The move will expose national athletes to world-class competitions, allow them to learn from international competitors, and build Singapore's brand as a sports tourism destination, said observers.
“It will be great exposure for our local athletes or aspiring athletes to see what the world standards are,” he said. This gives the city state just two years to organise the sport’s largest event. Over 2,500 athletes from 200 countries are expected to descend upon Singapore’s shores next year to compete across the six aquatic disciplines of swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo.
DPM Wong said in his Budget speech that many Singaporeans want to support national athletes, and the government will provide them with more platforms to do so.Athletes have welcomed the move, saying that competing on their own turf, where families and friends can easily be present to cheer them on, provides a homeground advantage.
The OCBC Aquatic Centre, which features two 50m pools and a diving facility, is one of the venues where the World Aquatics Championships competitions will take place next year.