WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (24-30 Apr)

SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (24 to 30 April):

StanChart Singapore Marathon returns as Gold Label Race

The Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) marks its return this year as a World Athletics Gold Label Race for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The three-day event from 1 to 3 December is expected to draw up to 50,000 participants. It will kick off with the Kids Dash on Friday evening, followed by the 5km and 10km on Saturday morning, while the marathon and half marathon categories will flag off on Sunday morning.

The running route will include iconic landmarks through the city. More details on the route and road closures will be confirmed closer to the event.

Similar to last year’s edition, participants will be able to sign up for the Double Up Challenge and the SCSM TCS Corporate Challenge. For the Double Up Challenge, participants can choose to register for either the 5km or 10km category, combined with a half or full marathon. Upon completion, they will receive their respective event finisher medals and an exclusive Double Up Challenge medal.

This year also marks the return of the Singapore National Championships, which will see the top national athletes compete in the marathon and half marathon. Each category is limited to a field size of 15 male and 15 female athletes, and they must be a member of a local running club and achieved the qualification timing in a World Athletics or National Federation sanctioned race from 1 January 2022 to 31 October 2023.

To register and for more information, please visit the official SCSM website.

Hurdler Ang Chen Xiang smashes men's 110m national record

National hurdler Ang Chen Xiang broke his own national men's 110m hurdles record at the Singapore Open Track and Field Championships on Wednesday (27 April), ahead of the upcoming SEA Games.

The 28-year-old clocked 13.89 seconds at the National Stadium - 0.01sec faster than his previous best, set three weeks ago in Hong Kong - as he won the race ahead of reigning SEA Games gold medallist Clinton Bautista of the Philippines (14.16sec). South Korea’s Kim Dae-hee was third in 14.53sec.

Meanwhile, sprinter Marc Louis clocked his season-best time of 10.44sec to clinch a silver medal in the men's 100m on Friday. He finished 0.03sec behind Taiwan's Lin Yu-sian, while Australia's Leonard King was third in 10.67sec.

Women's sprinter Shanti Pereira warmed up for her double-gold bid at the upcoming SEA Games by winning the 100m race in 11.43sec, her third-fastest 100m time in her career and just 0.06sec off the national record of 11.37sec she had set earlier this month in Brisbane. Taiwan's Hu Chia-chen was second in 11.63sec, while Singapore's Elizabeth Tan was third with a personal-best 11.91sec.

Olympic Esports Week tickets on sale

Tickets for the first Olympic Esports Week (OEW), to be held from 22 to 25 June at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, are on sale on Sistic. They start from $10 per day, and include three-day passes from $20.

Event goers can experience the action of the Olympic Esports Series live finals, as well as watch exhibition matches and try out the latest innovations in the free-to-play zone.

Those in Singapore will get a sneak preview of the OEW experience from 5 May, with a roving trailer bringing the world of esports and virtual sports to 13 locations across Singapore for a period of 50 days up until the event week.

All world No.1s to take part in Singapore Badminton Open

Entries for the KFF Singapore Badminton Open presented by JK Technology have closed, and fans can expect high-quality action with all the current world No. 1s, along with multiple Olympics gold medalists and world champions competing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium from 6 to 11 June.

Reigning women's singles world No.1 Akane Yamaguchi is looking to improve on her third-place showing at the Open. The Japanese, who last played in Singapore in 2019, said, "“I’m excited to return to Singapore after not playing here for the past few years. While I’ve been playing well for the past few months, winning the KFF Singapore Badminton Open will be challenging since so many strong players will be competing.”

Yamaguchi will face stiff competition from China's Chen Yufei (world No.3), He Bingjiao (No.5), Wang Zhiyi (No.7) and Han Yue (No.9) Other big names gunning for the women’s singles crown are South Korea’s An Se Young (No.2) and Taiwans Tai Tzu-ying (No.4).

The men's singles action will be equally star-studded. Following the earlier announcement of participation from world No.1 Viktor Axelsen, other top shuttlers who have confirmed their participations include defending champion Anthony Ginting (No.2), Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia (No.4), Japan’s Kodai Naraoka (No.5), and Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen (No.6)

Singapore will be represented by former world champion Loh Kean Yew, reigning Commonwealth Games mixed doubles champions Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Yeo Jia Min and women’s doubles pair Crystal Wong and Jin Yujia.

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Registration for the OCBC Cycle 2023 on 6 and 7 May closed with 7,308 entries, and over 300 lots were added to the initial capacity of 7,000 to cater to the cyclists. The 15th edition of the mass-cycling event attracted more than half of its overall participation numbers in just three weeks after the launch of registration back in February.

This year's event saw about 70 per cent of registration coming from first-time participants - an indication of the rising popularity of cycling as a preferred sporting activity among Singaporeans. For the elite Speedway Championships, 22 teams have signed up for the various categories, including Allied World Racing, the defending champions in the club category.

To cater to participants who wish to participate but do not own a bicycle, home-grown bike-sharing firm SG Bikes will be deploying 200 bicycles on-site for cyclists to rent for the event.

The event will also bring back on-site event pack collection at the OCBC Arena where participants can collect their event entitlements and shop for cycling gear and equipment.

Red Bull x Rigorer Hoopfest 3x3 basketball competition on 28 May

The inaugural Red Bull x Rigorer Hoopfest 3x3 basketball competition will be held on 28 May at Senja-Cashew Community Club, with a total prize of $2,000 to be won.

A total of 64 teams will compete in a round-robin format in the group stage. The 64 teams will be drawn into 16 groups of four and only the group winners will advance to vie for the title challenge. Each team can also select their best-skilled player to participate in the 1v1 competition.

Participants and spectators can also have loads of fun off the court by enjoying the various fun activities and games set up by the organisers. Players can also look forward to professional photo and video highlights of themselves in the games to share with their family and friends.

601 hair donations for Project Haircatchers 2023

Students from Hwa Chong Institution and Nanyang Girls’ High School — alongside youth leaders from SportCares, Sport Singapore's philanthropic arm — organised "Project Haircatchers 2023", a hair donation drive and fundraising event for cancer patients at the Singapore Sports Hub on Saturday (29 April).

The event garnered 601 hair donations, the highest in Project Haircatchers' history. The hair collected from the hair donation drive will be used for the making of wigs for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

In addition to asking for at least nine inches of hair, the initiative also accepts monetary donations from individuals who do not want to part with their hair. Project Haircatchers has its sights set on a target amount of $30,000 and is using the fundraising platform Giving.sg.

Marina Run to be held on 15 July

The 12th edition of the Marina Run will be held on 15 July, with the traditional start point at Marina Barrage and running routes that take in the sights and landmarks around the Marina Bay.

There are four race categories for registration: 5km (aged five and above), 10km (aged 16 and above), and 21km (open category - aged 16 to 29, veteran category - aged 40 and above).

Registration for the run is open at the official website, with early-bird discounts until 31 May. Normal fees start from 1 to 30 June, while late fees start from 1 July until race day.

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