World Para Swimming Championships will be held at OCBC Aquatic Centre instead of new WCH Arena

SINGAPORE – At the recent World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, three world records and 12 meet records in swimming were broken at the new 4,800-seat WCH Arena, which saw sold-out crowds on some nights.

The Sept 21-27 World Para Swimming Championships will instead be held at the 3,000-capacity OCBC Aquatic Centre, as the WCH Arena is not wheelchair-accessible for athletes, The Straits Times understands.

While

Singapore’s seven-gold Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu

declined comment, former Paralympic bronze medallist swimmer and world record holder Theresa Goh, 38, felt that “it would have been nice” for the upcoming meet to be held at the WCH Arena too, but believes that there are “limitations”.

She said: “It depends on how the public views it. If you say, ‘Oh, wow, World Aquatics (Championships) was held at the new pool’, then would you expect that World Para would be also at the new pool? If yes, then there would be a difference, because then it’s like, ‘how come they’re not at the new pool?’

“But no complaints, the Aquatic Centre is really nice, still also a world-class facility and familiar for the people who came here for the para swimming world series… They know what to expect, maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.”

Goh believes at the start, organisers “did try”, adding: “But limitations are such when there’s a time crunch. And I think there were some Building and Construction Authority (issues) and they had some roadblocks.”

ST had reported in July 2024 that the WCH was expected to cost the hosts about US$100 million (S$128.4 million) – a 41 to 49 per cent increase from the preliminary planning budget of $90 million to $95 million, an estimate that did not fully factor in sponsorship fees.

The WCH Arena, which was built on a carpark near the Kallang Tennis Hub, took about six months to be completed.

In response to ST’s queries on the choice of venue, a World Para Swimming Championships organising committee spokesperson said that the OCBC Aquatic Centre, also the national training centre for Singapore’s aquatics athletes, is a world-class facility that fully meets the meet’s requirements.

The spokesperson added: “Having previously hosted international para swimming events, the venue will give our athletes a boost as they compete against the world’s best para swimmers in familiar surroundings.

“Given its suitability and capacity to accommodate the expected number of athletes and spectators, the OCBC Aquatic Centre provides the ideal stage for the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships.”