SINGAPORE - A new open-water swimming event will be held from Sept 29 - Oct 1 at East Coast Park (ECP).

Organised by the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) and Liberty Insurance, the three-day programme called Liberty Wave comprise theory and practical sessions.

A full-day workshop will be conducted on Sept 30 by American Steven Munatones, an International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame inductee.

Participants can then apply what they have learnt and choose to swim in various distances; 1km for beginners, 2km for intermediate and 4km for veteran athletes. There is also a 300m swim for children aged seven to 12, with lifeguards on kayaks and safety boats to ensure safety.

Lee Kok Choy, president of the SSA, said: "Not only is open water an Olympic aquatic discipline that we want to identify talent for, we also want to encourage everyone to learn to swim confidently in the sea. This reinforces our plan for every Singaporean to be a swimmer."

The last time Singapore held a major open-water swimming competition was in 2008, when Singapore hosted a leg of the Fina Marathon Swimming World Cup at the ECP.

At the SEA Games held last month in Malaysia, Singapore's Chantal Liew won a bronze in the women's 10km open-water swimming event to become the country's first Games medallist in the event.

Interested participants can register at libertywave.sg. Registration ends Sept 7.