Team Singapore Returns Home With 17 Medals

Team Singapore Returns Home With 17 Medals

CDM Low Teo Ping Congratulates Contingent For A Respectable Showing Despite High Level Of Competition In Guangzhou

Guangzhou, 27 November 2010 - With 17 medals in the bag as the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 comes to a close, Chef-de-Mission Low Teo Ping today congratulated Team Singapore for a respectable showing at the quadrennial event, despite the extremely high standards showed by the competing nations, especially host nation China, which amassed a total of 383 medals, 185 of them gold[1].

1. Team Singapore returned from the 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010 having clinched four gold, seven silver and six bronze medals.

2. “The level of competition was very high at this installment of the Asian Games and I am proud that our athletes managed to hold their own against athletes from powerhouses like China, Japan, Korea and Iran,” said CDM Low. “Although we would be happier had we achieved our medal projections, I know our athletes have put in their very best effort, and they deserve our congratulations and support. I know each athlete will return to Singapore with enriching experiences and having learnt many lessons. I am certain they will use these experiences as an inspiration for greater perseverance, pride and performances at future games.”

3. CDM Low also added that the Asian Games is an important step for many of our athletes, especially the 199 athletes who made their debuts in Guangzhou. “These athletes still have a long way to go and they now know what it will take to compete and win at this level,” added CDM Low. “I am sure that the National Sports Associations and coaches will be conducting their respective post mortems as soon as they return to Singapore, as they look forward to the next major competition,” he said.

Making Waves in the Land of the Dragon

1. Team Singapore’s first medal at the Asian Games, a silver, came in the wings of 20-year-old Butterfly specialist Tao Li. Her sterling performance in the Women’s 100m Butterfly event on Day One of competition put Singapore on the medal standings on the first day of competition. Tao Li’s magnificent swim in the Women’s 50m Butterfly event won Singapore its first gold medal and solidified her position as Asia’s number one in the category.

2. As a team, the swimmers put up an astonishing performance with two new national records broken by Tao Li and Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Rainer Ng Kai Wee, in the Women’s 50m Butterfly and the Men’s 50m Backstroke events respectively. They also clocked an impressive total of 14 new personal records. “We have had a very successful outing here in Guangzhou. This is a team of young swimmers, we can expect a lot more from them in time to come,” said the Head Coach of the swimming team, and an Asian Games gold medallist himself, Mr Ang Peng Siong.

3. Team Singapore’s sailors also added to Team Singapore’s medal tally by grabbing eight medals in various boat classes including gold in both the Men’s and Women’s Double Handed Dinghy 420 classes.

4. The youngest member of Team Singapore’s contingent, 13-year-old sailor Ryan Lo Jun Han showed that age is not a factor when it comes to winning medals. His performance in the Men’s Dinghy Optimist category won him a bronze medal - a terrific start for the long sailing career ahead of him.

5. Team Singapore’s bowlers also did well to contribute five medals to the total tally despite an uncertain start. Debutants Shayna Ng Lin Zhi and New Hui Fen started the bowlers’ medal haul for Singapore with the silver and bronze medals in the Women’s Singles event, followed by a gold medal in the Women’s Trios event soon after. The last medal from bowling came from Cherie Tan Shi Hua whose spectacular showing in the Women’s Master’s event earned her a silver medal, bringing her individual medal tally to one gold and one silver medal.

6. Expressing his pride for the Team Singapore athletes, CDM Low said, “We may not have met our medal projections but we still managed to put up a credible performance in Guangzhou. I am very proud of all our athletes. They have done what I told them to do before we touched down in Guangzhou, and that is to display the principles of sportsmanship and uphold the values of Team Singapore.”

Reaching Out to Fans on New Media

1. Throughout the Games, Team Singapore’s Facebook fan page was a great source of information for fans and Singaporeans alike, who could receive minute-by-minute updates of key events during the Games, as well as updated results, photographs and quotes from the athletes and officials during competition.

2. The page, which was managed by the Singapore Sports Council’s Social Media outreach team, secured more than 1.1 million post views during the 16 days of competition, or an average of about 70,000 daily post views during the competition. The Facebook page was also a good platform for fans to interact and have discussions about their favourite Team Singapore athletes.

[1] Figures are as of 1.00pm on 26 November 2010

Annex A: Team Singapore Medal Tally At The 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010

Annex B: Team Singapore Performance Records At The 16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010