The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) announced 21 athletes to compete for them at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio on Tuesday, including two swimmers: Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen. A third swimmer, a female, is expected to be added to the roster as well. As there are no female swimmers currently qualified, FINA allows one female swimmer to compete in one Olympic event provided they meet FINA’s eligibility criteria.
The 21 athletes were nominated by the National Sports Associations (NSAs) as they have earned quotas through their respective sports’ Olympic qualification process.
Mr. Chris Chan, the Secretary-General of the SNOC, stated:
“For the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, we have confirmed 21 athletes and three pending confirmation from the International Federations and the National Sports Associations which means there will likely be 24 athletes representing Team Singapore – one more athlete than the 23-strong athlete contingent at the London 2012 Games. More than half of the contingent will make their debut and there are also seasoned campaigners who are participating in their second or third Olympic Games. We look forward to a positive outing in Rio.”
Schooling will have a chance to become the first Singaporean swimmer to win a medal at the Olympics, and just the fifth medalist in the country’s history. Schooling will have a shot in the 100 and 200 metre butterfly, as he is coming off a bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships in the 100 fly, and is the two-time defending NCAA champion in both the 100 and 200 fly competing for the University of Texas Longhorns. He is qualified to swim in the 100 and 200 freestyle as well, but it is unlikely he’ll swim them as they’ll interfere with the fly events.
The other qualified swimmer, Quah Zheng Wen, has qualified to swim in the 100 back, 100 fly, and 200 fly. Quah posted qualifying times of 54.03, 52.25 and 1:56.26 in those events respectively. He competed at the 2015 World Championships alongside Schooling, earning a pair of 21st place finishes in the 100 back and 200 fly.
A large portion of the Olympic roster is made up of sailors, with a total of nine heading to the Games. The other sports Singaporean athletes have qualified in include badminton (2), rowing (1), shooting (2), and table tennis (5).
Read the full release by the Singapore National Olympic Council (including the full Olympic roster) here.