The Singapore National Olympic Council sent a total of sixteen athletes to the Games, six men and ten women, to compete in six different sports. The nation's team size was roughly denser from Sydney by two athletes, being considered its largest delegation since the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. For the first time in its Olympic history, Singapore was represented by more female than male athletes. Eight Singaporean athletes had previously competed in Sydney four years earlier; five of which were swimmers, including four-time Olympian and multiple-time Southeast Asian Games champion Joscelin Yeo. Meanwhile, badminton player Ronald Susilo was appointed by the council to carry the Singaporean flag in the opening ceremony.[1]
Singapore, however, failed to win a single Olympic medal in Athens since the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, where Tan Howe Liang claimed silver in men's weightlifting. Table tennis player Li Jiawei narrowly missed the nation's first ever medal in 44 years, after losing out her match against South Korea's Kim Kyung-Ah for the bronze.[2]
Singaporean athletes have so far achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event at the 'A' Standard, and 1 at the 'B' Standard).[3][4]
Singaporean swimmers earned qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the A-standard time, and 1 at the B-standard time):
