WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (15-21 May)
Singapore tchoukball gets new mascot, draw for Singapore Badminton Open, inaugural Femmes First being held
SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (15 to 21 May):
Locan firms show support for Tchoukball Association of Singapore
Singapore food-and-beverage bran Mr Bean and sports apparel distributor Panyasingha Sports unveiled on Sunday (21 May) a new mascot and national team jersey respectively in support of the Tchoukball Association of Singapore (TBAS), as they bid to win honours at the upcoming World Youth Tchoukball Championships and Tchoukball World Championships.
The new mascot features Mr Bean’s iconic Bean plush holding a tchoukball, and the soft toy will be made available to the public for purchase ahead of the World Youth Tchoukball Championships in Singapore from 14 to 16 July.
Mr Bean and Panyasingha Sports are among the Singapore companies - such as pest control company Pestimesh, Yellow Ribbon Industries, private equity firm SuperCandy, vegan restaurant iVegan, design firm The Afternaut Group and travel agency Pacific Arena - who have come out to rally behind TBAS, raising close to $120,000 to fund tchoukball in Singapore.
Meanwhile, the Tchoukball 100 Days Fundraising Challenge, launched in February by ex-national athletes Ronald Susilo and Lenny Lim, has also raised over $57,000.
TBAS also signed two memorandums of understanding, with Starbalm Singapore to provide sports care products to the athletes, and with Next Factor Pte Ltd to provide the official ball for Tchoukball Singapore.
Loh Kean Yew draws Hong Kong rival at Singapore Open
Singapore's top shuttler Loh Kean Yew has been drawn to face Hong Kong's Lee Cheuk Yiu in his opening round at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open presented by JK Technology, to be held from 6 to 11 June at the Singapore Indoor Stadium
The world No.4 won his previous encounter with Lee at the Badminton Asian Championships in Dubai last month, and should he advance to the quarter-finals of the US$850,000 Open, Loh could face his Thai nemesis Kunlavut Vitidsarn again after losing to him twice this year..
Men's world No.1 Viktor Axelsen will match up with Kenta Nishimoto of Japan in the opening round, and could face the likes of Kodai Naraoka (world No.3), Chou Tien-chen (No.5) and Jonatan Christie (No.8) in the later rounds.
In the women's singles, world No.1 Akane Yamaguchi will face Olympic champion Pusarla V. Sindhu, while Singapore's Yeo Jia Min will face China's Zhang Yiman in the opening round.
Singapore's women's doubles pair Jin Yujia and Crystal Wong will have a formidable challenge on hand in their Singapore Badminton Open debut, facing defending champions Apriyani Rahayu and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti in the opening round.
In the mixed doubles Singapore's Commonwealth Games champions Terry Hee and Jessica Tan will face Denmark's Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje again, after their narrow defeat at last week's Sudirman Cup.
Additional seats have been made available for the Open, and tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster, with season ticket pricing ranging from $120 to $380.
350 cyclists take part in Femmes First 2023
About 350 cyclists took part in Femmes First 2023, the first female-focused blended cycling event held at the Singapore Sports Hub on Saturday morning (20 May).
Participants could use an array of mobility devices for the event, such as recliners, trikes, foldables, road-bikes, hybrid-bikes, mountain-bikes and adaptive bikes.
Unlike conventional cycling events where participants drive or commute to the start-finish point, Femmes First participants have three options: They can cycle from anywhere anytime, start from Merlion Park or ride at Kallang either in the morning or in the evening.
Home Nursing Foundation care associate Candy Yap was voted as winner of the first Wonder of Women award by SingSeeSoon for her contributions to the community. She not only cycles with seniors, but also delivers food on her bicycle to needy patients.
Singapore Sports Museum exhibition commemorates 'golden age'
The “Beginning of a Golden Age of Sport in Singapore (Late 1940s –1950s)” exhibition was launched on Thursday (18 May) at the Singapore Sports Museum by Sport Singapore chairman Kon Yin Tong.
This exhibition is organised by SportSG to commemorate its 50th Anniversary, and held in conjunction with the Singapore Heritagefest 2023. Over 100 people, including former Olympians such as Mary Klass and Kesavan Soon, attended the launch.
The exhibition relives the moments of triumph, and the sheer joy that sports brought to the people of Singapore. Visitors will have the opportunity to see rare photographs, memorabilia, and artifacts from this era, allowing them to appreciate the significance of the golden age in Singapore's sporting history.
The exhibition runs until 31 July (Mondays to Fridays: 10am to 8pm; weekends/eve of public holidays/public holidays: 10am to 9pm), and admission to the museum is free for Singaporeans and local residents. Fees apply for non-residents.
Inaugural Lazada Run Singapore on 23 July
E-commerce platform Lazada will be organising its first Lazada Run Singapore event on 23 July at Marina Barrage. The Singapore race marks the final leg of the multi-country series which also takes place in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.
As the final race, Singapore will host the winners of the 10km and 21km races from the region to compete for the ultimate prize of US$3,500. The prize is also open to Singapore race participants and they will automatically qualify based on their finishing position. Additional cash prizes will also be awarded to the top finishers for the 10km and 21km categories.
Lazada has also partnered with Running Department to run a series of running clinics in June and July, with a total of four sessions eligible for Lazada Run participants to sign up for.
Ticket sales and registration for the Lazada Run Singapore will close on 30 June, and interested participants can sign up for their race through the Lazada app.
One C'ship announces award, scholarship in Victoria Lee's memory
Mixed martial arts company One Championship announced on Wednesday (17 May) that it is setting up an annual award, a scholarship and a "Victoria Lee Day" on 13 January in commemoration of the late fighter.
Victoria, the younger sister of One Championship world champions Angela and Christian, died on 26 December last year at age 18, with no reasons given for the cause of death.
One Championship will hand the Victoria Lee Award annually to an MMA athlete who goes the extra mile in giving back to the community through charitable efforts and contributions.
MMA gym Evolve will also award the Victoria Lee Scholarship to deserving youths who wish to pursue their dream of being martial arts world champions. The pool of candidates will be selected from and amateur MMA organisations around the world.
Have a sports event to tell our users? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. In your email, do provide as many details as possible, including videos and photos.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.