Did Singapore underestimate costs of hosting World Aquatics Championships?

While the initial plan was to hold the prestigious World Aquatics Championship (WAC) in Singapore’s 55,000-seat National Stadium, sources told This Week in Asia some swimming events had to be relocated as costs were underestimated in the initial bid.

From July 11 to August 3 next year, Singapore will host the WAC – the top global competition for swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, open water swimming, and high diving. Over 2,500 athletes from 209 national member federations are expected to compete.

Organisers said in February last year that feasibility reports were being done to assess how pools could be built in the National Stadium and in January this year said plans were under way to hold the swimming and artistic swimming competitions in the 12,000-seater Singapore Indoor Stadium.

International media outlets also reported last February that World Aquatics, the international organisation for aquatic sports, said the National Stadium’s capacity would be about 15,000 for the championship’s swimming events.

But the local organising committee on Friday announced that the swimming and artistic swimming competitions would be held in temporary pools to be built in the 2-hectare car park at shopping centre Leisure Park Kallang. About 2.06 million gallons of water will fill the pools, and the 4,800-seater venue will be sheltered.

Speaking to the media at the OCBC Aquatic Centre, co-chair of the local organising committee Mark Chay said plans to use the stadiums were “in flux at the time”.

“It sounds very exciting but we have to look at the availability of the venue, the suitability of the venue, and what the requirements are,” he said. “The local organising committee said that the best way to do this in the most prudent