WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (31 Oct - 6 Nov)
SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (31 October to 6 November):
Keith Magnus, Quek Swee Kuan appointed Sports Hub top positions
Sport Singapore (SportSG) has appointed Keith Magnus as chairman, and Quek Swee Kuan as the chief executive officer of Kallang Alive Holding, the new entity to manage the Singapore Sports Hub from 10 December.
In a media release on Friday (4 November), Singapore's sports governing body said that both appointments will take effect on 1 December. Nearly 90 per cent of staff from SHPL and over 95 per cent of partners and vendors will be transitioning to the new entity.
Magnus has been a SportSG board member since 2020 and has recently been appointed the co-chairman for the SportCares Advisory Board. He played a key role in the Sports Hub Public-Private-Partnership review, and as chief negotiator for SportSG with Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL), he was responsible for the successful and smooth conclusion to the project.
Meanwhile, Quek is currently the CEO of new business in Surbana Jurong, and is instrumental in formulating SJ’s next five-year transformational growth plan. Prior to SJ, he was the CEO of Sentosa Development Corporation and led its efforts in transforming Sentosa into a leading leisure and lifestyle resort destination.
As part of the official handover, a series of community activities has been planned from the month of December. This will include a Sports Hub Opening Day on 10 December, where members of the public will be able to enjoy live music, shop at the Bazaar, and try out different sports and fitness programmes such as football, volleyball, yoga, swimming and Zumba across the various Sports Hub venues and facilities.
Inaugural Singapore Women's Open to tee off in December
The inaugural Singapore Women's Open will make its long-awaited tee-off at the Tanah Merah Country Club from 9 to 11 December, with Hana Financial Group being the title sponsor for the $1.1 million event.
The tournament is jointly sanctioned by the Singapore Golf Association and the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA), and forms a part of the Ladies Asian Tour Series. It was initially scheduled to take place in 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event will be staged at the Tampines Course and will feature a field of 102 players comprising KLPGA members, invitees from 12 Asia-Pacific countries, major prospects and amateurs.
Singapore’s leading professionals Koh Sock Hwee and Amanda Tan will spearhead the local challenge, together with the likes of talented amateurs Shannon Tan, Aloysa Margiela Atienza and Jaymie Ng.
Over 4,800 participants raised $230,000 at Safra Swim for Hope
A record number of over 4,800 participants took part in this year's Safra Swim for Hope, which was held over two months from 1 September to 30 October, as NSmen and their families swam over 33,000 kilometres for charity.
A total of $230,000 was raised, through registration fees, corporate and individual donations, which will go towards helping those in need from five beneficiaries – President’s Challenge, Rainbow Centre, SAF Care Fund, Singapore Swimming Association Development Fund and Special Olympics Singapore.
Senior Minister of State for Defence and Safra president Zaqy Mohamad graced the event finale at Safra Tampines on 30 October, and presented tokens of appreciation to the top individual fundraiser Alvin Tan, who raised over $5,700, and to Singapore Island Country Club swim team, the top team fundraiser which raised over $6,500.
Also lending their support this year were national swimmers Quah Ting Wen, Quah Zheng Wen and Quah Jing Wen, national divers Avvir Tham and Max Lee, as well as para-athletes from Special Olympics Singapore.
The Safra Swim for Hope is among a series of six Safra Cares charitable events this year in commemoration of Safra’s 50th anniversary.
Swimmers broke national short-course records in Indianapolis
National swimmers Gan Ching Hwee and Letitia Sim set new national short-course records at the Fina World Cup meet in Indianapolis on Saturday (5 November).
Gan, who claimed five SEA Games golds in Hanoi earlier this year, broke the women's 400m and 800m freestyle short-course national records.
For the 400m free, she lowered the previous mark of 4min 8.37sec to 4:07.50sec, while for the 800m free, she slashed the old record set in 2013 by more than 11 seconds, from 8:34.11 to 8:22.91.
Sim, who won three golds at the Hanoi SEA Games, also broke two national short-course records in Indianapolis. She lowered the women's 100m breaststroke mark from 1:06.63 to 1:05.44, and the 200m breaststroke mark from 2:29.16 to 2:27.44.
Albirex knock Sailors out of Singapore Cup
Singapore Premier League champions Albirex Niigata (Singapore) knocked rivals Lion City Sailors out of the Singapore Cup, beating them 2-1 in Group A at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (5 November).
