S'pore Aquatics clarifies Quah’s omission from Olympic team
The Olympic selection controversy involving national swimmers Quah Ting Wen and Gan Ching Hwee has dominated headlines and social media chatter, with many expressing sympathy for Quah after she was dropped from the women’s 4x100m medley relay team following two failed appeals.
But Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) clarified on July 10 that the issue was not a case of Quah versus Gan for a spot in the Paris-bound relay team.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a sponsorship announcement, SAQ swimming technical director Sonya Porter noted that only Letitia Sim and Gan had confirmed spots because they had met the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT) or “A” cut, and Olympic Consideration Time (OCT) or “B” cut respectively.
According to SAQ’s selection criteria, as the relay team did not meet the two relay-only swimmer requirement set by World Aquatics – they initially had three relay-only swimmers – Gan was given priority owing to her “B” cut invitation.
This meant that the world body’s initial offer of an extra relay-only slot on July 3 was no longer valid, leaving only two places available to those who did not meet the cut.
Porter said: “You can field only two relay-only athletes. So you have to choose the rest of your field based on who’s been invited to the meet and the only two athletes who have been invited are Ching Hwee and Letitia. So we had no choice.
“In order for that relay to even swim at the Olympics, the two of them have to swim it. So that was the purpose of why we put forth an appeal to World Aquatics to continue to try and have Ting Wen there because obviously yes, that’s the permutation that (we) would want.”
Of the original medley relay quartet of Letitia (breaststroke), Levenia, Quah and younger sister Jing Wen who qualified for the Olympics, only Levenia is a backstroke specialist. As Gan is a freestyle swimmer, this meant that the tussle for the butterfly spot was between the Quah sisters.
With Letitia and Gan guaranteed spots in the team, SAQ said on July 8 that its selection committee considered “all permutations for the best outcome” before deciding on the line-up.
Since the confirmation of her omission, Ting Wen has in media interviews urged for more clarity in SAQ’s selection policies to avoid a repeat of this incident. She noted that she had signed documents on July 4 to confirm her participation in the Olympics, only to be informed of the development by SAQ officials a day later.
However, SAQ secretary-general Kenneth Goh told ST that while Ting Wen’s signing of the documents indicated that she would probably be in the final team, it was “not 100 per cent certain” as the process of allocating Olympic spots was not completed then.
He added: “The timeline in our selection policy states that there will be OCT (‘B’ cut) invites that could be sent out on July 5. Everyone is aware of this possibility.”
But he added that as with every major meet or event, the national sports association will review its processes and take note of any areas to improve.
With the selection storm behind them, the show will go on for the relay team – Letitia and Levenia were at the event though Jing Wen was absent owing to a prior engagement.
Letitia, 21, who is also competing in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, said: “I don’t think it really had any effect on me personally, just because I’m more focused on the first half of the relay.
“I am just super excited to just go race and represent Singapore, and hopefully perform really well.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now