SINGAPORE - The Singapore leg of the Fina Swimming World Cup 2021, which was set to take place from Aug 19-21, has been axed.
The Singapore Swimming Association said in a media statement on Wednesday (June 16) that the event had been cancelled, but the event organiser and international governing body Fina did not state an official reason.
This is the second consecutive year that the meet has been scrapped as last year's edition was called off owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest development will be a blow to Singapore's swimmers, who have had limited competition opportunities this year. A total of 215 athletes, including Olympic champion Joseph Schooling raced on home turf during the 2019 edition.
The Singapore event was initially scheduled as the second of six stops in the series, which has a total prize pool of about US$ 2.5 million (S$3.3 million).
The first leg of the Fina World Cup, which was supposed to take place in Jinan, China, from Aug 12-14, has also been cancelled.
But the remaining four legs in Berlin, Budapest, Doha, and Kazan are still scheduled to go ahead in October and will serve as qualifiers for the Dec 16-21 Fina World Swimming Championships in Abu Dhabi.
The coronavirus has continued to wreak havoc on Singapore's sports calendar, with the Singapore Badminton Open (June) and Formula One's Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix (Oct) also canned this year.
