WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (19-25 Jun)

SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (19 to 25 June):

Singapore Aquatics launches programme for vulnerable youth

Singapore Aquatics has partnered South East Community Development Council (CDC) to provide a free Learn-to-Swim programme to equip children and youth from vulnerable homes with water survival and swimming competency skills.

The "Empowering Lives Through Aquatics" programme leverages the national water safety syllabus, SwimSafer, and aims to get children and youth between the ages of six and 14 to complete the first three stages of the syllabus by the end of the 52-week programme.

The programme was launched by South East District Mayor Fahmi Aliman and Singapore Aquatics President Mark Chay at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on Thursday (23 June). To date, close to 40 children and youth residing in the South East district have signed up for the programme, with plans to reach 100.

The programme will also act as a scouting platform for coaches to identify promising aquatic athletes. Singapore Aquatics hopes to roll it out to other districts, involve more affiliates and expand the scope to incorporate other aquatic disciplines over the next three years.

Nigel Tan is first Singaporean to win Olympic Esports Series event

Hosts Singapore concluded the inaugural Olympic Esports Week on Sunday (25 June) on a high with Singaporean Nigel Tan winning the taekwondo event in the live finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023.

The 14-year-old defeated compatriot Natalie Tor 2-1 in the final to become Singapore’s first Olympic Esports Series winner on the last day of the event.

The Olympic Esports Week showcased virtual sports with technology exhibitions, show matches, an education forum where industry leaders joined panel discussions, together with the Olympic Esports Series live finals.

The Olympic Esports Series 2023 began in March, when both professional and amateur players across the world were invited to participate in the virtual sports competition, created by the International Olympic Committee in collaboration with International Federations and game publishers.

Approximately 500,000 players entered qualification rounds with hopes of securing their place in the first in-person finals of the Olympic Esports Series. A total of 131 players from over 60 countries, including 18 from Singapore, competed in the finals.

FAS Players' Concierge to help national team players

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has established a new initiative, the FAS Players’ Concierge, in an effort to assist national team footballers with their retirement plans, before they make the decision to hang up their boots,

Launched on the sidelines of the UEFA Career Assist Workshop from 20 to 22 June, the initiative - the brainchild of ex-international defender Baihakki Khaizan - comprises of six pillars which are meant to address the needs and concerns of professional footballers who are looking to make the career transition from the pitch to off the pitch.

The six pillars can be summarised as follows:

• International cap bonus: a bonus system recognising the achievements of players based on the number of international caps they have earned.

• Scholarship credits: Scholarships are specifically aimed at enhancing players' skills and knowledge through further education.

• Job opportunities: The initiative aims to connect ex-players with various sectors, facilitating job opportunities and professional networking.

• Education partnership: Collaborating with Republic Polytechnic, this enables ex-players to fast-track their educational journey by providing diploma programs.

• Coaching pathways: Tailored programmes for players to become certified coaches..

• Overseas support: Helping current international players who may be facing challenges while playing overseas.

Draw completed for FIBA International Cup 2023

The draw for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2023 was completed on Tuesday (20 June) in Singapore, where the tournament will be held from 21 to 24 September at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The six participating teams were drawn into two groups where they will face each other in round-robin format. Sesi Franca (BCLA champions), Team Ignite (NBA G League) and Al Ahly (BAL winners) will square off in Group A, while Group B consists of Zhejiang Golden Bulls (CBA representatives), Al Manama (WASL champions) and Telekom Baskets Bonn (BCL winners). The winners of the two groups will battle to determine the Intercontinental Cup champion.

International basketballers Vlade Divac of Serbia, Yi Jianlian of China and Ian Mahinmi of France took part in the draw, and also conducted a clinic for the ActiveSG Basketball Academy.

Tickets for the event go on sale on 19 July, and ticket prices start from $10. Fans can register their interest on the Singapore Sports Hub website.

Tasek Sailors charity fundraiser raises $265,000

The inaugural Tasek Sailors charity football fundraiser on Sunday (25 June) brought together 24 corporations and organisations, with a total of $265,000 raised.

The funds raised will go towards empowering disadvantaged youth across Singapore through a holistic development program put together by the Tasek Sailors, a joint initiative of the Lion City Sailors and Tasek Football Academy.

Earlier on Sunday, the charity football tournament at the Lion City Sailors Training Centre saw the participation of corporate supporters and schools, with 14 boys' and girls' teams taking part in front of Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is also Patron of Tasek Jurong.

Deloitte won the Open category tournament beating UB Morgan 2-0 in the final. Meanwhile, Sailors B10 were the champions of the Boys Under-11 category, while Sailors White ended the day as champions of the Girls Under-14 tournament.

Inaugural multi-racial football camp at Jalan Besar Stadium

The Eurasian Association (EA), in partnership with fellow self-help groups Chinese Development Assistance Council, Yayasan Mendaki and Singapore Indian Development Association, launched the inaugural multi-racial football camp for seven- to 12-year-old children at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday (19 June).

The three-day camp brings together close to 100 children from the four self-help groups and special guests from SportCares, with a finale tournament to wrap up the camp. It is sponsored by Singapore Pools, and supported by Sport Singapore and ActiveSG Football Academy with the venue and coaches.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Eric Chua, launched the event and highlighted the role self-help groups play, and their collaborative efforts in bringing children from different cultures together.

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