SEA Games 2025: Athletics needs to ‘come to the party’ in Singapore’s hunt for more golds

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Singapore National Olympic Council secretary general Mark Chay has called for athletics to join the party on Singapores gold medal hunt.

ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO

Summary

• SNOCs Mark Chay urges athletics to improve for Singapore to achieve more gold medals at the SEA Games.
• Chay stresses the importance of aquatics performing well at the 2029 SEA Games in Singapore.
• Poor performances from football and badminton teams will be reviewed; wushu athletes are determined to improve.

AI generated

BANGKOK – Singapore athletics have to “come to the party” if the Republic wants to finish among the top three nations and pull off a strong showing when the SEA Games return in 2029, said Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) secretary-general Mark Chay.

At the Team Singapore review at Bangkok’s Grand Fourwings Convention Hotel on Dec 20, the former national swimmer noted that there were “some hits and some misses” at the 2025 edition.

“In aquatics, the SEA Games is really a breakout or breakdown kind of event,” said the 43-year-old.

Noting that a lot of the athletes rose to the occasion, he added that “we do need to inculcate this competitive edge”.

“If not, what we’re doing is that we’re encouraging satisfactory performances, where our athletes are satisfied with not winning,” he said. “We need to do something about that, especially when we have our sights set on 2029 (SEA Games in Singapore).”

For Singapore to make a significant dent at the Games, aquatics and athletics need