Solo 2011

The ASEAN Para Games is traditionally hosted by the same country and sport venues where the Southeast Asian Games took place. However, due to lack of accessible facilities for the disabled, the 6th ASEAN Para Games was held in Solo, Indonesia from 15 to 20 December 2011 instead of Jakarta where the 26th Southeast Asian Games was held.

Singapore sent a contingent of 56 athletes and officials (32 athletes, 16 officials and 8 secretariats) led by Chef-de-Mission Mr Ee Tiang Hwee. Mr Firdaus B. Nordin (Athletics) was selected as the flag bearer for the games. Singapore competed in 5 sports, Athletics, Badminton, Swimming, Table Tennis and Tenpin Bowling.

Team Singapore won a total of 28 medals – 9 Gold, 10 Silver and 9 Bronze, improving on their performance in the 5th Asean Para Games where they won 23 medals.

Swimming again contributed the bulk of the medals with 6 Gold, 8 Silver and 6 Bronze medals. Swimmer Mr Benson Tan clinched two gold medals and broke the game records in Men’s 50m Freestyle and Butterfly in the S14 category (Intellectual Disability). Debutant Ms Emma Dione Schick also secured gold in Women’s 50m Backstroke in the S9 category.

Paralympic Gold medallist Ms Yip Pin Xiu clinched a silver medal in the Women’s 50m backstroke and two bronze medals in Women’s 50m Freestyle and Women’s 100m Freestyle in the S5 category. This was despite swimming in a higher disability class, as her class is S3. This was due to the fact that in the ASEAN region, there were no competitors in her class, hence the upgrade.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu also broke the Games record in a race that was two classes higher than her own classification when she competed in the Women’s 50m Backstroke S5 despite finishing two out of two.

Tenpin Bowling team did Singapore proud by clinching 2 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medals. Bowlers Mr Thomas Yong and Mr Mohamed Ismail B. Hussain took top spot to win the gold in their TPB1+2/3Doubles competition.

The badminton team did well to win 1 Gold in the singles and 1 Silver in the doubles. Singles defending champion, Mr Tay Wei Ming, was in no mood of letting his title slip from him. The game went down to the wire but he kept it together and beat his opponent convincingly in the third set to claim the gold medal.

List of athletes participating in the Solo 2011 ASEAN Para Games (PDF file)