Singapore Aquatics reveals long-term plans as it looks ahead to 2029 SEA Games and 2032 Olympics

SINGAPORE – A training stint in Australia earlier in 2026 played a key role in the Singapore men’s youth team’s maiden title at the Asian Under-18 Water Polo Championships in March, when they stunned the likes of China and South Korea.

The Australian stint was part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) and Water Polo Australia in late 2025, and similar stints are in the works to provide more development opportunities for Singapore’s junior national teams.

The MOU is just part of SAQ’s efforts to lift the performances of all aquatic disciplines ahead of the home 2029 SEA Games and the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, it announced at the Raffles City Convention Centre on May 9, ahead of the Singapore Aquatics Gala & Fundraising Dinner 2026.

Other initiatives include the enhancement of resources and facilities, comprehensive training opportunities and sports science upgrades.

To increase playing opportunities, SAQ will work with Water Polo Australia to include Singapore teams in the Australian Water Polo League in 2027 and 2028, and organise regular competitions between both sides.

The senior water polo teams have also benefited from a programme called the Enhanced Training Scheme, which has allowed players to train full-time for major competitions such as the 2025 SEA Games.

In addition to increased training volume – up to 11 sessions per week, averaging between 30 and 35 hours compared to seven sessions a week averaging 20 to 25 hours before – the scheme also enables greater access to international competitions and stronger sparring opportunities.

Currently, 31 players – 17 men and 14 women – are under the scheme.

Jon Jayo, SAQ’s assistant technical director (water polo), said the scheme includes monetary support for the athletes and allows them to “commit further than before to not only training, but also travelling and all the commitments”.

He added: “The value of (the scheme) is not just in the volume of training. It enables greater access to international competitions, stronger sparring opportunities and better exposure to high-performance environments.

“It also supports proper recovery and risk management, ensuring that athletes can sustain performance over time rather than peak inconsistently.

“In short, it allows us to train better, compete better and develop faster.”

The Republic’s artistic swimmers will also be boosted by the arrival of Takako Nakajima as national development coach, marking the first time an Olympic-level coach is involved in the youth artistic swimming teams.

Nakajima, whose previous roles include coaching the Japan and Austria national teams, will build the next generation of athletes, with a focus on winning gold at the 2029 SEA Games.

Diving will also be boosted with the number of dryland facilities increasing from one to four within the next two years.

A dryland facility is a non-pool training environment for divers, with equipment such as trampolines, diving boards and foam pits that can be used to simulate diving movements.

It provides a safe space for divers to practise their routines before performing them in the water.

There is currently one such facility at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, with two more slated to open in 2026 and another in 2027.

A slew of initiatives to boost sports science and coaching capabilities are also in place.

The goal is to strengthen swimming from grassroots to national level, revealed national head coach and performance director Gary Tan.

One example is the use of the ORCA Vision analytics platform, which extracts performance data from video footage of swimmers’ races within minutes.

It was piloted during the recent Singapore National Age Group Championships in March to provide key data metrics across the entire athlete pathway, maximise talent identification trends and strengthen education programming.

The second Singapore Aquatics Hall of Fame induction, which honours individuals whose achievements and contributions have significantly shaped the growth of aquatic sports in Singapore, was also held on May 9.

Former national swimmers Tay Chin Joo, Tan Thuan Heng and Alex Chan, former divers Nora Tay and Hui Peng Seng, and the late swimmer and water polo player Eric Yeo were among the inductees.

Others include the late Chan Ah Kow, who was a national swimming coach, and the late Woon Sui Kut, who was known as the “Father of Swimming”, having served as the secretary-general of the national swimming body from 1964 to 1999.

The men’s water polo side who won Asian Games silver in 1966 were also inducted.

SAQ president Kenneth Goh said in a media statement that the night was to celebrate the achievements of its athletes and “recognise the contributions of those who have shaped aquatics in Singapore”.

It is also to look to the future, ensure athletes are well supported as they strive to achieve at the next level – medals at the Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games and another outstanding showing at the 2029 SEA Games.

Goh added: “To get there, we need to continue investing heavily in sports science, coaching expertise, pathways and programmes that uplift the aquatics community across all levels. The updates we have shared today mark a step forward for the next wave, and reflects our commitment to developing our talent pipeline and strengthening our aquatics ecosystem as a whole.”

Those who wish to support SAQ’s fundraising efforts can do so via this link.