Singapore Meets Medal Projections

Singapore's performance at the Asian Games should be judged on more than its medal tally, said observers and members of the sporting fraternity. The country's 300 athletes, competing across 27 sports, brought home two gold medals, nine silvers and seven bronzes.

The joint-lowest number of gold medals since 1998 was achieved, although the nine silvers were the most Singapore has clinched at the meet. Officials said the athletes had met their internal medal projections, though these were not made public.

Tiffany Teo won gold in the women's traditional 60kg final, while Shanti Pereira became the first woman to retain the 200m gold. Other notable performances included Loh Kean Yew's silver in badminton and Gan Ching Hwee's three-silver haul in swimming.

Chef de Mission Goh Kee Nguan said the fighting spirit, resilience and determination shown by the athletes were encouraging. He also acknowledged the support of athletes' families and friends, and expressed appreciation to organisers and volunteers.

The decision to keep medal targets out of the public eye was questioned by some, who said greater transparency was needed for Singaporeans to gauge the country's sporting development. Officials said there was a trade-off, and that making the projections public would have multiplied the pressure faced by athletes.

Members of the sporting fraternity were split over whether medal targets should be made public. Some agreed that public targets could place unnecessary pressure on athletes, while others said openness about goals at this level of competition was important for accountability.

The Asian Games saw several breakthrough performances, historic milestones and encouraging displays from Singapore's athletes. The country fielded 300 athletes across 27 sports at the Games, which took place from September 19 to October 4.