WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (28 Nov - 4 Dec)
SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (28 November to 4 December):
Close to 40,000 runners at the StanChart S'pore Marathon 2022
Close to 40,000 runners took to the streets for the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) 2022 the past weekend, including more than 5,000 international participants.
This year’s edition also saw the return of the 21.1km half-marathon and 42.195km marathon categories on Sunday (4 December), marking the return of long-distance running in a road racing format and places SCSM as the biggest mass participation event after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ezekiel Kemboi Omullo from Kenya emerged as the male winner of the marathon, with a time of 2hr 20min 20sec, while Esther Wanjiru Macharia from Kenya was the fastest female where she beat the competition in 2:45:09. In the half-marathon category, Geoffrey Birgen and Alice Muthoni Kogi, both from Kenya, were the male and female winners.
On Saturday, close to 15,000 runners in the 5km and 10km categories were flagged off from the F1 Pit Building at the break of dawn. Runners raced through the streets of Singapore as they made their way to the finish line at The Float @ Marina Bay.
The Ironman Group - organisers of the SCSM - also announced that it will be donating $50,000 to the Singapore Athletic Association’s One Team Singapore Fund to support the development of local athletes and local elite programmes while inspiring younger local athletes to achieve their ambitions in sport.
Max Lee earns 4th-place finish at World Junior Diving C'ships
Singaporean youth diver Max Lee, who clinched a silver medal at this year's SEA Games in Hanoi, finished fourth in the men's 10m platform (14-15 years old) event at the FINA World Junior Diving Championships in Montreal on Saturday (3 December).
The 15-year-old was the top Asian diver in the event, as he registered a personal-best score of 415.15 - the first time he has gone beyond 400 - to finished just 23.65 behind bronze medallist Joshua Hedberg of the United States (438.80).
Ukraine's Kirill Boliukh won the event with 476.90, while Britain's Jordan Fisher-Eames was second with 442.90.
Max was the youngest Singaporean athlete at the SEA Games in May at age 14, and he clinched a diving silver medal with Jonathan Chan in the men's 10m synchronised platform competition.
Lions to play AFF Cup group stage home games at Jalan Besar
The Singapore men’s national team will play both their home group-stage matches of the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup - against Myanmar on 24 December and Vietnam on 30 December - at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The Football Association of Singapore said in a media release on Tuesday (29 November) said that the finalised match dates of the tournament - which were brought forward from January to this month - meant that the National Stadium is unable to host the group-stage games as the venue has committed to other events.
The National Stadium, originally booked for all matches in January, will be the venue for the home legs of the semi-finals and finals for the Lions should they progress in the Cup.
Tickets will go on sale at noon from Monday (5 December) 2022 and can be purchased via the FAS website. Grandstand tickets will be priced at $25 for adults and $15 for children aged 12 years old and below, while Gallery East tickets will be $15 for adults and $10 for children.
As part of their preparations for the AFF tournament, the Lions will face the Maldives in an international ‘A’ friendly at home at the Jalan Besar Stadium on 17 December. Tickets for this game will also be available from noon on Monday via the FAS website.
Sentosa Golf Club to host LIV Golf tournament
Sentosa Golf Club was announced on Wednesday (30 November) as a venue on the LIV Golf League for next year, with the Serapong Course hosting the tournament from 28 to 30 April.
The club is one of three new marquee destinations outside the United States for LIV Golf's 14-tournament schedule next year, and will welcome 48 of the world’s best players next season, including former Singapore Open Champions Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia.
The field also includes Major champions such as Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson.
The announcement comes off the back of one of Sentosa’s most successful awards season, headlined by being named "World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility" and "Asia’s Best Golf Course" at the recent World Golf Awards.
Grounds passes are now available at LIVGolf.com, including special Early Birdie pricing for single-day passes and three-day passes, as well as opportunities to register for hospitality packages.
EFG Bank pledges $300,000 to support young golfers
Swiss private bank EFG Bank AG has pledged on Friday (2 December) a total of $300,000 to support the Singapore Golf Association's programmes to nurture young golfers in Singapore.
The partnership will include the EFG-SGA Elite Young Golfers Scholarship, which will be awarded to selected outstanding young golfers to foster their development. Singaporeans aged under 30 can apply for the scholarship, and applications can be submitted from 1 to 31 January.
Scholarship recipients will be selected based on their golfing ability, leadership qualities and previous participation in recognised golfing competitions. In addition, they will be assessed to determine their potential to become a positive role model in sport and also in their wider community.
EFG and the SGA will also collaborate on various projects and outreach programmes to help young athletes achieve sporting success in the global arena. The special programme will also enable the SGA to strengthen its high-performance and junior development programmes to identify and nurture a deeper pool of talent.
Brandon Han, Arianna Lau clinch Open titles at S'pore Junior Masters
Singapore junior golfer Brandon Han clinched the boys' Open division at the Trust Golf Singapore Junior Masters tournament, held at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club from 28 to 30 November (Monday to Wednesday).
The 14-year-old carded a two-round total of four-under 140 (69 and 71) to finish two strokes ahead of Thailand's Bhumkit Pitchayasaowapak (69 and 73). India's Jai Bhal is third, two further strokes behind.
Han also won the U-20 division, while Bhumkit took home the U-16 title and Malaysia’s Andrew Yung clinched the U-13 division.
In the girls’ category, Arianna Lau of Hong Kong is champion of the Open division, also carding a two-round total of 140 (67 and 73) to win by two strokes over joint runners-up Alisa Inprasit of Thailand and Louise Landgraf of France.
In the team categories, the U-20 title was shared between Team India Warriors and Team Singapore Gunners with Team Malaysia taking third place.
Over 2,000 participants at Run For Inclusion 2022
Over 2,000 participants took part in the Run For Inclusion 2022 at Singapore Turf Club (STC) on Saturday (3 November), with 371 persons with special needs (PWSNs) joining in varied cycle, run and walk distances. Guest-of-honour President Halimah Yacob also took part in a 1.5km walk after she flagged off the event.
The signature event saw participants running alongside PWSNs in categories that include personalised distances of up to 3km, 3km or 5km run or walk, 10km run, and the 20km cycling category.
As the corporate partner for Runninghour, STC formed a 170-strong employee and family contingent who participated in the race and served as volunteers. To commemorate the club’s 180th anniversary, the contingent has committed to cover at least 180km of the race as a team with the club pledging $180 for every kilometre covered by the contingent.
A total of $32,400 was raised and a cheque for the amount was presented by STC president and chief executive Irene Lim to John See Toh, chairman of Runninghour. These funds will go towards increasing the frequency of Runninghour's programmes, supporting the set-up of an inclusive cycling academy and to extending outreach to special schools.
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