SINGAPORE — Swim queen Tao Li has opted out of the national training centre (NTC) squad under Singapore’s new swimming head coach Sergio Lopez and will train in China for June’s South-east Asian Games (SEA) on home soil.

Thirty-five swimmers applied to be part of the NTC, out of 59 carded swimmers invited last month by the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA). Of the 35 applicants, Spaniard Lopez and assistant coach Gary Tan selected 23, rejected one, with the rest under review or based overseas.

But the notable name missing from yesterday’s first training sessions for the NTC at the OCBC Aquatic Centre was two-time Asian Games gold medallist Tao Li.

Tao Li and Joseph Schooling — who Lopez coached for five years at The Bolles School at Florida — are expected to lead Singapore’s charge at the SEA Games to help retain the Republic’s status as the top swimming nation in the region.

At the last two SEA Games, Tao Li brought home five (four gold, one bronze) and eight (seven gold, one bronze) medals respectively.

While her performance at last year’s Asian and Commonwealth Games showed a return to her old form after only a four-month stint with Lopez at The Bolles School, Tao wants to train in her birth place in Hubei for the time being.

“I will be training in China for a while, that is why I did not apply (for the national training programme),” she said in a phone interview.

Asked if she will return to Singapore and train under Lopez again, she replied: “I will see how.”

TODAY understands that late last year Tao Li asked the SSA and the Singapore Sports Institute for funding to train overseas. The outcome of the request is still pending.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Lopez is unruffled by Tao Li’s absence, preferring to focus on running the NTC, which will train twice a day on weekdays and once on Saturdays. “I am not concerned about Tao Li. I spoke with her two months ago. She is a grown-up and she knows what is best for her. So if China is where she wants to be, then it is her decision,” he said.

“The SEA Games is coming up soon, and she needs to swim really fast then, so it is up to her.”

Lopez, a bronze medallist at the 1988 Olympic Games, will — in the coming week — work out a comprehensive training schedule towards the SEA Games, after spending an hour with the national swimmers yesterday to understand their school and work schedules.

“I am here to understand the culture and the education system in Singapore and know what my swimmers are facing,” he said. “I will also meet the primary coaches of the swimmers at the NTC in the next two weeks to see how we can best work out a plan for each swimmer.

“For it to be a smooth transition for the swimmers with six months to the Games and a new coach too, I don’t think it is a problem as it is enough of a time frame to work with. My coaching will be progressive and not diverge too much suddenly from what they have been used to for years.”

Sprint specialist Amanda Lim, along with Hannah Quek and Darren Chua, have been accepted by the NTC but will join only after the SEA Games.

“It can be tough to have a change in coach so close to a major Games and takes some getting used to with a new training programme,” said Lim. “I do not want it to jeopardise my chances at the SEA Games.”

The next intake for the NTC is in July, with a yearly review done every December for a new intake and to determine if existing athletes in the squad should continue.