Shooting: S'pore win women's 25m pistol team for sixth gold at ISSF Grand Prix in Jakarta (From left) National shooters Nicole Tan, Teo Shun Xie and Teh Xiu Hong won the women's 25m pistol team event on Feb 16, 2022. PHOTO: GABRIEL CHANG Laura Chia PUBLISHED FEB 16, 2022, 6:35 PM SGT The Republic added a sixth gold on the last day of its campaign at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Grand Prix in Jakarta on Wednesday (Feb 16). The women’s 25m pistol team of Teo Shun Xie, Teh Xiu Hong and Nicole Tan outscored Thailand’s Tanyaporn Prucksakorn, Chidchanok Hirunphoem and Natsara Champalat 17-11 in the gold-medal match. This is Teo’s third gold of the competition. She won the individual 25m pistol and women’s air pistol team titles earlier. Teo, 33, said: “The performance and results in Jakarta are satisfactory and promising. I’m very proud of the team, of what we have achieved... It’s a good start for the year and I hope that we will keep this momentum rolling.” Meanwhile, Nigel Lim earned his second bronze after finishing third in the 25m rapid fire pistol medal match with 10 points. Thailand’s Ram Khamhaeng beat compatriot Schwakon Triniphakorn to the title, winning the gold-medal match 16-15. Lim also teamed up with Hoong Shi Xiang and Lin Jingxiang to claim bronze in the air pistol team on Saturday. Lim, 42, said his two medals showed he is on track ahead of May’s SEA Games in Hanoi, where he will compete in the 25m rapid fire pistol, 25m standard pistol and 50m free pistol. But he wants to work on “being able to perform when needed, under competition stress”. Lim, who aims to win his events in Vietnam, added: “It feels great to compete with many shooters again and it’s always fun competing overseas as this is what we’ve been training so hard for.” Siblings Martina and Marat Veloso also made their debut as partners in the mixed team 50m rifle three positions, finishing last of six teams in the second qualification stage with 561 points. Compatriots Jasmine Ser and See Jun Ren were one rung above the siblings with 567 points. Both Singaporean teams did not reach the medal matches. Indonesia’s Diaz Kusumawardani and Fathur Gustafian beat Thai pair Jayden Jitrawee Mohprasit and Napis Tortungpanich 16-8 in the gold-medal match, while Thailand’s Thanyalak Chotphibunsin and Thongphaphum Vongsukdee finished third. Hosts Indonesia top the medal table ahead of the final day of competition today with six golds, eight silvers and two bronzes. They are followed by Singapore (6-2-8) and Thailand (4-6-5). The Republic’s shooters will skip Thursday's (Feb 17) events – men’s and mixed team 25m rapid fire pistol – and return to Singapore to prepare for the Feb 26-March 8 ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Shooting: Teo Shun Xie wins 25m pistol for S'pore's 4th gold at ISSF Grand Prix in Jakarta Shooting: Martina Veloso adds fifth gold for Singapore at ISSF Grand Prix in Jakarta
Shooting: Martina Veloso adds fifth gold for Singapore at ISSF Grand Prix in Jakarta National shooter Martina Veloso won the women's 50m rifle three positions gold at the ISSF Grand Prix in Jakarta on Feb 15, 2022. PHOTO: KLAVS JOERN CHRISTENSEN Laura Chia PUBLISHED FEB 15, 2022, 8:52 PM SGT SINGAPORE - Two-gold Commonwealth Games champion Martina Veloso added a fifth gold to Singapore's tally at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Grand Prix in Jakarta on Tuesday (Feb 15). The 22-year-old clinched the women's 50m rifle three positions title after outscoring Indonesia's Diaz Kusumawardani 16-6 in the final. Veloso said she was pleased with her performance, especially after overcoming a rough start at an earlier stage, which saw her lying fifth out of eight shooters upon completing the kneeling and prone positions. With just the standing position left, the pressure was piling as she was in danger of being eliminated before the medal match, which was only for the top four finishers. She said: "It was very hard for me to get my focus back, but I managed to do so in the last position. I just told myself I don't have to be at the top right now, all I have to do is reach the top four then qualify for the gold-medal match. "So I told myself to focus and take it one shot at a time rather than try to focus on the entire final." That approach worked like a charm as Veloso came out tops in the standing segment, jumping to first overall with 301.77 points to qualify for the medal match with Kusumawardani (297) and Thai duo Thanyalak Chotphibunsin (296.9) and Supamas Wankaew (296.8). Compatriot Jasmine Ser finished eighth in the second stage and did not reach the medal match. Veloso, who won the 10m air rifle and 50m air rifle prone golds at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, continued her form in the medal match, topping it with 42 points ahead of Kusumawardani's 37.5 before the pair went head to head for the gold. Veloso, Ser and Lim Yee Xien also took home a bronze in the team event for the 50m rifle three positions, bringing Singapore's total medal tally to 14. Hosts Indonesia are top of the medal table with five golds, eight silvers and one bronze, followed by Singapore (5-2-7) and Thailand (3-3-4). Veloso added that her results at the Grand Prix show she is moving in the right direction ahead of May's Hanoi SEA