A SUCCESS FOR ATHLETES, FANS

Event gets kudos for nearly all aspects, save for seat allocation and lack of local crowds

- Kimberly Kwek Sports Correspondent and Deepanraj Ganesan

It had not been the most ideal of starts for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, with sparse crowds at the water polo and artistic swimming competitions, and a one-day delay to open water swimming due to high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria off Sentosa.

But, as the 24-day competition progressed, the Republic recovered well and has earned praise from most of the athletes, officials and fans whom The Straits Times spoke to as the flagship aquatics event was staged in South-east Asia for the first time.

Originally awarded to Kazan, Russia, the competition was relocated in 2023 after World Aquatics stripped the country of hosting rights following its invasion of Ukraine.

"For any major multi-sport competition, it has its challenges," said Mark Chay, co-chair of the WCH Singapore 2025 organising committee.

"I'm proud and happy to see our local organising committee come together, be nimble, agile, to actually tackle some of these.

"This puts us in a good position to host more major international events in the future. On the horizon is the 2029 SEA Games (in Singapore), and these are valuable learning points.

"With the WCH, we've shown the world that Singapore is a destination for global sporting events."

WORLD-CLASS ACTS, FACILITIES

Despite initial concerns, a total of about 140,000 spectators attended the July 11-Aug 3 event to watch a record field comprising nearly 2,500 athletes from 206 countries and territories in action at three venues: the purpose-built 4,800-seater WCH Arena, OCBC Aquatic Centre and Sentosa.

There were also sell-out sessions at the finals of diving, swimming, water polo and artistic swimming.

At the WCH Arena, fans were treated to world-class swimming action, including three world records and 12 championship records.

Beyond the action, many athletes ST spoke with praised Singapore for its efficiency and facilities.