Unexpected opportunity: Deborah Ong (left) and Toh Liying are believed to be favourites to make the Olympic squad.

Singapore gets one more spot in the women’s 470 class
A FEW weeks ago, Singapore’s two leading women’s 470 pairs thought they would be atching
next month’s Beijing Olympic Games (Aug 8-24) on television from home.

But now, Toh Liying and Deborah Ong, and Dawn Liu and Elizabeth Tan, are in the running for a late extra berth. Yesterday, SingaporeSailing confirmed that the Republic have been officially offered a spot in the women’s 470 class for the Olympic sailing competition, to be held in
Qingdao next month.

It will bring the total number of athletes representing the Republic to 25 in six sports — athletics, badminton, sailing, shooting, swimming and table tennis — at the Games.

“SingaporeSailing have received an offer for an Unused Quota Position in the women’s two-person dinghy event (women’s 470) at the 2008 Olympic sailing competition by the International Sailing Federation (Isaf),” said SingaporeSailing chief executive officer Andrew
Sanders, yesterday.

SingaporeSailing president Low Teo Ping added: “We already succeeded when we qualified for the men’s 470, the Laser Standard and Laser Radial events.

“This is another opportunity to achieve the bonus we set out to do for Singapore sports.”

Although Toh and Ong are believed to be the favourites to get the nod as they are the highest ranked non-qualifiers, Singapore- Sailing said they have yet to make a decision on who will be elected.

The national body are expected to make a decision by this week.

After failing to qualify from the 2007 Isaf World Sailing Championship in Cascais, Portugal, the two pairs missed one of five remaining berths at the 470 World Championship in Melbourne, Australia in January this year.

However, Isaf decided to offer “Unused Quota Positions” to increase the number of female competitors in the class. The selected women’s 470 pair are expected to link up with the rest of the Olympic sailing squad and head off to Qingdao in the middle of the month, before returning for home a week to undergo a special training camp. They will then return to Qingdao on Aug 1 for the Olympics.

With 37 days to the start of the Beijing Games, Sanders said the immediate focus will be to get the two pairs into the optimum physical shape required for the conditions of the Yellow Sea.

“In terms of physical training, the four sailors have kept up their fitness regime,” said Sanders.
“The immediate aim would be to quickly get them to optimum weight and strength required for the conditions in Qingdao.”