Singaporean athletes unfazed by haze

The Singapore dragon boat team trains at least four times a week.

Haze or no haze, Singapore’s premier athletes are busy getting ready for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games to be hosted by the Philippines starting 30 November.

If needed, they will wear protective gear or move training to indoor venues.

The Straits Times reported that while some athletic events have been canceled due to the haze that has affected the air quality in Singapore the past week, the athletes preparing for the SEA Games are unmoved.

For Calvin Sim, a champion cyclist, keeping his mind strong is of utmost importance.

“Mentally, I can’t let it affect me,” said Sim, who has been competing in Bandung, Indonesia since last week.

He said that so far, the haze has not affected him.

Sim, 29, won in the men’s omnium at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.

This year, he will be joining road racing events.

He said he had trained in graver conditions in the past, like in 2013 when he cycled at a time when the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) level was at 401, which is considered hazardous.

“I was serving national service then and was commuting home from Mandai to Hougang. You feel like you’re constantly smelling barbecue smoke, your eyes and throat get a bit irritated,” Sim recalled.

But if 24-hour PSI level goes beyond the hazardous 300 level, Sim will need to move his preparation indoors, whereupon he’d need to use a stationary bike. He trains six days a week for three hours a day.

However, the haze has caused some athletes to vary their routines somewhat.

Gold medalist for the high jump in 2017, Michelle Sng has to train in indoor venues, or wear a mask during training, as she did four years ago.

“In 2015, when the haze hit us really bad, we wore masks for training. I might have to do it again this year if the haze situation worsens,” Sng said.

The report also says that golfers have been told to put on masks and stay well hydrated, and that they continue to go on with their training.

Ross Tan, the president of the Singapore Golf Association, said that should the PSI go beyond 200, a level that’s classified as “very unhealthy” then golfers would start training in indoor venues as well.

“This is not the first time we are facing a haze situation. In 2015-2016 when the PSI passed the 300 level, there were some days golf courses suspended play. As of now, it is not a major concern. Everything is still pretty normal,” said Tan.

For the dragon boat team, which trains at the Marina Channel and the Kallang Basin four to six times weekly, one option if the haze worsens is to practice in indoor pools, which the team is not too happy with.

“It is a less desirable training option because we will not be in a boat and it does not mirror competition conditions. And we don’t have a racing course indoors that is 200m or 500m in length,” said team member Diana Nai. (Independent Singapore)