SG60: 60 Iconic Moments In Singapore Sports

When it comes to Singapore sports, I’m all in — whether it’s cheering for the Singapore National Football Team at the National Stadium or catching a Singapore Premier League match on a random weekend at Jalan Besar Stadium, I’m that guy. I spend my Friday evenings immersed in the excitement of local wrestling events, feeling the pride of watching homegrown athletes make their mark.

Being a passionate fan of Team Singapore is more than just about the games; it’s about the heart, the hustle, and the unwavering spirit that unites us as a nation. From Joseph Schooling’s historic Gold at the Olympics to Dante Chen becoming the first Singaporean to debut in WWE, I’ve cheered, celebrated, and beamed with pride at every win. While by no means an exhaustive list, here is my take on the 60 most unforgettable milestones that highlight Singapore’s sporting excellence over the years.

1950s-1960s: Building the Foundation

Football:

1. Singapore FA won the Malaysia Cup the same year the country gained independence (1965) – Separate from the Singapore National Team, Singapore FA was a representative of the Singapore Amateur Football Association (SAFA) in Malaysian competitions. This was their 21st title, the most decorated team up to that point.

2. Football Association of Singapore was born (1966) – SAFA adopted its current name, transforming into FAS, the official governing body for football in Singapore.

3. Construction of the former National Stadium begins (1966) – Then-Minister of Social Affairs Othman Wok officiated the historic ceremony.

Weightlifting:

4. Singapore's first Olympic medal (1960) – Singapore’s first Olympic medalist at the Rome Games, Tan Howe Liang, clinched silver in weightlifting

Olympics:

5. Singapore Sports Awards (1967) – First introduced by the Singapore National Olympic Council, it has since become the most coveted award for local athletes.

6. First Participation in the Olympics as an independent nation (1968) – For the first time as an independent nation, Singapore competed at the Summer Olympics held at Mexico City that year, with legendary sprinter C. Kunalan sprinting 100 metres in 10.38 seconds, setting a record that would stand for 33 years.

1970s: Paving the Way

Swimming:

7. Trailblazing Female Swimmer Makes History (1971) – The “Golden Girl” Patricia Chan wins the Sportswoman of the Year Award for the fifth yearin a row aftersetting a swimming national record at the 1970 Asian Games. Over the course of her career, she won 39 gold medals at the SEAP Games between 1965 and 1973.

Boxing:

8. Syed Abdul Kadir wins Singapore’s first SEAP Games boxing gold medal (1971) – The boxing legend stunned the defending champion from Burma, Vanlal Dawa to clinch gold. In 1972, he also became the first and so far only Singaporean boxer to compete in the Olympics.

Football:

9. Former National Stadium Opens (1973) – The opening of the iconic OG National Stadium, with a capacity of 50,000, would play home to countless legendary football matches and sporting events.

SEAP Games:

10. Singapore Hosted Their First Ever SEAP Games (1973) – Held from 1 to 8 September of that year, the country finished second in the medal tally behind Thailand.

11. Formation of the Singapore Sports Council (1973) – Now known as Sport Singapore, it is the lead agency responsible for developing our sporting culture.

Athletics:

12. First Singaporean women to clinch a gold medal in athletics at the Asian Games (1974) – The then 19-year-old Chee Swee Lee set a new record at the 400m track and field race, sealing her place in history.

Football:

13. Lion City Cup youth football tournament made its debut (1977) – The inaugural edition was won by the Singapore ‘A’ team, starring a young Fandi Ahmad. It would go on to inspire the creation of the FIFA U-16 World Championship.

Swimming:

14. First Singaporean woman to win gold in swimming at an Asian Games (1978) – Junie Sng made history, winning not one but two gold medals at the event in Bangkok. What made the achievement even more impressive was that she was only 14 years old at the time.

Athletics:

15. Last women’s gold medal in running for 36 years (1979) – At the SEA Games in Jakarta that year, K. Jayamani took home the double for 1500m and 3000m events. She was dubbed the “Queen of long-distance running”, and it would be the last athletics gold in running at any international event for nearly 4 decades before a certain Shanti Pereira arrived on the scene.

1980s: Breakthrough Moments

Football:

16. 18-year-old Fandi Ahmad’s winning goal led to a famous Malaysia Cup victory (1980) – A star was born on the night, as Fandi’s famous strike defeated favourites Selangor and launched his career into the next level.

17. Fandi became the first Singapore football player to sign with a European club (1983) – The star striker joined Dutch giants Groningen and even scored an iconic goal in the European Cup against Inter Milan.

Swimming:

18. Swimming legend Ang Peng Siong puts Singapore on the world map (1982) – Before there was Joseph Schooling, Asia’s “Flying Fish” Ang Peng Siong was ranked the top swimmer in the world after setting a national record that stood for 32 years.

Bowling:

19. Singapore’s first and youngest world bowling champion (1985) – At the tender age of 19, Adelene Wee won the Ladies Masters’ Title at the 1985 World Games in London.

