Singapore to host 2025 World Para Swimming Championships
Singapore to host 2025 World Para Swimming Championships
SINGAPORE: Singapore will host the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships, the first time the event is held in Asia, said the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) on Monday (Feb 5).
The championship is the highest-ranked swimming event outside the Paralympic Games. It will take place at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore Sports Hub from Oct 3 to Oct 9, 2025.
"This is a major milestone for our sport and is also evidence of the growth of para swimming in the country and the region," said Mr Craig Nicholson, the head of World Para Swimming.
SDSC said that para swimming was a "consistent stronghold" for Singapore, producing Paralympic medallists and world record holders like Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh.
"Additionally, Asian medalist Toh Wei Soong, Asian record holder Sophie Soon and numerous ASEAN Para Games medallists have contributed to the nation’s rich para swimming legacy," said SDSC.
SDSC president Teo-Koh Sock Miang added: "There remains a large number of Singaporeans with disabilities who can find inspiration, success and achievement in para swimming and para sport.
"We would like everyone to be able to gain inspiration and confidence from the exceptional para swimmers that they will witness at this event."
The 2025 event is the 12th edition of the championship.
Malaysia was supposed to hold the 2019 championship in Kuching, but was stripped of the rights after it refused to allow Israel to take part. The event was later held in the United Kingdom.
Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu is Singapore's most decorated athlete at the World Para Swimming Championships.
She won two gold medals in each of the last three editions of the championships: In 2019, 2022 – when the event was postponed due to the pandemic – and 2023.
“I never imagined that we would one day get to showcase para swimming to this level in Singapore," said Yip.
"To know that it would happen at a world-class pool, with the top para swimmers in the world competing right here on our little island, feels truly surreal. It not only shows that Singapore has taken concrete strides towards promoting inclusivity over the years but has received the confidence to play a leading role in the global landscape."
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong called it a "significant milestone for the disability sport community in Singapore".