Games, where she will compete in the 50m rifle three positions. The communications undergraduate from the Singapore University of Social Sciences said: "There are a lot of South-east Asian countries here and it's a nice opportunity to get used to the weather and just soak in the environment because there are no mock competitions or mini South-east Asian championships in Vietnam so I think this Grand Prix was a nice warm-up towards the SEA Games. "One thing I want to work on is handling pressure and nerves. Back home, it's not as stressful and I don't feel as much pressure as I do overseas. "So it's always great for me to go out there to compete and use these situations to see how I can get used to them or what are the different strategies and tools I can use during competitions to make myself more calm and deal with pressure better." MORE ON THIS TOPIC Shooting: Siblings Martina and Marat Veloso hit national records on the same day Dear diary: A peek into the private journals of 6 Singapore athletes Meanwhile, the men's 50m rifle three positions team of See Jun Ren, Marat Veloso and Gai Tianrui narrowly missed out on the bronze after losing 17-15 to the Bangladesh team of Md Rabbi Hasan Munna, Mohamad Ali and Shovon Chowdhury. The shooters' campaign continues on Wednesday (Feb 16) with Hoong Shi Xiang and Lim Swee Hon in action in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol and the women's 25m pistol team of Teo Shun Xie, Teh Xiu Hong and Nicole Tan facing off against Thailand's Tanyaporn Prucksakorn, Chidchanok Hirunphoem, Natsara Champalat in the gold-medal match. Siblings Martina and Marat will also be teaming up for the first time in the mixed team 50m rifle three positions on Wednesday. Ahead of her final event, Martina said: "I'm quite excited. It's our first time competing together and hopefully we'll get the best result, but more importantly, it's also preparation for other World Cups for the rest of the year."
Table tennis: SEA Games champions Koen Pang, Lin Ye eager to compete in S'pore Koen Pang became the first local player to reach No. 1 in the world under-18 rankings in 2019. PHOTO: WTT Laura Chia PUBLISHED MAR 5, 2022, 8:23 PM SGT SINGAPORE - National paddler Koen Pang was only 13 when the SEA Games were held in Singapore in 2015. While he was too young to compete, he was a volunteer and remembers being in awe of the atmosphere at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Pang told The Straits Times: "When the Singapore players were playing, there was this atmosphere - it's different playing in Singapore compared to overseas because there are so many more spectators cheering for you. "My aspiration (to play for Singapore) was already there but this spurred me on even more." Since then, Pang has become one of Singapore's up-and-coming young paddlers, who in 2019 became the first local player to reach No. 1 in the world under-18 rankings before winning the SEA Games gold in the Philippines. This week the 19-year-old will notch another career milestone when he competes in the March 7-20 World Table Tennis Singapore Smash, where he will finally get to experience the buzzing home atmosphere as a competitor. Pang and 14 other local players have earned wildcards into the main draw and qualifying matches of the tournament. They include Olympian Clarence Chew, as well as rising stars Izaac Quek, Zhou Jingyi and Ser Lin Qian. They will join veteran world No. 9 Feng Tianwei and world No. 62 Lin Ye in action at the OCBC Arena. Pang is excited to play in front of a home crowd for the first time. The men's world No. 139 said: "The supporters play a crucial role because having them supporting you makes you feel more confident." Adding to his motivation is the loss he suffered to teammate Chew at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament final last year, resulting in him missing out on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He said: "In last year's qualifiers, I was kind of disappointed in myself because I didn't play (the best way) I could, so it definitely will spur me on positively. "I just tell myself to train harder and just go for it instead of being so anxious and scared to lose. "This competition will definitely be an eye-opener. It's almost as big as the world championships and the Olympics because all the world's best players are here. I'm not really nervous but I'll just try my best to win. None of them are easy opponents so it's going to be a good experience." Reigning SEA Games women's singles champion Lin is also looking forward to competing on home soil again after the 2015 SEA Games, where she won the women's doubles and women's team gold. The 26-year-old said: "I'm very happy that this competition will be held here and that I have this opportunity to compete at home. The atmosphere is different because in Singapore, the pressure and motivation will be more compared to in other countries. "The opponents will be very strong so for me... No matter who I play, I just want to do my best and take it one point at a time." Lin will draw on lessons learnt during her Olympic debut last year when she featured in the women's team alongside veterans Feng and Yu Mengyu. She will also use the US$2 million (S$2.72 million) Singapore Smash to see what she needs to work on ahead of the Hanoi SEA Games in May. She said: "Every competition before the SEA Games is important to me because with Covid-19, it's not easy to compete so every competition is a good opportunity to gain experience and tactical insights." Singaporeans Lucas Tan and Andy Wong will be the first in action on Monday (March 7) when the qualifying matches begin. Up to 3,000 spectators may attend each session of the inaugural event at the OCBC Arena. Ticket prices start from $10 for the qualifying matches and from $18 for the main draw, which begins on March 11. Packages including day passes for the main draw are also available from $35. Visit the Sistic website for more information. