'SKY'S THE LIMIT' FOR S'PORE

It has the know-how, venues to host more world c’ships, says Paralympic chief

- Melvyn Teoh

With organisational expertise and state-of-the-art venues, Singapore has the potential to host more world para-sports championships, said International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons in an interview with The Straits Times on Sept 19.

“The sky’s the limit,” added the 48-year-old Brazilian, who believes a lot would depend on the Singapore National Paralympic Council’s “appetite”.

Parsons is in town for the Singapore Disability Sports Forum at the Raffles City Convention Centre, ahead of the Sept 21-28 Toyota World Para Swimming Championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, where the world’s best para-swimmers will compete for honours and showcase their ability to push boundaries.

This is another top-level competition that the Republic has hosted recently, coming after the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships.

The meet featured a record field of nearly 2,500 athletes from 206 countries and territories, and was attended by about 140,000 spectators across 24 days.

Other global events taking place here in recent years include the 2023 Women’s World Floorball Championship and 2024 World Chess Championship.

Asked which other world para championships the Republic could be a strong candidate to host, Parsons told ST: “You hosted the first-ever Youth Olympics here more than 10 years ago... I think Singapore has the potential. You have an incredible number of sports venues and they have good accessibility.