More buzz, more action coming up at the Sports Hub

The SEA Games may be the main course on the Sports Hub menu this year, but fans can also look forward to more world-class sporting talents being served up.

Building on the debuts of Brazil football maestro Neymar and New Zealand rugby star Piri Weepu at the Kallang showpiece last year, officials plan to host at least one event of international standing each month, once the Games conclude in June.

The 2015-2016 calendar will be released in the coming weeks, with the Barclays Asia Trophy in mid-July set to be just one of many highlights. The Asia Trophy - the only English Premier League-affiliated competition held outside England - comprises three EPL sides and a host team. FA Cup winners Arsenal are expected to headline the tournament, which has been hosted in football-mad Asia every two years since 2003.

The National Stadium will also stage selected Super Rugby fixtures and a leg of the prestigious Sevens World Series in the first half of next year. Both are set to feature stars who would have played at September's Rugby World Cup.

October sees the return of women's tennis powerhouses for the season-ending WTA Finals, which drew more than 129,000 fans on its Indoor Stadium bow last year. "Populating the calendar is very important for us so Singaporeans can always have something to look forward to," Sports Hub chief operating officer Oon Jin Teik told The Straits Times yesterday.

A total of 62 sporting, entertainment and lifestyle events - including a concert by Mandopop superstar Jay Chou - were held at the Sports Hub from last June.

To date, the Hub's venues have attracted more than 681,000 people. To add to the vibrancy around the 35ha facility, the Kallang waterfront will feature more activities, in the vein of the Singapore Canoe Marathon next week.

nsanjay@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on January 14, 2015.
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