There may not be an OUE S’pore Open in 2018: SBA By Low Lin Fhoong linfhoong@mediacorp.com.sg - Published: 4:02 AM, April 18, 2016 Amid the celebrations last night at the OUE Singapore Open, event organiser the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) delivered a sobering note on the future of the US$350,000 (S$475,000) Superseries event. With bidding for the next four-year cycle (2018-2021) for the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) World Superseries to kick off in two months’ time, the SBA said yesterday they will not put in a bid if they are unable to secure sponsors for the tournament. They have also ruled out a possibility of upgrading the event to the Superseries premier — which boasts a larger prize purse and participation from top players — unless they are able to raise the money. While SBA secretary-general Michael Foo said they are currently in talks with property developer OUE — the company extended its title sponsorship for three years until 2017 to the tune of S$2.2 million — he is hopeful that more sponsors will come on board. Tickets sales for the event account for about 15 per cent of the total budget, with sponsors covering some 70 per cent of the cost. “We would rather not bid for the next cycle (if there are no sponsors). We are still talking to sponsors and hopefully OUE will come on board,” said Foo. “We have to look at whether to continue the bid for one cycle, or build up the national team. We have to make a decision.” Added SBA CEO Ronnie Lim: “We are optimistic about the event, but the cost of organising it increases every year, and it’s not fair for us to rely on OUE so we feel we should broaden the base of sponsors.”
You know, if Singapore loses the slot for Super Series because of this - it would be like losing a landing slot at a busy major airport like Heathrow. You might not get it back.
If you look properly, I meant to capture his loving wife admiring the proud achievement of his outstanding husband. That look in her eyes means a great deal to Sony!
Interesting captions of the tournament ....... Ko Sung Hyun: "Ahhh! How nice if I could just lay down a lot longer." Enjoying a break in his R-16 MD match. Umpire : "I don't care how tall you are, in this chair, I am King!" The axe falls on Axelsen ....... 3rd game of the MS match against Son Wan Ho Coach LKW : "Let's settle this on court! I'll play using my left arm and give you a 10-point head start!!!" Korean Girls : "This is going to be good ..... wanna place a bet?" Interpreter-assisted quarrel between Coach Lee Kyung Won and Deputy Tournament Referee Lynne Nixey. Xu Chen : "Please, darling, back me up. These two bouncers are going to inflict bodily harm onto me. Look, I'll give you a bear hug like Sony gave to his coach ....." Ma Jin : "Are you serious?! I am not your wife!!!"
SONY'S FINEST MOMENTS THAT LAST FOR A LIFETIME! A long-suffering wife who was prepared to sit for long hours during Sony's hard and frequently long battles yet never complaining while her hubby labored on the courts. She carried out her professional duties without fear or favour as Sony's coach. But she did put in a few words of encouragement in between. And patiently returned to her seat to concentrate on Sony's game. She accompanied Sony during court changes between games and intervals to provide valuable inputs. But when it was all over and both had accomplished their mission, their joy and loving embrace were felt by the spectators, who applauded loudly. What sweet victory! That prompted a relatively shy Sony to do a victory parade before answering questions at the interview as the Men's Singles Champion of the OUE Singapore Open 2016! Congratulations again Sony and your equal half!
From an interview Sony talked about his recent effort to be back in his good form. He was broken when he left PBSI on 2014. He left Jakarta to his hometown Surabaya. He's got no badminton club, no manager, no coach and doesn't know how to start his independent career. He left badminton. This women he married to, Gading Safitri is the one who believe in him that he is not done yet. He still has that skill. So she started everything from a scratch. She arranged the training program, she chose a better diet plan and managed his tournament trip especially in overseas. Then when Sony was ready they start from a smaller competition. Finally in 2015 Sony won 1 International Challenge and 1 GP title. And finally yesterday a Superseries title. What a story from this calm guy. Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei are lucky to get married another Badminton stars, Taufik is lucky having a rich general's daughter as his wife. But Sony is lucky as well to have this wonderful women as his wife. And she is pretty. Hope he won more titles this year. Bless you Sony!
They have a pretty blonde lady umpire as company. But for May (RI) and defending champion, Sun Yu, it will be tough business for lady umpire to judge. So they calmly do their warming up routine to prepare for what was expected to be a cliff-hanger. Indeed, as the result below proved, it lasted more than an hour in three hard-fought games. Ratchanok INTANON [3] [THA] defeated [CHN] SUN Yu 18-21 21-11 21-14, 1:09
Sony had a hard final against Son Wan Ho before prevailing. But he also had to work very hard from Qualification onwards and he survived a number of 3-gamers (5 in all) to reach the final. For a 'veteran' to be able to last so long in a single tournament, he has to be a very tough and determined warrior. Match overview Sony Dwi KUNCORO [INA] defeated: Tue 4/12/2016 10:30 AM Qualification [SIN] Kean Yew LOH 21-18 21-16; 0:38 Tue 4/12/2016 3:40 PM Qualification B. Sai Praneeth [4] [IND] 18-21 12-21; 0:39 Wed 4/13/2016 12:55 PM R32 Ginting ANTHONY [INA] 21-9 11-21 17-21; 0:54 Thu 4/14/2016 3:50 PM R16 [JPN] Sho SASAKI 11-21 21-14 21-4; 0:47 Fri 4/15/2016 Quarter Final [CHN] WANG Zhengming 24-22 12-21 21-16; 1:07 Sat 4/16/2016 Semi Final [CHN] LIN Dan [2] 21-10 17-21 22-20; 1:09 Sun 4/17/2016 Final SON Wan Ho [KOR] 16-21 21-13 14-21; 1:03
The govt shot itself in the foot after spending around $1.5 billion on the Singapore Sports Hub. (That's equal to the current budget commitment to local sports facilities for the next 14 years!) The Sports Hub (of which the Singapore Open's venue - the Indoor Stadium - is a part) was designed as a modern sports, entertainment and lifestyle facility. But they goofed up on the revenue plans - in other words, the Sports Hub is not making any serious money. At this moment, with this white elephant to feed, the govt is least interested in propping up the Singapore Open Super Series. And although the Singapore Badminton Association would like to keep open the Singapore Open, they are being bled dry by other entities. Notable among them are MediaCorp - the govt-controlled host broadcaster - and the BWF itself. MediaCorp charges a bomb for its pathetic coverage - and since it's a monopoly of sorts, the SBA cannot look elsewhere. As for the BWF, it runs up a rather large bill for the SBA by insisting on every comfort it can for its own people. It's a shame really.
