WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (7-13 Aug)

SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (7 to 13 August):

Shanti Pereira qualifies for World Championships on merit

Sprint star Shanti Pereira has earned a spot at the upcoming World Athletics Championships on merit instead of being given a wild card - the first time a Singapore athlete has done so since Singapore Athletics began tracking the statistic in 2011.

The Straits Times reported that the 26-year-old, who won the women's 100m and 200m sprint double golds at both the SEA Games and Asian Athletics Championships this year, qualified for the elite biennial world championships by meeting the entry standards of the two events by the 30 July deadline.

For the 100m, Pereira qualified as the 36th-highest entrant for one of the 48 spots in the event. For the 200m, she was also among the 22 entrants who qualified through their world rankings positions.

Athletes are awarded points based on a combination of their results and placings in athletics meets throughout the qualifying period. Pereira has competed in three previous world championships but as a wild card.

Soh Rui Yong sets fastest Singapore time for 5km road race

Singapore marathoner Soh Rui Yong set the national fastest time for a 5km road race on Tuesday (8 August), when he clocked 15min 15sec in the Sri Chinmoy Kangaroo Hop 5k race at London's Battersea Park.

The Straits Times reported that the 32-year-old finished third in the race, behind Nick Bester (15:06) and Matthew Rallison (15:12).

While there were no national records for the 5km road race previously, Singapore Athletics said it “recognised Soh’s achievement” as it fulfils the criteria of having UK Athletics race permits and a course accuracy certification.

Soh, who is not in the Team Singapore contingent for the upcoming Asian Games, will instead competed at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Latvia next month.

Lion City Cup to return after 7-year hiatus

The Lion City Cup will return from 1 to 3 September after a seven-year hiatus for its 27th edition, and will feature regional sides Selangor (Malaysia), BG Pathum (Thailand), Borneo FC Samarinda (Indonesia), and host Singapore’s National Development Centre (NDC) Under-15s

An official closed-door draw was conducted on Monday (7 August) to determine the semi-final fixtures on 1 September. Borneo FC will meet BG Pathum at 5pm, while the Singapore NDC U-15s will face Selangor at 8pm. All matches will be played at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Angel Toledano, who led the Singapore U-16 men’s team in last year’s AFC U17 Asian Cup qualifiers and AFF U-16 Boys' Championship, will be the NDC U-15s' head coach for the tournament.

First introduced in 1977, the invitational tournament was aimed to nurture and develop young footballing talents in Singapore. It featured national youth teams across Asia, as well as developmental squads from clubs across the continents. The last edition in 2015 saw English club Tottenham Hotspur emerging as winners.

Virtual PTO Asian Open held as preview for bike course

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and indoor cycling platform ROUVY completed their first virtual PTO Open on 27 July, enabling leading professionals and amateur triathletes to preview the new pro bike course for the inaugural PTO Asian Open on Saturday and Sunday (19 and 20 August).

The Virtual PTO Asian Open used cutting-edge augmented reality to bring the 16km loop to life, which starts and finishes at the Bayfront Event Space and takes athletes up the Sheares Bridge for great views of Singapore.

Interested participants can still sign up and complete the virtual bike course of the PTO Asian Open over the next two weeks before race day by visiting Rouvy.com.

SPOTV to air Saudi League matches this season

Sports television channel SPOTV will telecast the Roshn Saudi League in Singapore for the next two seasons, following the signing of its partnership with the league. It is set to broadcast 102 matches for the 2023/24 season, which kicked off on Saturday (12 August).

Viewers will be able to catch three matches every match week live on SPOTV channels, as well as on the SPOTV NOW app. Premium subscribers on SPOTV NOW will also be able to enjoy streaming matches live on their mobile or web devices. SPOTV channels are available in Singapore on Singtel and Starhub.

The star-studded Saudi League features Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as new transfers Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

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