ISHOF’s 60th Anniversary ~ A Smashing Success in Singapore!

ISHOF’s 60^th anniversary celebration marked many firsts: Celebrating in a new city; Honorees from four new countries; new traditions; and lots of excitement!

The year 2025 marked 60 years the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) has been inducting the greatest aquatic athletes, coaches, and contributors from around the globe, and we thought it only fitting to do something extra special. 

Singapore and ISHOF celebrate 60 years!!!

On Monday, July 28, 2025, the second day of the World Aquatics World Championships swimming competition, just after prelims concluded, ISHOF officially inducted its 60^th anniversary class in Singapore. The Honoree Induction was celebrated at the beautiful Park Royal Collection, Marina Bay, and thanks to the support of World Aquatics, the event had more than 300 attendees, 30-plus Federation Presidents, World Aquatic Bureau Members, Honorees, aquatic superstars, and friends and family who enjoyed lunch, followed by the Induction ceremony.

In a different twist this year, planned by ISHOF Historian and Curator, Bruce Wigo, ISHOF used superstar presenters to introduce each of the Honorees. World Aquatics was gracious enough to allow their WA athletes to participate, as well as ISHOF Honorees who were in attendance. We could not have been more pleased with how it turned out.  ISHOF Honoree Dara Torres and Olympian Elizabeth Beisel shared the hosting duties and were splendid!

There were numerous Singaporean VIPs, which included a welcome from the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister in Charge of Trade Relations,  Ms. Grace Fu Hai Yen, and Mr. Ng Ser Miang, Vice President of the IOC, under Thomas Bach, newly retired.

Easily, the most exciting guest of the afternoon was our own 2023 Honoree and newly elected President of the International Olympic Committee, Madame President Kirsty Coventry, who had flown in that morning from Paris.

It was an exciting year for so many reasons, one being, ISHOF welcomed Honorees from four new countries to our list: Kuwait, India, Tunisia, and Singapore.

The afternoon began with Kuwait, as the first Honoree inducted was Captain Husain Al Musallam, President of World Aquatics. “The Captain,” as he is known, was introduced by his good friend, and 2023 ISHOF Honor Contributor, Sam Ramsamy, of South Africa.

Captain Husain AL MUSALLAM (KUW) began serving the world of sport as an Olympic Counsel of Asia Member in 1982. He began his tenure at FINA as a Bureau Member in 1996 through 2009, also serving simultaneously as Deputy Director General and Technical Director, on the Olympic Counsel of Asia (1998-2003). He was promoted to FINA Vice President (2009-2015); Also served as DIRECTOR GENERAL, OLYMPIC COUNSEL OF ASIA: (2005-PRESENT);  He served as World Aquatics First Vice President (2015-2021);  He is the Current President of World Aquatics (2021-Present) and Secretary General, Kuwaiti Olympic Committee: (2023-2027). 

WA Athlete and, as she put it, her “twin gold medal winner” at the 2016 Rio Games in the 50-free, Pernille Blume, of Denmark, introduced our next Honoree, who aside from local Singaporean, Joseph Schooling, may have had the largest cheering section in attendance.

Anthony “Tony” Ervin (USA) has been called one of the most naturally gifted swimmers to ever compete, a three-time Olympian, with four Olympic medals, three gold and one silver, 16 years apart – 2000 and 2016. He also holds the record for being the oldest swimmer to win Olympic gold. Tony is also a World Aquatics athlete.

WA Athlete and South African Olympic Champion, Chad LeClos, introduced our next Honoree, Pioneer Sachin Nag, who was represented by his son, Ashoke Nag and family.

Sachin NAG* (IND) is India’s only gold medal winner in swimming at the Asian Games. As important, he also finished in sixth place at the 1948 London Olympics in the 100m freestyle event, also competing for the Indian water polo team, scoring four goals. He would also go on to compete in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, representing India in water polo. Following his incredible achievements in the pool, he would train future generations of Indian swimmers.

2024 Honor Swimmer, Daniel Gyurta, presented fellow Hungarian great water polo player, Endre “Bandi” Molnar, who was represented in Singapore by his grandsons, Bertalan and Benedek, young men who play water polo like their grandfather.

Endre “Bandi” Molnar (HUN)  was a goalkeeper for Hungary in the 1970s, when Hungary was a powerhouse. He was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the time. He is one of only eight male athletes who won four or more Olympic medals in water polo (1976-gold, 1972-silver, 1968-bronze, 1980-bronze).  He is a world champion (1973), with two silver medals, and a two-time European champion (1974, 1977).  

2021 ISHOF Honor Swimmer, and President of the Japanese Swimming Federation, Daichi Suzuki, was next up to introduce another great in a long line of Chinese divers. 

