Yip Pin Xiu Keynote Speaker

Yip Pin Xiu is a Singaporean swimmer who blazed a trail for Para Sport in Singapore when she took home the country’s first gold medal in history at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and is now a 7 time Gold medalist.

She is a five-time Paralympic champion in swimming (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024) and the world-record holder for the 200m freestyle (2022), 100m and 50m backstroke (2016) S2 classification. Yip is also a member of the Singapore Safe Sport Commission and the National Youth Council.

Pin Xiu was born with muscular dystrophy, which means her muscles degenerate progressively with age. By the age of 13, she could no longer walk and had to use a wheelchair. But as Pin Xiu had started swimming when she was five, with her brothers as a weekly family activity, she was noticed by a volunteer with the Singapore Disability Sports Council.

The volunteer was impressed at how Yip was able, despite her physical challenges, to keep up with the other children in the pool and encouraged her to swim competitively. Pin Xiu took that advice and began to take part in regional and international meets from the age of 12. At her first international event, the World Wheelchair and Amputee Games 2005, Pin Xiu won two gold medals and a bronze. Not long after, she began breaking world records.

Yip Pin Xiu is more than a swimmer, she believes her greater purpose goes beyond the pool and transcends sports. She uses her success as a platform to speak passionately about equality, overcoming challenges and empowerment. She is a solid voice for women and minority groups and an active representation for People with Disabilities in Singapore.

When Pin Xiu served as the youngest Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2018 to 2020, she advocated on issues such as sports and inclusion and spoke out against campus sexual violence and workplace harassment. In 2022, Yip Pin Xiu was recognised for her outstanding accomplishments and was presented with the inaugural President’s Award for Inspiring Achievement.

According to the President of Singapore, Halimah Yacob, the award honours and celebrates Singaporeans who have demonstrated courage and persistence to overcome personal adversity, excelled in their respective fields on the global stage, and whose contributions have made a significant impact on society.