline.

• Let us work together in unison, as we aim for the next bound of sporting excellence, and continue making history and waves in our national history.

Government’s Commitment to Sporting Excellence

• The Government remains committed to develop our next generation of sporting heroes.

• We enhanced our support in recent years.

  • We enhanced the spexScholarship with CPF top-ups to bolster our spexScholars’ finances;

  • Introduced the spexPotential programme to strengthen support for athletes with potential to achieve Gold medal success at SEA Games;

  • Worked with 6 autonomous universities and signed an MOU with them to expand athlete-friendly practices for national athletes, helping to juggle studies and sports which is not an easy task and

  • Launched the spexEducation Undergraduate Scholarship, allowing our athletes to pursue their studies with greater confidence — whether concurrently with, or after, their sporting careers.

• And we are doing more. Since 1 April, we integrated our key sporting institutions to form Sport Excellence Singapore, or SpexSG in short.

  • This new structure – combining the High Performance Sport Institute, Singapore Sports School, and Unleash the Roar! – will enhance support for our athletes to make our system even more athlete-centric across different stages of an athletes life.

  • SpexSG will expand Sport Science and Sport Medicine support, and Athlete Life Management capabilities;

  • Sports School will expand its role to be the education concierge for all Team Singapore student-athletes; and

  • SpexSG will tighten integration with our NSAs, another key group of partners, and work with them to develop their sport for excellence.

• We will continue working closely with Singapore Aquatics, as we prepare our contingent for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and the 2027 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.

• Beyond Government support, the collective belief and generosity of communities are also important.

• Tonight, I encourage all of us to consider how we can do more to cheer on our athletes. The achievements we celebrate tonight happened because this community chose to invest in our people and our potential.

Honouring Our Foundation

• As we look towards the future, we must stay grounded in the values that have guided us through the decades — the dedication, resilience, and love for the sport that those before us embodied so well.

• This evening, we induct a second cohort of 15 legends into the Singapore Aquatics Hall of Fame — athletes, coaches, and officials whose lifelong dedication shaped our nation’s aquatic story.

• To our inductees: your legacy continues to inspire every child who steps into the pool for the first time, and a reminder that nothing is impossible if we have the passion and drive for it.

Looking to the Future

• Our journey continues, and I'm confident our finest chapters lie ahead.

• Thank you.