Advertisement

WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (8-14 Nov)

Singapore marathoner Rachel See finishes first in the half-marathon race to kick off the Great Eastern Women's Run 2021. (PHOTO: Great Eastern Women's Run)
Singapore marathoner Rachel See finishes first in the half-marathon race to kick off the Great Eastern Women's Run 2021. (PHOTO: Great Eastern Women's Run)

SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (8-14 November):

Great Eastern Women's Run kicks off with all-women physical race

Fifteen local elite runners took part in the first all-women physical race in Singapore in two years on Sunday (14 November), as they kicked off the month-long Great Eastern Women's Run virtual edition with a half-marathon race at the Singapore Sports Hub.

Former SEA Games marathoner Rachel See won the race in 1hr 23min 14sec, runner-up Hu Xiuying clocked 1:27:28 while Vanessa Chong finished third in 1:30:43.

The runners also led a fund-raising initiative, with Great Eastern staff and financial representatives, for two beneficiaries - Breast Cancer Foundation and Daughters Of Tomorrow. More than $101,000 has been raised.

This year's Great Eastern Women's Run will see close to 4,500 participants running in five race categories, including a 113km category to commemorate Great Eastern's 113rd anniversary. The participants will clock in their distances via mobile app until 15 December.

Pilot scheme for group sports activities extended to private facility operators

The pilot scheme for up to 10 fully-vaccinated persons to play sports at selected ActiveSG sports centres and People’s Association community clubs has been extended to private facility operators, Sport Singapore (SportSG) said on Friday (12 November).

The pilot allows for selected sports to be played in supervised settings under the Vaccination-Differentiated Safe Management Measures (VDS) + Antigen Rapid Test (ART) protocol.

Interested private facility operators who are able to prove their readiness to adhere to the measures under the VDS+ART protocol and other safe management measures are invited to submit their applications. SportSG will assess the operational readiness of the operator, the type of sports on offer, and the geographic spread of the facilities, when selecting facility operators for the pilot.

Registration closes at 11.59pm on Friday (19 November).

Samuel Kang, Au Yeong Wai Yhann retain titles at national squash c'ships

Samuel Kang clinched his fourth straight men's singles crown at the Marigold National Squash Championships on Saturday (13 November), beat Aaron Liang 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4 in a gruelling 67-minute final.

In the women's singles final, Au Yeong Wai Yhann had a more comfortable win to clinch her fourth consecutive title, with a 11-6, 11-2, 11-4 victory over Gracia Chua in 20 minutes.

Lee Wung Yew elected president of Olympians Singapore

Former national shooter Lee Wung Yew, who represented Singapore in three Olympics, was elected president of Olympians Singapore for a two-year term on Wednesday (10 November).

The 55-year-old takes over from veteran sports administrator Tan Eng Liang.

The organisation comprises Singapore's representatives at the Olympics and has 150 active members. It organises events like the annual Olympic Day, fund-raisers and school engagement sessions.

SSA announces departure of water polo technical director

The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA announced on Tuesday (9 November) that its water polo technical director Paul Oberman will relinquish his post at the end of the month, as he has to return to Australia due to some medical emergencies in his family. The 52-year-old's contract was due to end at the end of 2022.

During his tenure, Oberman - who also had a stint as the SSA's water polo coaching director from 2007 to 2008 - helped review and improve the water polo multi-year sports plan to have long term sustainability in pipelines. He also helped develop the technical capabilities of coaches.

Earlier this month, SSA's national artistic swimming head coach Anastasia Goutseva also resigned from her position after only one year in the role. The Belarusian faced issues with her permanent residency in Greece due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had to find employment in Greece to retain her status.

Five para-athletes awarded inaugural Majulah Para Sports Bursary

Five para-athletes were the first recipients of the inaugural Majulah Para Sports Bursary awarded by the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) on Tuesday (9 November).

The bursary aims to help persons with disabilities engage meaningfully and successfully in sport. Introduced in partnership with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Singapore Foundation, a total of $30,000 was awarded to the five deserving persons with disabilities, from more than 40 applications.

The five para-athletes are: equestrienne Alina Seow, swimmer Robby Yeo, and boccia players Edmund Tan, Neo Kah Whye and Toh Sze Ning.

AIA Singapore to host tokidoki-themed run

AIA Singapore will be hosting Southeast Asia's first tokidoki-themed run from 17 December to 31 January, in support of its AIA Better Lives Fund, which was launched on 2 November to support disadvantaged children, youths and their families.

The life insurance group is partnering with tokidoki, a global pop-culture and lifestyle brand, in the event where participants run to unlock a series of checkpoints guarded by beloved characters from the tokidoki brand – Donutella Island, Moofia Island, Cactus Friend Island, Tiger Nation Island and Unicorno Island.

The run will feature a hybrid format combining in-person and virtual elements. For the virtual run, participants will be able to clock distances at their own pace and convenience, anytime and anywhere during the event period, by tracking their progress on 42Race’s app.

Participants can also complete curated tokidoki-themed routes around Singapore anytime during the event period. These routes will feature checkpoints with QR codes for participants to stand a chance to win prizes when they complete "missions" along the way.

Registration for the event has started, and will end at 11.59pm on 20 January. Proceeds from the sale of registration tickets and limited-edition merchandise will go toward AIA Better Lives Fund. Additionally, participants can also purchase and donate their goodie bags to AIA Singapore’s adopted beneficiaries.

FAS announces partnership with Casio for Suzuki Cup

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) announced a partnership on Tuesday (9 November) with Japanese watch company Casio for the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup, which Singapore will host from 5 December to 1 January.

As part of the collaboration, Casio launched a limited-edition Singapore Lions and G-Shock watch in support of the Lions’ Suzuki Cup campaign. The watch will be worn by the national team players and officials throughout the campaign.

FAS General Secretary Yazeen Buhari said that the collaboration is testament that Singapore's football scene is beginning to gain positive momentum from local organisations within the country.

Have a sports event to tell our users? Email us at sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. In your email, do provide as many details as possible, including videos and photos.