Singapore at the 2018 Winter Olympics

Singapore sent a delegation to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. This was a special moment because it was the very first time Singapore had ever taken part in the Winter Olympics. The country had only one competitor, a speed skater named Cheyenne Goh. She raced in the women's 1500 metres event but did not move past the qualifying round. Even though she didn’t advance, 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 taken part in every Summer Olympics since, except in 1964 when Singaporean athletes competed as part of the Malaysian team, and the boycotted 1980 Summer Olympics. The year 2018 marked Singapore's first ever appearance at a Winter Olympics. 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 from the PyeongChang Organizing Committee 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, it was announced that Singapore had earned a spot in the women's 1500 m speed skating event at the Winter Olympics. Cheyenne Goh, who was 18 years old, paused her studies to compete. She was born in Singapore but grew up in Canada. The women's 1500 metres race happened on February 17. Goh placed fifth in her heat with a time of 2 minutes and 36.9 seconds and did not move on to the semi-finals.