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Largest S’pore SEA Games team ever

SINGAPORE — The 28th SEA Games hosted here this June will see Singapore fielding its largest-ever contingent since the biennial multi-sports event began in Bangkok in 1959.

From left: Sailors Samantha Yom and Bernie Chin, shuttler Ronald Susilo and marathon runner Soh Rui Yong are among the 950 athletes who have made the initial cut for the SEA Games. TODAY flie photos

From left: Sailors Samantha Yom and Bernie Chin, shuttler Ronald Susilo and marathon runner Soh Rui Yong are among the 950 athletes who have made the initial cut for the SEA Games. TODAY flie photos

SINGAPORE — The 28th SEA Games hosted here this June will see Singapore fielding its largest-ever contingent since the biennial multi-sports event began in Bangkok in 1959.

The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) selection committee, chaired by its president Tan Chuan-Jin, met yesterday to consider 1,234 nominations from the national sports associations (NSAs), with approximately 950 athletes across 36 sports making the first cut for the June 5 to 16 Games.

The size of the final contingent is expected to be whittled down after the entry-by-name process which will see the NSAs deciding on the actual athletes for each event, or final team numbers, before April 15.

Those who have yet to finish their selection process will have until the appeals committee meeting on April 2 to submit their results, with the final list to be confirmed on April 15.

Team Singapore’s final number will exceed the Republic’s previous record of 483 athletes at the 1993 Games, which was also the last hosted here.

While the qualifying mark is set at third placing in South-east Asia, the SNOC said yesterday that selectors were more flexible with their benchmarks this time.

“The SNOC selection committee took a slightly different approach today to be more extensive in the benchmark margin without compromising the standards of the contingent,” said SNOC secretary-general Chris Chan yesterday.

“While we told athletes to aim for third placing from the last Games, we also acknowledge that we are hosting the Games and it’s been a long time since we hosted it.

“We have every reason to want a good showing, and to give opportunities to athletes to be at the start line. Those who medalled at the 2013 SEA Games are now given the opportunity to defend their medal.

“Athletes who have been training, competing and not too far off the margin have also been selected. There are also sports that have never won medals before, or sports that are in the doldrums, so here’s the chance for them, and hopefully their sport can come alive again.”

While the inclusion of swimming superstar Joseph Schooling, Asian Games bowling champion Jazreel Tan and the women’s table tennis team in the 950-strong initial squad will come as no surprise, there were some names that stood out in the SNOC’s first selection.

These include veteran 1,500m runner Chamkaur Singh, a bronze medallist at the 2003 Games, shuttler Ronald Susilo who is making a comeback for the SEA Games, and 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medallists Bernie Chin and Samantha Yom (sailing).

The two spots for marathon (athletics) will also be hotly contested, with five athletes — defending champion Mok Ying Ren, Soh Rui Yong, Fang Jianyong, Ashley Liew and Derek Li — all making the first cut.

Selection disputes have broken out in the past, notably in 2007 when triathlete Gino Ng became the first athlete to sue the Triathlon Association of Singapore over selection criteria.

But Chan is confident the NSAs will be able to conduct their athlete selections fairly, as he said: “I don’t think there will be disputes, there will always be some athletes who are disgruntled, parents who are disappointed. I think we should look at it positively, that there’s choice given to the sports, the NSAs, that finally the robust system should be able to deliver the best athletes.”

A total of 402 gold medals will be on offer at the 28th SEA Games, which will see some 7,000 athletes from the region competing across 36 sports. Team Singapore are aiming to better their 50 gold medal haul from the 1993 Games — the biggest-ever haul at the regional event to date.

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