ONE OF SINGAPORE'S BRIGHTEST TALENTS Ng Yi Ching occasionally trains in China because of the lack of an Olympic-sized ice-skating rink here. Her sequences are done at high speeds and she tends to crash into the walls when she performs on a smaller surface. -- ST PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA

Now 11, national skater Ng Yi Ching dreams of performing in the Winter Olympics.

But the chances are her dreams will go unfulfilled.

The reason: Singapore does not have an Olympic-sized ice skating rink for its small but growing skating fraternity to train on.

Without an Olympic-sized rink, which measures 30m by 60m, Singapore cannot be a member of International Skating Union (ISU).

Non-members cannot compete in ISU-sanctioned events, such as the Olympics and the World Championships.

Singapore Ice Skating Association (Sisa) president Sonja Chong has been trying for the past four years to get an Olympic-sized rink built here, but has barely scraped the ice.

The best chance - Kallang Ice World at the newly-renovated Kallang Leisure Park - melted away after developers Jack Investment built a smaller rink, measuring 23m by 41m, last December.

Jack Investment could not be reached for comment but Chong, who had been in talks with the company, said the smaller rink was due to 'space issues'.

Fuji Ice Palace, host and title sponsor of this weekend's Singapore National Figure Skating Championships, has a smaller rink of 24m by 40m at the Jurong Entertainment Centre.

'It's been a long and tedious process. We've been trying to find sponsors, but it's not an easy task,' said Chong, whose daughters, Nadja, 7, and Anja, 13, figure skate.

'We have to convince people to think out of the box and invest in us - and that's hard.'

She estimates the cost of an Olympic-sized rink at between $2 million and $3 million. There are no plans to build any.

A pity, considering that Asians have the ideal physique to excel in the sport.

Ng Ser Miang, the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) vice-president and International Olympic Committee executive board member, has spoken of Singapore's potential to produce Olympic figure skating champions.

'It would be great to introduce ice skating to more Singaporeans and I hope that an Olympic-sized rink can be built.''

Until then, the skaters and their parents will live on in hope.

'Without an Olympic-sized rink, I don't think my daughter will be able to go very far,' said Yi Ching's mother Carol, a housewife.

She forks out over $1,000 a month for her daughter's skating lessons.

Equipment is not cheap either, with a new pair of boots, costing about $1,300, needed every two years. Costumes cost about $300 each.

The Ngs have made two month-long trips to Kunming, China, just for Yi Ching to train at an Olympic-sized rink.

Said Carol: 'Her potential is limited by the environment. It's very sad.'

Laya Lee, mother of Beijing-based Singapore skater Sarah Paw, 15, has also invested a lot of time, effort and money into the sport.

'Of course we're disappointed, but we're keeping our fingers crossed,' she said.

'Right now, all Sarah can do is to prepare herself. So, when the chance comes, she'll be able to catch it.'

Still, the absence of a rink has not stopped Singapore's promising young skaters from taking to the ice.

This weekend's National Championships has 79 participants, a 58 per cent increase from last year.

Yesterday, Yi Ching and Sarah dazzled with their short programmes in the pre-novice and junior categories respectively.

Sarah, who trains six days a week for four hours each time in Beijing, has been flying in for the Championships the past four times.

'It's the highlight of my year,' said the 1.62m-tall, 48kg skater, who picked up the sport eight years ago.

'But it's quite frustrating, as the smaller rink forces me to slow down to about a quarter of my usual speed for some sequences.'

In a sport where athletes peak between 15 and 19, Sarah admitted she felt time was running out.

'It's holding back my Olympic dreams,' she said.

Her disappointment was echoed by Raffles Girls' Primary 6 student Yi Ching.

'Nowadays, I tend to go at a faster speed, so I crash into the walls more,' she said. 'I wish we had an Olympic-sized rink.'

jwang@sph.com.sg