Yip Pin Xiu(Singapore): Swimming & Solidarity

Yip Pin Xiu is a “born and bred city girl’, having grown up in Singapore with her close-knit family flying kites, playing in the sand pool, and at five, getting in the with her brothers. Swimming started as a family activity. Fast forward to 2008, and Pin Xiu became Singapore’s first ever Paralympic gold medalist. She now has 5 Paralympic golds and 5 World Championships. She was the first para-athlete in Singapore’s Sports Hall of Fame (2015) and a proud inductee of the Women’s Hall of Fame (2014). And while Pin Xiu changed the face of sport in Singapore, her impact hasn’t been limited to the pool. Yes, Pin Xiu has all of the honors and titles one can dream of, but she talks more about her commitment to inclusion for all than the medals around her neck. Having grown up in a time when there wasn’t a lot of representation for people with disabilities, Pin Xiu is determined to be a voice people hear and a body people see. According to Pin Xiu, “being disabled does not mean unable. Being disabled does not disqualify me” and she hopes to be a voice not for” just the disabled community, but also the sporting community, women, everyone.” Contributing expert: Theresa Goh (Singaporean Paralympic Swimmer and Pin Xiu’s Teammate) Media Clips from the Following Sources Were Used In Order of Use: -Paralympic Games’ YouTube Page, ‘A second Gold Medal for Pin Xiu Yip! 🥇 | Women’s 50m Backstroke – S2 Final | Swimming | Tokyo 2020’ -Entertainment – Mediacorp YouTube Page, ‘R U OK? S2 EP 7 Yip Pin Xiu Growing Up Disabled, Staring at Gawkers and Embracing her Noisy Self’ -CNA YouTube Page, ‘Yip Pin Xiu receives President’s Award for Inspiring Achievement’ -CMT Research Foundation, The 2021 CMT Global Research Convention, ‘What is Happening to My Body’ by Dr. Keith Fargo

Yip Pin Xiu – Flame Bearers