World Aquatics C’ships in S’pore deemed a success by athletes, fans and officials

SINGAPORE – It had not been the most ideal of starts for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, with sparse crowds at the water polo and artistic swimming competitions, and a one-day delay to open water swimming due to high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria off Sentosa.

But, as the 24-day competition progressed, the Republic recovered well and has earned praise from most of the athletes, officials and fans whom The Straits Times spoke to as the flagship aquatics event was staged in South-east Asia for the first time.

Originally awarded to Kazan, Russia, the competition was relocated in 2023 after World Aquatics stripped the country of hosting rights following its invasion of Ukraine.

“For any major multi-sport competition, it has its challenges,” said Mark Chay, co-chair of the WCH Singapore 2025 organising committee.

“I’m proud and happy to see our local organising committee come together, be nimble, agile, to actually tackle some of these.

“This puts us in a good position to host more major international events in the future. On the horizon is the 2029 SEA Games (in Singapore), and these are valuable learning points.

“With the WCH, we’ve shown the world that Singapore is a destination for global sporting events.”

World-class acts, facilities

Despite initial concerns, a total of about 140,000 spectators attended the July 11-Aug 3 event to watch a record field comprising nearly 2,500 athletes from 206 countries and territories in action at three venues: the purpose-built 4,800-seater WCH Arena, OCBC Aquatic Centre and Sentosa.

There were also sell-out sessions at the finals of diving, swimming, water polo and artistic swimming.

At the WCH Arena, fans were treated to world-class swimming action, including three world records – in the men’s 200m individual medley, mixed 4x100m freestyle and women’s 4x100m medley – and 12 championship records.

Beyond the action, many athletes ST spoke with praised Singapore for its efficiency and facilities.

David Popovici, who completed the 100m and 200m freestyle double in Singapore, was one of them.

He said: “My favourite thing is that you see green everywhere. You see nature everywhere and I think that’s great. Everyone here has been so civilised and polite. I’m sure a lot of other countries could learn from that.”

On the organisation of the event, the Romanian, who was making his third appearance at the world meet, said he had not witnessed or heard of any issues.

“Even my family said that it’s amazing how fast the queues go, how well organised everyone is,” he noted.

He found the makeshift venue to be “just as good as all the other good ones” he has been in, adding: “I put it very high up (on my list).” 

German diver Lena Hentschel, a bronze medallist at the 2023 edition, said: “I feel like Singapore has done amazing, I’ve only heard good feedback, not just from our teammates but other teams from around the world.

“The venue (OCBC Aquatic Centre) is great, the hotels are good, everything worked really well, so we can’t complain and we would love to come back.” 

Canadian swimmer Joshua Liendo, 22, had a similarly positive experience and hopes to see more meets held here.

Asked what could have been better, he said he would have loved to see more fans at the 4,800-capacity WCH Arena. In comparison, the Aspire Dome at the 2024 edition in Doha could accommodate up to 8,000.

He said: “Maybe a bigger stand size to get some more crowd and for it to be louder. I mean, I’ve loved the energy but if there’s some more fans, that’d be pretty sweet.”

Mixed experience for fans

Spectators relished the rare chance to catch aquatic sports at the highest level.

Product manager Ng Eng Han, who watched the water polo and swimming events, said: “With this world-class event coming to our doorstep, it’s a massive opportunity to see world champions and record holders live.”

For first-time visitor Phillip Hawke, whose son Charlie helped Australia win bronze in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay, the experience was seamless.

The 52-year-old said: “It’s a great venue, transport is easy and the volunteers are fantastic. We hope to see Singapore host more of these swim meets.”

However, not all feedback was glowing, with some fans frustrated by unallocated seating in the WCH Arena.

While she enjoyed the events, Suzhou native Wu Yihong, who watched several days of the swimming competition, said she had to arrive at least three hours early each day to secure a good seat to cheer on the Chinese swimmers.

“In most of the competitions I have been to, I get to choose my seat number so I try to choose closer to the pool,” said the 20-year-old, who also travelled to the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 Budapest championships.

“But here, people can sit anywhere they want to, so there is a need to come as early as possible to ensure I can get in early and sit where I want to.”

David Marsh, 63, who flew in from Thailand with his wife and nine-year-old son, noted that the experience had been mainly good, but said the unnumbered seats resulted in disruptions during races.

The corporate safety manager in oil and gas said: “We saw a few people get angry and lose their patience because the start of a race and people just arriving, or just at the end of the race when things are getting exciting and people are trying to find seats.”

Despite efforts such as community roadshows at nine malls across Singapore to promote the event, some were surprised by the lack of local fans.

These roadshows featured interactive stations offering experiences such as simulating standing on a high diving platform through virtual reality among other activities.

Ng, 38, enjoyed connecting with other spectators, but noted that the majority of those he interacted with were foreign fans.

Public servant Eleanor Lim, who brought her niece to watch the artistic swimming competition, felt it was a missed opportunity to promote the sports here.

The 34-year-old said: “When I asked my friends, they barely knew it was happening.

“It’s a waste because there are world records being broken and you’re trying to promote swimming in Singapore, but it’s just that people don’t know about it and I thought that was a pity because it’s a huge thing.”

Leaving a legacy

As the event drew to a close, World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki did not rule out a return to the Republic, calling Singapore “a fantastic host”.

He said: “You stepped in on this event from Kazan, so it wasn’t like we have been talking for four years...

“We went fast track, and you stood tall, you got a great pool, a great facility and a great competition calendar.”

For many local athletes, including national swimmer Letitia Sim, competing on home ground was particularly meaningful.

The 22-year-old said: “There are a lot of younger kids coming in to watch and that’s really good to help hopefully motivate people that this can be them in the future.”

National coach and performance director Gary Tan was heartened to see efforts to engage the wider community through initiatives such as clinics involving World Aquatics ambassadors, but stressed that it was important to build on the experience of hosting this meet.

One key question remains about the future of the WCH Arena. At a pre-event press conference, WCH 2025 organising committee co-chair Alan Goh said authorities were considering retaining the facility to help athletes prepare for the 2029 SEA Games and for public use.

Tan said: “What’s important is, you’ve got to see it’s a carry through.

“Hopefully this would be a catalyst for us in the next world champs in Budapest, knowing that we’ve really gained the experience to compete at the world championships and seen it on our doorsteps, how do we get better?”