some of my friends balked at coming with me to watch the OUE Open, citing the high ticket price and the need to take leave on weekdays. i am wondering if a lower early-bird season ticket, more media exposure, could help increase the attendance. plus maybe more badminton events to broadcast on local free-to-air tv. other than LD and LCW, many people don't know the names of other top players. this is one sport where SG can improve on and do well in international events so hopefully the sports ministry could do more, including sharing the cost of hosting the Open annually. these are just my opinions.
Indeed the ticket prices this year have increased, some by two-fold, but still affordable if the attendance, especially during Saturday's semi-finals and Sunday's finals, and the published figure of 70% of tickets have been sold are anything to go by! I think the prices of some other tournaments are higher than Singapore's and we cannot ignore that generally prices will have to go up simply because of inflation and especially when the venue has been renovated/refurbished/rebuilt. But a lower priced "early-bird season package" can certainly help to attract more badminton fans and those who are new to the game, particularly among the young such as school children. Costs have certainly spiraled upwards with the completion of the Sports Hub and unfortunately the SIS has been included as part of this new grand sports setup. Many complaints have been aired regarding the exorbitant rentals for the impressive National Stadium and while compromises have been made to accommodate as many sports, especially of international flavor, to be held there, a more reasonable pricing structure will certainly help. The SBA's view of not trying to impose too heavily on the main sponsor, such as OUE, makes sense. To spread the financial burden to as many sponsors among big and smaller companies can ensure that our Singapore Open will continue to thrive. Many corporations are now more aware of the importance of giving back to society and sports, especially among the younger generation, is an effective avenue for them to advertise their name and business. And if the government does its part to allow for tax deductions for sponsorships, more will come onboard to support badminton, which is very popular in Singapore. The government can also sponsor free tickets to the schools and universities to make for a more vibrant badminton community. Sports have come a long way in Singapore and the government has been adding on sports infrastructure and software, such as expanding sport facilities, providing more sports-related subjects in our schools and tertiary institutions, opening up the sports industry to include the training of sports professionals and employing top sports experts to help bring Singapore sports to a higher level.
Have they approached the Singapore Tourism Board? BWF tournaments are one of the most cost effective ways to showcase the tournament country s attractions to a segment of world travelers. Why do you think Australia wants to sponsor a Super Series? I wouldn't be surprised if Australia bids for an upgrade to Premier Super Series. You get the top ten stars, you get wider coverage, much more viewers,it costs less to reach an additional potential tourist... Why do you think Danish cookie makers fight to sponsor their players, and using some Chinese characters. BWF tournaments are probably a most affordable way and most cost effective way to attract China tourists. USD500,000 spent in China media probably reaches some China tourists in a fragmented way that is not that effective. You look at the recent New Zealand GPGold, how they showcase the scenic beauty of New Zealand; it is so inviting, so unhurried, so tranquil, so uncrowded, you wanna be there for your next holiday. Singapore may not have New Zealand s beauty but it has its own unique attractions that are amazing and world class. And Singapore is also a great stopover destination on the way to Australia or New Zealand. SBA should go sell to Singapore Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines and USD500,000 from their China media budget will be only a small percentage of the total.
SBA is just too conservative in just reaching out to the few major sponsors each year. pjswift in right in saying that a sporting event is a major attraction for tourists and how many major events do Singapore hold each year apart from the ultra-expensive Singapore Grand Prix and the WTA Finals? The expensive ticket price is another deterrent for me. I paid the cheapest price of S$44 (including GST) for a QF-ticket on Friday! On the other hand, the cheapest QF ticket at the HKG Super Series 2015 only costs HKD130 (around S$22). That's half the price....which is really ridiculous. It's also sad to see the spectators around me only recognizing Lin Dan, Fu Haifeng and the oldies. That shows that interest in the sport itself is not as widespread as before. This is not helped with the decline in the performance of Singapore players over the recent years.
And don't mention about the Sports Hub....which Oldhand correctly pointed out...is a white elephant. You can google up on the various high-profile fiascos involving the Sports Hub over the past 2 years or so.....including the departure of several high-ranked senior ppl there.
Thanks for the posts ! I think even if they can get similar amount of sponsors and offering the same amount of prize money, there is more than 50% chance they will lose the SS grade. Taiwan is most likely to get the super series because right now they are holding a GP and a GP gold in the same year. If they can combine the sponsor and offer higher prize money, that will easily be higher than US$350000