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Table tennis: Singapore to host inaugural $2.7m WTT Grand Smash in March Table tennis: Four young players promoted to Singapore national team
Shooting: Singapore women's 25m pistol team win silver at World Cup in Egypt (From left) Ms Teh Xiu Hong, Ms Teo Shun Xie and Ms Nicole Tan in the ISSF World Cup 25m pistol women’s team event in Cairo, Egypt on March 6, 2022. PHOTO: SINGAPORE SHOOTING ASSOCIATION David Lee Sports Correspondent Mar 07, 2022 08:11 pm Teo Shun Xie and Teh Xiu Hong rebounded from missing out on an air pistol women's team bronze to partner Nicole Tan and claim the 25m pistol women's team silver at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday (March 6). They were beaten 17-13 by India's Rahi Sarnobat, Rhythm Sangwan and Esha Singh in the final. On Wednesday, Teo and Teh, along with Amanda Mak, had lost 16-8 to Chinese Taipei in the third-place play-off for the air pistol team event. But there were no such issues for the 25m pistol women's trio as they topped the first qualification stage on Friday, before placing second in Saturday's second qualification stage to progress to the final against India. Teo, 33, credited the team's "support ecosystem" that includes family, friends and high performance staff from the Singapore Shooting Association (SSA) for helping them get over the disappointment of the missed medal earlier. She said: "After each competition, we would always take the time to reflect and review what we could have done better as well as what we have done well during competition. There will also be a team discussion, whereby Nicole and Xiu Hong would share their views and experiences. "In addition, our sports psychologist Dr Harry Lim will also offer us some advice after each competition. We are always learning and seeking to improve so that we will be even better prepared mentally and technically for the next competition." Under the new formats at the World Cup, each of the three athletes fire five shots per round in the 25m pistol team event. The team with the highest number of hits per round win two points, and one point if the scores are tied. A hit is a score of 10.2 or more for each shot. The first team to reach 16 points win gold. Tan, 31, said: "I think this format is more challenging than before. It really tests the endurance both mentally and physically of the athletes. "The biggest difference is that it counts the wins by the sets instead of an accumulated number of hits which actually pushes athletes to show consistency in their performance. It does seem like a fairer system but it is longer than the previous format. "We have to train our endurance more while maintaining consistency in all our shots because a hit is 10.2 and above so 10.1s which are actually already precise has to be better throughout the entire process." In the 25m pistol women's team final, the teams were neck and neck until 13-13, when the Indians out-shot the Singaporeans in the last two rounds to win their country's third gold at the event. Teh, who turns 28 on Friday, said: "We are a little disappointed but it was a good fight with Team India. They have always been a strong opponent and we managed to come very close to winning so I'm also very proud and thankful for my teammates' efforts. "This is my first World Cup medal so it is very significant and a big confidence booster for me ahead of a busy year." It was Singapore's second medal at this World Cup as Ho Xiu Yi, Adele Tan and Fernel Tan took bronze in the air rifle women's team on Wednesday. After Lim Swee Hon and Teo complete their 25m rapid fire pistol mixed team event, the shooters will look ahead to the May 12-23 South-east Asian Games and qualifying for the Sept 10-25 Asian Games. SSA high performance manager Jeanine Heng said: "The team performances for 10m air rifle women, 10m air pistol women and 25m pistol women show our strength in team events. Although the format will be different at the SEA Games and Asian Games, it still boosts our confidence that it is possible for us be one of the best in the region. "The individual scores give us some indication that we likely could final at most events at the SEA Games and hope all the finals experiences the team have had during these few months gives them a leg-up for the SEA Games. This is especially so after a lack of competition over two years. "As for Asian Games, we will need to work harder for sure as some of the best teams like China and South Korea were not in Cairo. But our main goal and focus is to get to the 2024 Olympics as the qualification process would likely begin this year."
