SINGAPORE: A total of 256 athletes across 23 sports have been provisionally selected to represent Singapore at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
In a media release issued on Tuesday (Jun 2), the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) announced the first batch of athletes and teams selected to represent Singapore at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will be held from Sep 19 to Oct 4.
“There were 115 athletes who had met the Asian Games’ qualification set by the organisers, and 141 athletes who did not have to – both group of athletes met and satisfy the SNOC Selection Committee’s benchmarks,” the council said.
Reigning 200m Asian Games gold medallist Shanti Pereira and sailor Ryan Lo will defend their titles, while Loh Kean Yew, who over the weekend finished runner-up at the Singapore Badminton Open, and teammate Yeo Jia Min have been included.
Swimmers Quah Zheng Wen, Quah Ting Wen and Quah Jing Wen have also been selected as is rising teenager Julia Yeo, who made waves at the SEA Games last December and is in line for her debut at the continental showpiece.
However, current world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Max Maeder will not be defending his Asian Games gold medal in Japan, as kitefoiling is not on the programme.
Marathoner Soh Rui Yong is also absent from the list, while the men’s and women’s Under-22 football teams have not been included.
The Football Association of Singapore said in February that the Young Lions and Lionesses will not be represented in Japan, following the implementation of a qualification criteria by Asian Games organisers that has been validated by the AFC and the Olympic Council of Asia.
That football tournament is an age-group competition, and Singapore’s omission does not affect the Lions’ participation in the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, for which they have already qualified.
In 2023, in response to queries from CNA on Soh’s exclusion from the Hangzhou Games line-up, SNOC said its appeals committee had considered Singapore Athletics’ nomination for his participation and decided not to select him.
It then cited reasons such as failing to “honour commitments which he had provided to the SNOC, including on occasions following his participation at the Cambodia 2023 SEA Games” and noted his “disparaging and derisive remarks about others in the public domain”.