Singapore at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Singapore sent a team to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. This was the first time Singapore ever joined the Winter Olympics.

Singapore had only one athlete, a speed skater named Cheyenne Goh. She raced in the women's 1500 metres but did not move past the qualifying round. Even so, her participation showed Singapore’s support for winter sports and inspired many young athletes in the country.

Background

Singapore first joined the Olympic Games in 1948 and has been in every Summer Olympics since, except in 1964 when Singaporean athletes competed as part of Malaysia, and the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics. In 2018, Singapore took part in the Winter Olympics for the very first time. The only athlete Singapore qualified was Cheyenne Goh, a short-track speed skater. Tan Paey Fern, a former Olympian in table tennis for Singapore in the 2004 Summer Olympics, was named as the team's chef de mission. Goh was chosen to carry Singapore's flag during the opening ceremony, while a volunteer carried the flag for the closing ceremony. Goh felt very excited and honored to carry the flag, calling it a cool experience.

Short track speed skating

Main articles: Short track speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics and Short track speed skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics – Qualification

In November, Singapore learned it would compete in the women's 1500 m speed skating event at the Winter Olympics. Cheyenne Goh, who was 18 years old, stopped her studies to race. She was born in Singapore but grew up in Canada. The women's 1500 metres race took place on February 17. Goh came fifth in her heat with a time of 2 minutes and 36.9 seconds and did not go to the semi-finals.