Water Polo:

20. Men’s national water polo team clinches bronze at the Asian Games (1986) – The men’s team won bronze in Seoul, the last time they would achieve a podium finish at this level, despite their dominance in the SEA Games.

Waterskiing:

21. Singapore’s first-ever SEA Games gold in waterskiing (1987) – Jasmie Hussein triumphed in the slalom category, winning the country’s first-ever gold medal in the sport at that year’s SEA Games in Jakarta.

Golf:

22. Singapore’s first-ever SEA Games gold in golf (1989) – Samson Gimson was a true trailblazer of the sport in Singapore, not only winning the country’s only gold medal in golf at the 1989 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, but also dominating the Southeast Asian golf scene throughout the mid to late 80s.

1990s: International Recognition

Silat:

23. Singapore’s first gold medal in pencak silat at the Pencak Silat World Invitational Championships (1990) – Sheik Alau’ddin put Singapore on the world map in Pencak Silat and was the reigning champion for the next four years.

SEA Games:

24. Singapore dominated squash at the SEA Games (1991) – When the sport was first introduced at the 1991 SEA Games in Manila, it was Singapore who swept all four gold medals on offer.

25. Singapore recorded their best ever medal tally at the SEA Games (1993) – Hosting for the 3rd time up to that point, our nation clinched 164 medals overall, including a record 50 golds.

26. Swimming phenomenon Joscelin Yeo won 9 gold medals at the age of 14 (1993) – Staking her claim as the queen of Southeast Asian swimming, Joscelin was the star of the entire tournament and currently holds the record for the most gold medals in SEA Games history with 40 golds, surpassing fellow Singaporean swimmer Patrician Chan’s former record of 39 golds.

Football:

27. Singapore’s ‘Dream Team’ lifted the Malaysia Cup for the final time (1994) – End of an era as Singapore ended their final year participating in Malaysian football competition with a league and cup double. Abbas Saad scored a hat-trick with Fandi Ahmad rounding off the goals in the finals against Pahang at the Shah Alam Stadium.

28. S. League launches (1996) – After their triumph in Malaysian competition, Singapore launched their very own professional football, now known as the Singapore Premier League.

29. Singapore wins their first AFF Championship (1998) – An unfancied Singapore national team won the region’s most prestigious footballing tournament thanks to a solitary goal from defender R. Sasikumar.

2000s: A New Era of Sporting Success

Athletics:

30. U K Shyam broke a 33-year 100m sprint record (2001) – Shyam smashed the record previously set by running legend C Kunalan with a time of 10.37s, first in 2001 and then again in 2011. His 2011 achievement also earned him a silver medal at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.

Badminton:

31. Singapore wins first-ever women’s singles badminton gold medal in Commonwealth Games (2002) – Female shuttler Li Li makes history as a 19-year-old by beating hometown favourite Tracey Hallam in Manchester, making her our country’s first women’s badminton singles champion.

Sports School:

32. Singapore Sports School opened its doors (2004) – The Singapore Sports School accepted its pioneer batch at their Woodlands campus. They have since produced 15 Olympians and 17 world champions in various sports.

Football:

33. Singapore won back-to-back AFF Suzuki Cups (2004, 2007) – A landmark era of dominance in the AFF Championship, orchestrated by former coach Radojko "Raddy” Avramović.

Table Tennis:

34. Singapore won silver for table tennis at the 2008 Olympics (2008) – The women’s table tennis team clinched a historic silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. This was Singapore's second Olympic medal ever, and the first in nearly 50 years.

Wakeboarding:

35. Sasha Christian became Singapore’s first Asian wakeboarding champion (2009) – Singapore’s first wakeboarding star, Sasha clinched gold at the 2009 Asian Wakeboard Championships, after dominating the national scene in the previous 4 years.

2010s: Rise of New Sporting Heroes

Combat Sports:

36. One Fighting Championship was launched in Singapore (2011) – Based in Singapore, the Asian MMA promotion would grow to become the biggest combat sports promotion in the region, rivalling UFC.

37. Singapore Pro Wrestling was established (2012) – SPW is Singapore’s first homegrown wrestling promotion, inspired by WWE.

Football:

38. Launch of LionsXII reignited the Singapore vs Malaysia football rivalry once again (2011) – Both the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) signed an agreement to allow both nations to send their youth teams to compete in each other’s national leagues, thereby creating the LionsXII football club.

39. Singapore won their most recent AFF Suzuki Cup (2012) – Singapore once again lifted the AFF Suzuki Cup, with 4 championships to make them joint 2nd record winners in the tournament. This was the country’s last regional championship win till today.

40. LionsXII lifted the 2013 Malaysian Super League title (2013) – History was made as the young Lions became the first and to date only foreign side to win a Malaysian Super League title.

Singapore Sports Hub:

41. Singapore Sports Hub commenced operations (2014) – Built on the site of the former National Stadium, the new 55,000 capacity ground has gone on to host National Day Parades, SEA Games ceremonies, international football matches and world-class music concerts in the decade since.

