Singapore Aquatics launches Hands Up for Safe Aquatics campaign

SINGAPORE – In a move to raise awareness and underline the importance of safe sport practices, Singapore Aquatics launched the Hands Up For Safe Aquatics campaign on Wednesday.

The campaign aims to shed light on the types of abuse athletes can face and educate those in the community on how to create a safe environment in the sport.

It was officially launched by Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth as well as Social and Family Development, and Singapore Aquatics president Mark Chay on the sidelines of the Futures Swim Meet (for swimmers aged seven to 12) at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.

Chay said: “As the national body for aquatic sport in Singapore, our role is not just to produce champions.

“Singapore Aquatics must also ensure that we help nurture a safe, conducive environment for aquatic sport enthusiasts of any age, any proficiency level, to be comfortable in the water.”

In addition to raising awareness, the campaign hopes to educate the community – coaches, athletes, parents of young children – about the importance of being Safe Sport compliant.

Among those who are backing the campaign are national athletes Mounisha Devi Manivannan (water polo), Ardi Zulhilmi Azman (swimming), Vivien Tai (artistic swimming), Max Lee (diving) and Yip Pin Xiu (para-swimming).

Tai, 20, said: “As athletes, we all train hard to achieve our dreams and goals. However, we can only do this if we have a safe environment to train in. 

“It’s important for everyone to understand that abuse and neglect do not just come physically, as athletes also need a nurturing environment free from other forms of abuse to thrive and enjoy their sport.

“This environment should be provided to athletes from young, so they understand what kind of behaviour is appropriate and what is not.”

Singapore Aquatics will also be introducing initiatives to make all aquatic coaches Safe Sport compliant in the near future.

The association will work with Safe Sport Commission Singapore (SSCS) and the Singapore Coach Excellence Programme – Sport Singapore’s training and development pathway for coaches – to ensure that coaches who renew their certification every three years must have completed Safe Sport Programme requirements and abide by principles in the Safe Sport Unified Code. 

Singapore Aquatics and SSCS will be holding a series of workshops to educate stakeholders on safe sport practices this week for national and national youth athletes, coaches and administrators.

The national governing body will also carry out an Advocates of Safe Sport session on Sept 19 and a Coaches As Trusted Adults workshop on Oct 11, when case studies will be shared.

Garett Lee, head coach of Sentosa Swim Coaching and coach developer for the association, said: “The issue of athletes having to deal with both physical and psychological abuse is a problem.

“It’s not just sexual abuse, but even issues like publicly shaming an athlete because of how they look can have a lasting negative effect on a young person.

“It is important that we create a safe space for children and athletes to train in.”