Goals from Masaya Idetsu (30th minute) and Kodai Tanaka (84th) condemned the Sailors to third spot in the group, with only the top two sides advancing to the semi-finals. Maxime Lestienne (73rd) scored the Sailors' goal.
Balestier Khalsa followed Albirex into the semi-finals, after a 5-2 Group A win over the Young Lions at Toa Payoh Stadium on Saturday, with goals from Daniel Goh (9th), Kuraba Kondo (11th, 30th), Shuhei Hoshino (21st) and Ryoya Taniguchi (38th). The Young Lions replied through Abdul Rasaq (40th) and Jordan Emaviwe (48th).
In Group B action on Sunday, Tampines Rovers advanced as group winners despite a 0-1 defeat by Hougang United at Hougang Stadium. Sahil Suhaimi's 54th-minute goal sealed the tie, and also allowed Hougang to pip Tanjong Pagar United to second spot by goal difference and advance into the final four with Tampines.
Tanjong Pagar had beaten Geylang International 2-1 at Jurong East Stadium with goals from Khairul Amri (43rd) and Reo Nishiguchi (56th). Geylang replied through Hazzuwan Halim (41st).
Netball Nations Cup to return in December with six teams
Netball Singapore Nations Cup 2022 will return after a two-year hiatus to the OCBC Arena from 4 to 10 December, with tickets now on sale starting from $4.
The 15th edition of the Nations Cup will feature six teams: Fiji, Ireland, Malaysia, Botswana, Singapore and a Singapore A team. The tournament will be played in a round robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the finals.
Singapore will be led by co-captains Toh Kai Wei and Khor Ting Fang, with veterans Kimberly Lim and Sindhu Nair also in the line-up. They will be joined by young stars including shooter Amandeep Kaur Chahal, defender Jamie Lim and centre Tan Yi Jie. Shooter Matilda Su-Yin Narayan is also set to earn her first cap.
Fans can also catch a glimpse of the future of Singapore netball, through the up and coming players in the Singapore A team. These include shooter Goh Wei Ping, as well as defenders Faithmaria Lawrence and Shannon Tan. The Singapore A team also boasts an experienced defender in Aqilah Andin, who is returning to competition after giving birth in July.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster and cost between $4 and $60.
AC Milan bringing Scudetto trophy, Daniele Massaro for tour
Italian football giants AC Milan will be bringing the Scudetto trophy they won in the 2021/22 Serie A season to Singapore on 11 November.
The trophy will be on display at the Puma flagship store at 313@Somerset.
Milan great Daniele Massaro will be gracing the event, and fans will be able to pose for a picture with the Scudetto trophy as well as meet Massaro.
The 61-year-old is remembered for his successful career with Milan in the late 1980s and 1990s under managers Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello.
In the course of eight seasons with the Rossoneri, the forward won four league titles, two European Cups, three European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and three Italian League Super Cups.
500 participants at FairPrice Walk for Rice+ @ South East
About 500 participants took part in the annual FairPrice Walk for Rice+ @ South East event at the Singapore Sports Hub's OCBC Square on Thursday (3 November).
Organised by NTUC FairPrice and the South East Community Development Council, the event flagged off with a symbolic walk, while participants later took part in fringe activities such as spin cycling, floor curling and archery.
The annual walking charity initiative encourages Singaporeans to stay active by going on walks or runs and log in their mileage for a good cause. From 3 November to 31 January, for every 300 metres of walking or running recorded, FairPrice Foundation will donate one bowl of white rice, one bowl of brown rice and one bowl of oatmeal to vulnerable families in the South East District.
NFTs launched for AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup
Global sports marketing agency Sportfive and Be Media, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, announced on Thursday (3 November) a partnership to jointly launch Onside, the first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) digital collectibles for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022.
The partnership is the first of its kind in the Southeast Asia, and will see the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup come to life in the Web3 space, with NFT digital collectibles to be distributed on the Polygon blockchain based on tournament assets and video highlights from the tournament.
The first Onside digital collectibles will be launched on OnsideCollection.com, where fans will be able to own digital products such as stylised Alpha masks and iconic match moments from the competition.
Starting this month, fans interested in purchasing the digital collectibles can register their interest for the chance to own a piece of ASEAN football history when the first officially licensed NFT "drop" is released, prior to the tournament starting in December.
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