Swimming:

42. Joseph Schooling was named Sportsman of the Year for the first time (2012) – The 17-year-old was voted in by the Singapore National Olympic Council after making his Olympics debut at the London Games.

43. First Singaporean to win gold at the Asian Games in over 20 years (2014) – The accolades keep rolling in as Schooling took home a silver and bronze medal as well.

44. Schooling broke the Asian 100m butterfly record at FINA World Aquatic Championships (2015) – Schooling sets a new Asian record in swimming, elevating Singapore’s presence in the swimming world.

45. Clean sweep at the SEA Games in Singapore for Schooling (2015) – Schooling made more history on home turf by winning a gold medal at all 9 events he participated in. He also smashed Singapore’s national record in the 50m freestyle, which was set by swimmer Ang Peng Siong in 1982.

SEA Games:

46. Singapore hosted SEA Games once again after a 22-year wait (2015) – Team Singapore recorded their best ever medal tally with 259, including a historic 84 gold medal wins.

47. Shanti Pereira won Singapore’s first SEA Games sprint medal in 42 years (2015) – 19-year-old Shanti’s incredible gold medal performance was the first SEA Games sprint medal since Eng Chiew Guay and Glory Barnabas’ triumphs in the 100m and 200m respectively in the 1973 SEAP Games.

Olympics:

48. Singapore hosted the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games (2010) – Held between 14-26 August of that year, it was the first International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event to be held in Southeast Asia, highlighting our nation’s ongoing role in promoting sports through global events. Fun fact - I was actually a volunteer at the event!

49. Feng Tianwei won a bronze medal at the London Olympics for table tennis (2012) – The naturalised Singaporean paddler defeated her Japanese opponent to become the country’s first individual Olympic medal winner since Tan Howe Liang’s weightlifting silver in 1960.

50. Joseph Schooling won Singapore’s first gold at the Olympics (2016) – Schooling’s Gold medal in the 100m butterfly at the Rio Olympics was a historic moment for Singapore and Southeast Asia.

51. First Singaporean to win a SEA Games gold medal in sambo (2019) – Nazri Sutari defeated his Indonesian opponent in a hard-fought battle in the men’s combat sambo (a type of martial art and combat sport) under-82kg category in the Philippines.

2020s: New Frontiers and Global Recognition

Mixed Martial Arts:

52. One Championship fighter Amir Khan recorded the most knockouts in history (2020) – The Singapore-born mixed martial artist achieved a record 9 knockouts, the most KOs in One Championship history after defeating his Indian opponent, Rahul Raju.

Wrestling:

53. Dante Chen becomes Singapore’s first WWE Superstar (2021) – Dante Chen makes history as the first-ever Singaporean to debut in WWE, taking Singapore to the world stage in professional wrestling.

Fencing:

54. First Singaporean to win an NCAA fencing title (2021) – 3-time SEA Games Champion and Olympic fencer Amita Berthier made history alongside her University of Notre Dame teammates with her victory in this prestigious varsity tournament. She would subsequently represent Singapore in the Olympics a second time during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Football:

55. Lion City Sailors became Singapore’s first privatised local football club (2020) – Billionaire CEO Forrest Li, founder of SEA, the parent company of Shopee, assumed 100% ownership of the former Home United, ushering a new era of superstar signings and increased fanfare for local football.

56. Singapore women’s football team qualified for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup (2022) – The Lionesses secured a historic qualification for the prestigious AFC Women’s Asian Cup, making it to the group stage.

57. First Singaporean women to play football in a professional European league (2023) – Danelle Tan made Singapore football history when she joined German giants Borussia Dortmund’s women’s team at the age of 19.

58. Veteran goalkeeper became an overnight sensation among Chinese football fans (2024) – Hassan Sunny’s World Cup Qualifier heroics for Singapore helped China progress to the next round, inadvertently turning him into a beloved idol among Chinese netizens. While Singapore lost 3-1 to Thailand, Hassan made 11 saves, denying Thailand the 3-goal lead it needed to edge out China for a place in the finals.

Kitefoiling:

59. Teenager Max Maeder won an Olympic bronze medal on National Day (2024) – He became the country’s youngest Olympic medallist at the age of 17, clinching a bronze medal at the Paris Games, on National Day no less.

Paralympics:

60. Backstroke swimmer Yip Pin Xiu secured her legacy as Singapore’s greatest Paralympian (2008 to present) – She became the country’s most decorated athlete, having won 7 gold medals and 1 silver medal as of her victory in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. She is also the current world record holder for the 50m Backstroke S2 and 100m Backstroke S2 events.

Looking ahead, it’s my hope to see Singapore’s sporting achievements continue to rise — perhaps even watching Team Singapore in the World Cup one day. Hopefully with the whole nation’s support and determination from our athletes, the sky is the limit for our nation's sporting goals. Here's to the next 60 years of success and unforgettable sporting moments.

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