Stop using field until it's up to standard
PUBLISHED ONOctober 18, 2014 1:00 AM
It is inexcusable for the Sports Hub management to put the National Stadium's half-formed turf under stress with a schedule chock-full of activities, including some high-profile ones ("Sport S'pore to Sports Hub: Deliver or we won't pay"; yesterday).
What exactly is its priority? To deliver a fully functioning stadium with a proper playing surface, or to make money with a series of non-sports-related concerts at the expense of all else, including Singapore's reputation?
Sports Hub chief operating officer Oon Jin Teik says no other stadium in the world has had to overcome the unique combination of technical and environmental challenges ("Spotlight on stadium's pitch"; Sunday).
Could some of these "unexpected problems" be attributed to plain corporate oversight, negligence or, even worse, greed?
Our National Stadium is not the only mixed-use sports arena in the world.
The Parc des Princes in temperate Paris has hosted numerous football and rugby matches over the years without any significant damage to its turf.
Tropical Brazil delivered a superb World Cup tournament across its spotless football pitches despite a patchy lead-up.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of SportsHub Pte Ltd's handling of the National Stadium's faulty centrepiece.
I call on the management to do the sensible thing and reschedule all events on the field until it meets the highest international standards.
Toh Cheng Seong
This article was first published on Oct 16, 2014.
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