WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (26 Oct - 1 Nov)
SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (26 October to 1 November):
De Ridder clinches ONE middleweight title at ‘Inside the Matrix’
Dutchman Reinier de Ridder stunned defending champion Aung La N Sang, submitting the Myanmar fighter via a rear-naked choke in the first round to clinch the ONE middleweight title at the “ONE: Inside the Matrix” mixed martial arts fight event at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday (30 October).
The event saw 250 fans in attendance, in a pilot project by the Singapore government to test the viability of holding large-scale events safely during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time a sports event in Singapore has admitted crowds since the country went into its circuit-breaker period in April.
In other key bouts, reigning ONE lightweight champion Christian Lee defeated Moldova’s Iuri Lapicus via a first-round technical knockout, while Martin Nguyen lost his ONE featherweight title to challenge Thanh Le via a third-round knockout.
China’s Xiong Jingnan also retained her ONE women’s strawweight title, winning via unanimous decision over Singapore’s Tiffany Teo.
SportSG launches ‘Blended’ initiative to support local industry
Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Tuesday (27 October) a $5 million drive for hybrid event offerings combining both physical and virtual aspects, supporting event organisers, event management companies and private sports academies and clubs to reimagine their offerings.
Under the “Blended” initiative, the national sport agency will provide grants to local industry players to engage participants in such hybrid formats. The drive is part of a $50 million Sports Resilience Package announced in October, which aims to support over 100 hybrid projects involving around 450,000 participants over the next six months.
Launching the “Blended” initiative, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan said the initiative will encourage organisers to combine physical and digital elements in sport.
“This gives sports businesses the impetus to use technology to transform their offerings into ‘phygital’ events that deliver a more interactive experience for participants,” he said during the event.
Tampines Rovers go top of the SPL table
Tampines Rovers went to the top of the Singapore Premier League (SPL) with a 2-0 win over challengers Albirex Niigata (S) at the Bishan Stadium on Saturday (31 October).
Syahrul Sazali (20th minute) and Jordan Webb (penalty, 56th) got the goals for the Stags, who have 12 points from five matches to lead Albirex and Balestier Khalsa, both of whom have 11 points from six games.
On Sunday, the Lion City Sailors thrashed Young Lions 5-0 at Jurong East Stadium, while Tanjong Pagar United and Hougang United played out a goalless draw at Our Tampines Hub.
The Sailors scored through Jacob Mahler (own goal, 46th), Adam Swandi (70th), Stipe Plazibat (76th, 82nd) and Gabriel Quak (92nd).
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