Guo Jingjing (CHN) is a four-time Olympian in the sport of diving, with a total of 95 medals in international competition, 77 gold, 14 silver, and four bronze medals. In Olympic competition, she has four gold and two silver.  In World Championships competition, Guo has 10 gold and one silver medal. 

Vladimir Salnikov, longtime friend and 1993 ISHOF Honor Swimmer and hero of our next Honoree, enjoyed his task of introducing the first man to win an Olympic medal in both the pool and open water.

Oussama “Ous” Mellouli (TUN) is a three-time Olympic medalist who competed not only in the freestyle and IM races in the pool, but also in marathon swims and international open water swimming competitions. The world’s most successful crossover swimmer, who at the 2012 London Olympic Games, established the “Mellouli Double,” when, he won the 10km open water event in the Serpentine, five days after winning the bronze in the 1500m freestyle in the pool. 

ISHOF 2012 Honor Diver, Tian Liang, now a huge television celebrity in China, was happy to return to his diving days to introduce former teammate and friend, Chen Ruolin.

Chen Ruolin (CHN) is a five-time Olympic gold medalist in the sport of diving on the 10-meter platform, competing in three Olympic Games: 2008, 2012, and 2016.  She won 100 medals in major competitions, 84 of which were gold, 14 silver and two bronze. She is now loving her role as Coach!

Three-time Olympic Dutch gold medalist, Ranomi Kromowidjojo, another World Aquatics athlete, and new mother, was on hand to introduce another successful woman in her own right, Honor Artistic Swimmer, Andrea Fuentes.

Andrea Fuentes (ESP/USA) is the most decorated artistic swimmer in the history of the Spanish National team.  She won a total of four Olympic medals, three silver and a bronze from two Olympic Games – London 2012 and Beijing 2008, as a member of the Spanish Synchronized swimming Team.  Today, Andrea is the Head Coach of the Spanish National Artistic Swimming Team.

Australian superstar and WA athlete, Cate Campbell, recently retired with eight Olympic medals, four of which are gold, seemed most appropriate to introduce the homegrown Singaporean son everyone was waiting to see…..

Joseph Schooling (SIN), known as Singapore’s Flying Fish, is the only person, male or female, to win a gold medal in Olympic competition, in any sport, for the country of Singapore. It just so happens that it was at the Rio Olympic Games, in 2016, in the 100-meter butterfly, where he beat his idol, the greatest Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps.

As you can imagine, Joseph is a hero in Singapore and even has an orchid named after him. The Singaporean National Parks Service generously made it possible for us to have the orchid, Dendrobium Joseph Schooling, on display during the Honoree Induction for everyone to see and as you can imagine, it was quite the showpiece!

Dendrobium Joseph Schooling Orchid

Unfortunately, there were three Honorees who could not be with us this year.  Federica Pellegrini was shooting a television show, and it was just bad timing.  Ryan Lochte and Gregg Troy could not make the trip to Singapore.  All three, Pellegrini, Lochte and Troy, plan to be inducted next year in 2026 in Fort Lauderdale.

In closing, there are so many people to thank in helping making ISHOF’s 60th Anniversary Honoree Induction Ceremony in Singapore a success! We hesitate to name anyone in particular, because we undoubtably will leave people off, but there are some, we simply cannot go without thanking: First and foremost, a huge thank you to Madame President, Kirsty Coventry. From World Aquatics: Brent Nowicki, Mike Unger, Clea Muralti-Gonzalez, Ahmad Al Saabi, Ema Balciute; the World Aquatic athletes: Pernille Blume, Cate Campbell, Chad LeClos, and Ranomi Kromowidjojo. Emcees, Dara Torres and Elizabeth Beisel; ISHOF Historian Bruce Wigo, who spent hundreds of hours working tirelessly creating the Honoree videos, correcting, redoing, and perfecting, so they were all perfection, and to our very special AV guru Edison Rumbos, who also worked tirelessly to put this show together, in his free time, fly all the way to Singapore just to make sure it all ran smoothly ~ we thank you! Honorees and presenters: Daniel Gyurta, Tian Liang, Sam Ramsamy, Vladimir Salnikov, and Daichi Suzuki; To all our friends in Singapore, beginning with our new friend, the very best, Mark Chay, we couldn’t have done it without you! Also, Edwin Ker, Dr. Kenneth Goh, Derrick Gui, Cassandra Ong, Melissa Lo, Khoo Zhi Yu, Sherine Chen, Muhammad Hafid, and Shu Fen Ho; the ISHOF Board of Director who made the trip to Singapore: Mario (Eddy) Caprini, Mike (Bonnie) Dooley, Bill (Kim) Kent, Merle Liivand, Matt McKean, Dara (Tessa ) Torres, Rich (Brooke) Waltzer. And to Kathy Casey, thank you for all your hard work!!! Please forgive us if we have forgotten anyone!

Keep checking back to ISHOF.org.  We will post all Honoree videos soon. See you next year!