Singapore Swim Coaches Lose Lessons and Income as Haze Disrupts Classes
Singapore swim coaches say haze-related lesson cancellations and temporary closures of outdoor ActiveSG facilities are cutting their income and making…
Singapore swim coach haze cancellations are leaving instructors without lessons and income as unhealthy air disrupts outdoor activities. Coaches said on Friday, October 16, that temporary closures of outdoor ActiveSG facilities have further narrowed the venues available for classes.
The disruption reaches beyond individual schedules: parents have cancelled lessons over air-quality concerns, while coaches say indoor pools are already crowded. For freelance instructors paid per class, a cancelled session can mean an immediate loss of earnings.
Senior swim coach Grayson Ong said more than 80 per cent of lessons at his swim school had been cancelled over the past one to two weeks. The school runs classes at public, condominium and private pools across Singapore.
“If we don’t have lessons, it means we don’t get paid,” Ong, 36, told Channel NewsAsia.
Closures leave fewer places to teach
As of 12pm on Friday, outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities at all ActiveSG sports centres were temporarily closed, according to the organisation’s website. Indoor and air-conditioned facilities remained open.
ActiveSG operates public sports facilities across the island, including swimming complexes, gyms, stadiums, fields and courts. The closures have added another constraint for instructors already facing cancellations linked to parents’ concerns about the haze.
Freelance swim coach Timothy Ting said nearly all his classes had been cancelled over the last two weeks. Parents cited concerns about unhealthy air quality, he told CNA. Finding another venue is difficult because the number of indoor pools is limited.
“Those indoor pools are already overwhelmed with existing classes there,” Ting said.
The practical effect is immediate: a class cannot simply move indoors if a suitable pool has no room. Coaches may also have to rearrange other work when lessons are rescheduled, leaving them with less certainty over both their income and their schedules.
Freelance athletics coach Priscilla Boon said two of her Friday classes had already been cancelled after ActiveSG announced the closure of its outdoor spaces. She runs children’s athletics classes at outdoor sites in Singapore’s west.
“We don’t have any clue when this will end. Definitely, in the long term my income will be greatly affected,” Boon, 30, told CNA.
Coaches seek fair cancellation terms
The National Instructors and Coaches Association said outdoor instructors were among those most affected, especially freelancers who depend on scheduled classes. The group said contractual terms determine whether coaches receive compensation when sessions are cancelled or moved.
“To ensure fair treatment, service buyers should provide full payment for last-minute cancellations, as coaches and instructors would have already committed their time and may have turned down other work,” the association said on Thursday.
NICA also said rescheduled classes could disrupt coaches’ schedules and other work commitments in the weeks and months ahead. It urged service buyers to work with instructors on practical arrangements that limit disruption and provide fair compensation.
ActiveSG’s closure notice did not specify how long the outdoor facilities would remain closed. CNA said it had contacted ActiveSG for comment on the closures and their duration.
Ong estimated that more than 80 per cent of his swim school’s lessons had been cancelled over the past one to two weeks.
Source: cnbc.com
