Singapore’s parkour scene has gained international attention for its unique approach, particularly through videos showcasing senior citizens performing parkour moves. These clips, which feature older adults practicing skills such as crawling, balancing, vaulting, and safe falling techniques, have attracted considerable online interest and recognition from parkour experts.
Dominic Di Tommaso, an acclaimed free-runner and parkour athlete who represented Australia on the Netflix reality series "Physical: Asia," praised Singapore’s innovative integration of parkour training for seniors. During a visit to Singapore in August for a Red Bull free-running project, Di Tommaso highlighted the safety and fitness benefits of teaching parkour skills to older adults, emphasizing its potential to improve strength, prevent injuries, and enhance quality of life.
“I really adore the direction that’s been taken with integrating elderly people learning to use parkour skills, whether it’s safety in falling or just overcoming obstacles,” said Di Tommaso, also known as Dom Tomato. He noted that this aspect extends the traditional boundaries of parkour and broadens its appeal within the population.
Di Tommaso’s visit included participation in a parkour event held at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), where he, Dutch free-runner Noa Dorignina, and several top Southeast Asian parkour athletes competed in a high-altitude capture-the-flag race across iconic locations such as the Singapore Oceanarium and Universal Studios Singapore. He described the experience as remarkable, citing the modern architectural design of RWS as an inspiring environment for parkour athletes.
Despite Singapore’s relatively small population of about 6.21 million, Di Tommaso expressed confidence in the country’s potential to excel in competitive parkour. He referenced the Mongolian team’s strong showing on "Physical: Asia"—finishing runners-up despite Mongolia’s smaller population of approximately 3.5 million—as evidence that smaller nations can compete successfully on an international stage.
“I really think if Singapore were to have their hat thrown in the ring for Physical: Asia, there’s a very high chance that the top athletes from Singapore could make an impact and stand out on the competition,” he said.
Di Tommaso further expressed enthusiasm for expanding the parkour competition series to include a broader range of countries. He suggested that a future iteration mixing teams from various nations could foster a compelling national rivalry similar to the Olympics. “The team aspect is more thrilling to me rather than the Physical: 100 aspect, having that nationalistic energy behind it where people can support their countries,” he added.
Singapore’s growing parkour community, particularly its focus on inclusivity and safety for older adults, appears poised to continue attracting global interest as the sport evolves regionally and internationally.