Pitching a solution

Pitching a solution

It's aye for Jay, but the rugby match may well be postponed or cancelled.

Singapore Sports Hub chief operating officer Oon Jin Teik confirmed yesterday that Mandopop star Jay Chou's Opus 2 Jay 2014 World Tour on Nov 8 at the National Stadium will proceed as planned.

He added that they are in discussions with the promoters of the Nov 15 rugby match between the Maori All Blacks and the Asia Pacific Dragons at the same venue and all options are on the table, including postponing or cancelling the exhibition game.

He said: "The concert goes ahead, and (as) for rugby, we are in discussion mode and there is no definitive answer right now.

"We are working together with stakeholders in all areas to make sure that we don't neglect them."

The issue arose after The New Paper reported a clash in schedule between the two events and the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup, which Singapore will co-host with Vietnam, and takes place between Nov 22 and Dec 20.

The Republic are the defending champions and will host matches in Group B, which comprises the Lions, Thailand, Malaysia and the winners of the qualifying tournament.

The AFF has strict guidelines on the usage of venues for the Suzuki Cup before the tournament, insisting stadiums should not be used for any other matches or events a minimum of 15 working days prior to the opening day.

The concert and the rugby match falls within the no-use period.

At the time, AFF general secretary Datuk Azzudin Ahmad would not say if Singapore's hosting rights would be taken away, but insisted they would not close "one eye" over the issue, which will come to a head at a meeting tomorrow.

Asked yesterday if the move would convince the AFF to allow Singapore to retain its hosting rights, Oon said: "It's up to the AFF and the FAS (Football Association of Singapore).

LATE CONFIRMATION

"They came in with a relatively late confirmation, and we are keeping the dates locked in (for them)."

The calendar of events, Oon explained, has been the responsibility of an events planning committee, which is co-chaired by Singapore Sports Hub chief executive officer Philippe Collin Delavaud and Sport Singapore chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin, and would continue to be the arrangement going forward.

Oon said: "The purpose of this committee is really to master plan the programmes; events don't come in a week or a month.

"They have to be acquired, there is a bidding and negotiation process that takes months and years. As for unexpected situations, we will react to them accordingly."


This article was first published on Oct 14, 2014.
Get The New Paper for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.