Wakeboarding and sailing bodies insist on wearing of life jackets too

TWO Singapore watersport associations say they conduct regular emergency drills and follow international guidelines to the letter.

The country's sailing and wakeboarding federations also make life jackets mandatory during competitions and training, and require participants to be strong swimmers.

Mr Andrew Sanders, CEO of SingaporeSailing, said: 'It is a requirement for sailors to be able to swim 50m in tidal conditions with a life jacket.'

The Straits Times spoke to Mr Sanders and Mr Paul Fong, general manager of Singapore Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (SWWF), following the release last week of a report on the safety inquiry into the deaths of five national dragon boat team members. They were killed when their boat capsized last November following a race in Cambodia.

The inquiry panel said precautions, like those in place for sailors and wakeboarders, could have made a difference.

Mr Sanders told The Straits Times that capsize and recovery drills are part and parcel of the sailing curriculum and the federation conducts quarterly water-rescue drills.

'We also engage an emergency and rescue services provider as an external audit and it works with our in-house safety committee. Safety boats are also deployed at local events and all competitors are required to sign on and off before and after competing,' he said.

Ultimately, the team managers of both wakeboarding and sailing assess the risks during competitions and decide whether or not the team should withdraw.

Mr Fong said a top-ranking official will first assess if competitions are in line with the guidelines of the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF).

'Then, at the event venue, the team manager will make the decision whether to compete or withdraw,' he said.

He recalled that during a 2006 event in the Philippines, the team manager had decided to withdraw from the competition because of rough water, caused by an incoming typhoon.

Precautions like that were among the recommendations made by the safety inquiry panel which looked into what happened on Nov23 last year in Cambodia, when the national dragon boat team took part in a race along the Tonle Sap river near Phnom Penh.

The panel found that the practices of the amateur sport lacked rules and guidelines, and ran more on team energy than professional decisions.

The Singapore Dragon Boat Association (SDBA) has since tightened its safety standards, putting in place measures as stipulated by international guidelines.

Dragon boating, wakeboarding and sailing have increasingly become popular in Singapore.

According to SDBA, there are more than 6,000 dragon boat paddlers here, compared to just 400 about two decades ago.

Wakeboarding is one of Singapore's fastest-growing watersports. The young are attracted to its extreme nature and wild tricks. The average age of a wakeboarder here is 24.

SingaporeSailing has seen an increase of 25 per cent in sailing participation every year.