New initiative targets 500k swimmers in five years

Over the next five years, 500,000 people will get the chance to learn to swim and build water confidence—among other skills—in an ambitious goal set by Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) for its new national swimming framework.

- Hana Chen

On July 5, the national aquatics governing body unveiled the initiative "SwimSingapore presented by OCBC" to revamp swimming education in Singapore. The framework has four new segments—SwimStart, SwimFun, SwimFurther, and SwimBetter—and includes two pre-existing ones, SwimSafer and SwimFaster.

Presenting sponsor OCBC will invest $1 million to cover operational costs such as assessors' fees, certification costs, and outreach expenses over the next five years.

Under the new structure, infants as young as under a year old can begin their swimming journey through the six-stage SwimStart, which begins with parent-accompanied water introduction and encourages toddlers to explore independent water movement.

Young children aged four to six will move on to SwimFun, a three-stage programme which focuses on promoting water confidence, movement, and skills development without parent accompaniment.

Both SwimStart and SwimFun will be offered through SwimSingapore-accredited swim schools and private instructors, with standardised assessment frameworks and prescribed safety guidelines, though the programme may vary depending on the provider.