Olympic sailing classes

SINGAPORE - Jonathan Chan is the first Singaporean diver to qualify for an Olympic Games. National head coach Li Peng is hoping he will not be alone come July. At an open training session before seven of the Republic's divers depart for the Fina Diving World Cup in Tokyo from May 1-6, Li said he believes "one or two" others could join Chan in securing their berth for the July 23-Aug 8 Summer Games, which will also be staged in Tokyo. The divers will be the first Team Singapore athletes to compete in the Japanese capital this year. "From the 2019 SEA Games up till now, we had nearly 15 months (without) an international competition," Li noted in a media session at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on Saturday (April 17). "It was quite boring, but I think it's good for our divers too because there is plenty of time to prepare for (the World Cup)... we are ready for this competition." The biennial World Cup, originally slated for April 2020, was postponed by a year owing to the coronavirus ... » Learn More about Diving: Coach Li hopeful as Team Singapore head for Tokyo World Cup in search of Olympic berths

SINGAPORE - In Jonathan Chan's world of competitive diving, precision means everything. It is the reason he is bound for Tokyo in six months, when he will become the first Singaporean to feature in the sport at the Olympics. In his event, explains Chan, you get six jumps but rarely does a diver feel he has been precise enough in his execution each time. But he did at last September's Asian Diving Cup in Kuala Lumpur . His score of 407.90 in the 10m platform final saw him beat China's Wang Zewei (393.45) and North Korean Ri Kwon Hyok (347.25) to the gold medal, which came with a ticket to the Olympics. "Normally in the six dives, one or two would be not as good as you would like," said Chan, 22, whose historic achievement earned him a nomination for The Straits Times Athlete of the Year Award. "But in KL it was different, and I felt I did well for all my dives. I really didn't expect it." Divers enter the water at 50kmh and the margins between a good and bad ... » Learn More about Diving: Jonathan Chan plunges into uncharted territory with Olympic milestone

SINGAPORE - National diver Jonathan Chan had steadfastly avoided looking at the scoreboard after each of his six dives on Sunday (Sept 8) at the Bukit Jalil National Aquatic Centre, where he was competing in the 8th Asian Diving Cup. The 22-year-old was so focused on his delivery that he did not realise he had won the men's 10m platform gold with his score of 407.90 until his coaches and fellow competitors congratulated him. His achievement in Kuala Lumpur also earned him a spot in the Republic's history books, as he is the first Singaporean diver to qualify for the Olympic Games. He is also the first Singaporean athlete to earn a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Games. China's Wang Zewei took the silver with 393.45 points and North Korea's Ri Kwon Hyok scored 347.25 to clinch the bronze. The top diver in each event at the Asian Diving Cup will automatically qualify for the Olympics. Chan said: "I was happy, but it was more disbelief that I felt because there was a Chinese diver and they ... » Learn More about Diving: Jonathan Chan is first Singaporean diver to qualify for the Olympics

SINGAPORE - Racial prejudice still exists in Singapore but the country has made much progress over the years and is in better shape today with regard to race issues compared with other countries, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (April 17). "If you look around the world, I think we can say, hand on heart, that we are one of the few places where people of different races and faiths have lived peacefully and closely together for more than half a century," he said. "It is something very precious that we must cherish and strive to protect." Mr Wong was speaking at Regardless of Race, an online dialogue that provides Singaporeans with a platform to share experiences, ideas and views on social cohesion and race issues. The dialogue was organised by OnePeople.sg and interfaith initiative Roses of Peace in partnership with Mothership. It was moderated by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information. Mr Wong said that the ... » Learn More about Racial prejudice still exists in S’pore but people here do live peacefully together: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE - Singapore has not reached a post-racial state, hence there are strong government efforts and strict laws to ensure racial and religious harmony. But going forward, younger Singaporeans must decide where to draw the boundaries on discussions on race and religion, and lead ground-up efforts to bring these difficult conversations into their respective communities, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam on Saturday (July 25). In his opening remarks at an online dialogue on "Changing Times, Transforming Relationships" organised by OnePeople.sg, a national body that promotes racial and religious harmony, Mr Shanmugam said the framework within which Singapore has handled race relationships has worked well. For example, Singapore ranked top out of more than 140 countries for tolerance of ethnic minorities in a 2016 Gallup World Poll. But race and religion remain fault lines and are emotive issues, and conversations must be managed with care, he said. "Just ... » Learn More about Younger Singaporeans to decide where to draw boundaries on discussions on race and religion: Shanmugam

A large majority of Singaporeans are aware of the seriousness of race and religious issues, and feel the Government has done enough to manage these divisions. But fault lines have emerged on class, immigration and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, where more Singaporeans, especially younger ones, want to see greater state involvement and public discourse. These emerging issues, if mismanaged, are also seen to affect Singaporeans' trust in the Government the most, compared with race and religion. These and other findings from a study of public opinion on fault lines in Singapore, carried out by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), were released yesterday. Based on a survey of about 4,000 citizens and permanent residents last year, the study noted that about a third of the respondents identified race and religion as having the potential to result in violence in Singapore if not managed properly - significantly more so than class, immigration and LGBT issues. ... » Learn More about Majority now aware of race, religious issues, but study flags new fault lines