SEA Games: Sports Hub gears up for the Games

SEA Games: Sports Hub gears up for the Games

At times over the past year, the relationship between Singapore Sports Hub Pte Ltd and local authorities has been strained, especially over the heavy criticism of the poor state of the pitch at the National Stadium.

But, as the major venue for the 28th South-east Asia (SEA) Games from June 5 to 16, the Sports Hub's chief operating officer Oon Jin Teik said yesterday that all parties involved are united as one to ensure a successful staging of the biennial event.

And Oon is confident the Sports Hub will deliver as the Games return to the Republic after 22 years.

"From a project design angle, we are delighted with the progress so far, and don't have many issues to deal with," the former national swimmer said, when he met the press yesterday.

"There's definitely still a lot of work to be done, but, going forward, we are confident and not complacent."

With that in mind, the Sports Hub have put together a blueprint to get Singaporeans excited about the SEA Games, and the venue.

A slew of activities and programmes has been planned over the next two months to promote awareness among the public and drive support for the national athletes during the Games.

The $1.33 billion facility will host the biggest number of sports during the biennial event, with 10 sports (aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, billiards and snooker, fencing, football, netball, table tennis, and volleyball) held at the 35-hectare venue in Kallang.

The Sports Hub's "Pre-SEA Games Roar" activities will include venue tours for the public, meet-and-greet sessions with national athletes, a photo exhibition, and an "Experience Sports Super 10s" challenge that will see the participants completing 10 simple sports activities at various venues around the Hub.

"With the Singapore Sports Hub hosting 10 of the sports at the SEA Games, it is very important for us to be ready not just in terms of infrastructure, but also from a venue operations standpoint," said Oon.

"It is also important for us to have Singaporeans and members of the public be familiar with the campus and venues.

"The activities in the build-up to the Games (will) help Singaporeans develop relationships with this national icon."

Oon believes the opening and closing ceremonies at the National Swtadium, on June 5 and 16, respectively, will be top notch, with the 55,000-capacity National Stadium's potential explored in full.

"For the Games itself, and both opening and closing ceremonies, the level of security will be beefed up," he said.

"We have a full time staff of 300 people; some who have worked at the (2012) London Olympic Games, the (2010) Youth Olympic Games, and even ex-athletes who have competed at the SEA Games before.

"A diverse team has been brought together and we are working closely with Singsoc (the organising committee of the SEA Games) to ensure the Games are top notch."

We do not see a problem (of unused facilities) post-Games. The programme has been well-planned and designed for a legacy, and the Hub will be highly operational for the next 25 years.

THE SPORTS SUPER 10S INVOLVES PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING SIMPLE CHALLENGES INSPIRED BY THE EVENTS HOSTED AT THE SPORTS HUB

● Basketball

(Sink 10 free throws OR 2 with your back turned)

● Netball

(Side-shuffle 10 lengths while making one-two passes with your partner)

● Track & Field

(Complete 200m worth of obstacles)

● Volleyball

(Juggle the volleyball 10 times within the marked area with your team members)

● Table Tennis

(Maintain a rally of at least 25 strokes)

● Swimming

(Solve aquatics related riddles and identify the aquatic disciplines)

● Badminton

(Maintain a rally with 2 shuttlecocks simultaneously for 15 strokes)

● Fencing

(Beat an Experience Sports Gladiator in a race to 5 points)

● Billiards/Snooker

(Clear the entire rack in any order)

● Football

(Score 5 goals with 5 levels of difficulty)

DATES / REPORTING VENUES

April 11: Singapore Sports Hub, National Stadium (opposite Gate 2)

April 25: Kallang Wave Mall, Atrium

May 9: Singapore Sports Hub, National Stadium (opposite Gate 2)

May 23: Singapore Sports Hub, National Stadium (opposite Gate 2)

Time: 10am to 6pm

*Those who meet the challenge can redeem an exclusive Super 10s finisher T-shirt

aakasim@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on Apr 10, 2015.
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