Credit: Singapore Disability Sports Council
Singapore, 24 May 2025 – The Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and World Para Swimming (WPS) announced today that Toyota Motor Asia has stepped up as headline sponsor of the World Para Swimming Championships, which will be held in Singapore from 21 to 27 September 2025.
The announcement, shared at the 100-day countdown celebration to the World Championships, marked a significant partnership milestone between SDSC, WPS and Toyota Motor Asia. This is Toyota Motor Asia’s first title sponsorship of the World Para Swimming Championships, reflecting its ongoing commitment to promoting inclusivity and accessibility through sport. Toyota Motor Asia had previously partnered the SDSC to host the Singapore leg of the Para Swimming World Series in 2019, 2023 and 2024.
“Para athletes inspire us with their extraordinary resilience, talent, and determination – and that drives our continued support for inclusive sports,” said Preston Tan, Vice President, Toyota Motor Asia. “As a regional office, Toyota Motor Asia, has been supporting the sports community for years. Our involvement in the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships – Singapore 2025 reflects our continued commitment to uplifting the community and championing the Para movement and athletes.”
Toyota has long championed Para athletes, striving to create a more equitable and inclusive society through mobility solutions and sport. Globally, Toyota has supported more than 200 able-bodied and para athletes, reinforcing its long-standing commitment towards “Mobility for All”.
“The World Para Swimming Championships is the most important event in our sport and a powerful platform to promote inclusion and empower persons with disabilities at local, regional and global levels. Toyota has a long history of support for Para sport and a strong commitment to advance inclusion on a global scale. We are thrilled to welcome Toyota Motor Asia as the title partner of Singapore 2025,” said Craig Nicholson, Head of World Para Swimming.
The SDSC also launched SG60 SwimTogether Singapore as part of the celebratory event today at Delta Swimming Complex. The launch event featured a 100-lap commemorative swim, powered by 60 unique individuals, symbolising Singaporeans moving forward together in unity. The diverse group of swimmers included Paralympian Theresa Goh, Olympian Mark Chay, Team Singapore Para swimmer Wong Zhi Wei, Team Singapore swimmer Amanda Lim, young Para swimmers, swimmers with high support needs, Para swimming coaches, corporate partners, and representatives from different disability groups, and seniors.
The swim was flagged off by Guest of Honour, Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.
The SG60 SwimTogether Singapore is a legacy campaign of the World Championships, designed to encourage Singaporeans of all abilities to swim together, and use swimming as a sport to uplift lives. Running from 24 May to 31 August 2025, the campaign invites the public to clock swim laps at participating pools across Singapore, through both centralised and remote activations.
Participants at the launch included 11-year-old Muhammad Hariz Bin Sanusi, who has spinal bifida. Hariz completed an assisted lap for the campaign, having only recently learnt to swim through SDSC’s support to his school. A specialised coach was engaged by the SDSC to support Hariz to learn swimming while his classmates went through the national SwimSafer programme. The SDSC also provided specialised transport for Hariz, a wheelchair user, to travel to the swimming pool, while his classmates used regular buses.
Upon completing his lap, Hariz shared: “It feels fun and exciting—like you’re in space, floating and you can do anything.”
Another participant in the commemorative swim was Loh Jia Wei, 29, a public sector lawyer, who last stepped into a swimming pool at the age of four. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness, that last swim ended with a cold, and she has stayed away from the water ever since.
Now, Jia Wei is taking on the SG60 SwimTogether Singapore campaign as an opportunity to reconnect with swimming in a meaningful way. With SDSC extending the help of a heated pool, a dedicated coach, and a physiotherapist, Jia Wei is navigating the water once more—this time with a newfound sense of freedom.
“It felt very surreal and liberating to be moving about using my limbs,” she shared. “Each swim lesson was a good workout for me.”
At the launch event, a video was played of Jia Wei completing her lap — a milestone that once felt far out of reach. “I hope my participation inspires other persons with disabilities to step out of their comfort zone and try a sport,” said Jia Wei. “I hope it also inspires people to reach out and forge friendships, regardless of physical ability.”
“Both Toyota’s steadfast support and the SG60 SwimTogether Singapore campaign reflect the spirit of unity and progress. As we celebrate Singapore’s 60th birthday and the World Para Swimming Championships, I invite all Singaporeans and companies to join us – partner us, participate in SwimTogether, and cheer on our Para swimmers. Together, we can be a powerful movement towards inclusivity,” said Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang, President of SDSC and Co-Chair of the World Para Swimming Championship Steering Committee.
Craig Nicholson, Head of World Para Swimming, added: “The 100 days to go celebration also marks the launch of a campaign that showcases a significant legacy of this year’s World Championships. SwimTogether builds up on an initiative introduced by World Para Swimming to expand access to swim-safe education, particularly for persons with disabilities.”
The Toyota World Para Swimming Championships – Singapore 2025 will take place from 21 to 27 September 2025 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. It is the first time Asia is hosting this prestigious event, and the SG60 SwimTogether Singapore campaign serves as a meaningful lead-up, placing everyday Singaporeans at the heart of this historic event.
“To me, the SG60 SwimTogether Singapore campaign represents the strides Singapore and disability sports have taken but it also shows how much further we can go,” shared Paralympian Theresa Goh. “I’m grateful to still be part of this sport and to be able to give back in whatever way I can.”
For those who wish to participate in SG60 SwimTogether Singapore, more information can be found on SDSC’s website: bit.ly/swimtgtsdsc.