Singapore claim bronze medal in debut Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV campaign The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team celebrate with their IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV bronze medals at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 8, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association/Joanna Tan) Kurt Ganapathy 09 Mar 2022 01:47PM(Updated: 09 Mar 2022 01:47PM) SINGAPORE: The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team wrapped up their first trip to the IIHF world championships with a convincing 8-2 win over Malaysia on Tuesday (Mar 8), a result that secured them third place in the Division IV tournament. Singapore also picked up a win over higher-ranked Kuwait during the Mar 3 to 8 event. The team’s journey to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to compete in the tournament took 30 hours, but their road to Central Asia began in Manila more than two years ago. Singapore qualified for the World Championship after bagging the silver medal at the 2019 SEA Games and were scheduled to play in the tournament in March 2021. It was, however, cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ice hockey world championships are split into five tiers, with traditional powerhouses like Canada, Finland and the United States competing in the top division, and lower-ranked nations competing in Division I to Division IV. A new entrant to the IIHF world rankings, Singapore is currently ranked 55th out of 55 teams on the world stage, and their opponents at the Bishkek Arena were Iran, Kuwait, hosts Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia. The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 4, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association) The COVID-19 pandemic meant that Singapore had some catching up to do to prepare for the tournament, said the team’s coach Rob Martini. “Many of the other countries have continued to practise throughout the pandemic, and this allowed them to hit the ground running – or the ice skating, if you will,” he told CNA. “Singapore has done an outstanding job handling the virus, and it goes without saying that public health always comes first at times like this, but it did mean that there were some adjustments that we had to make and challenges that we encountered during the early stages of the tournament. “Additionally, the travel restrictions for some Singaporean hockey players currently living in other parts of the world, as well as the remote location of the tournament – and the costs associated with that – meant that some key players, who desperately wanted to be here, were unable to make the trip.” The team managed to put in the hours to make sure that they were ready for the tournament in spite of the pandemic, said captain Daniel Chew. “The team worked hard to get in shape during the COVID-19 period, and we were able to skate (alongside) most of the (teams),” he said. After the unexpected two-year hiatus, the team was happy to simply play international ice hockey again. “It felt great to finally be able to play in international competition for the first time since the COVID-19 (pandemic),” said Singapore’s top scorer at the tournament, Ethan Redden. Being in Bishkek was already a milestone, but Singapore was not just there to make up the numbers. The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 4, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association) SINGAPORE'S CAMPAIGN SEA Games bronze medallists the Philippines had been due to participate in the Division IV tournament alongside Singapore, but the team withdrew citing the closure of ice rinks in the country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At stake at the tournament was promotion to Group B of Division III for 2023 – the rung where SEA Games champions Thailand compete. Singapore’s campaign began with a loss against unranked Iran on Mar 4, but there were promising signs as Joshua Chan netted twice in the 5-2 defeat. Up next on Mar 5 were Kuwait, a side ranked 51st and boasting past World Championship experience. They proved to be no match for Singapore, who stormed to a 4-0 shutout win with two goals from Redden and one each for Chan and Ryan Tan. Singapore’s third game against 52nd-ranked Kyrgyzstan on Mar 7 was always going to be a challenge, compounded by the hosts coming into the tie on the back of a 13-1 win over Iran and a 22-1 victory over Malaysia. Singapore were duly dispatched 15-0. Sitting in third place after three games, Singapore still had plenty to play for going into their final match against Malaysia, who are ranked two places higher. The two sides traded punches in the first period, with Singapore’s Bryan Lee and Tan scoring on either side of a Mohammad Hariz goal for Malaysia. Redden put Singapore 3-1 up midway through the second period, and while Muhammad Fareez Afdlin gave Malaysia some hope with a goal two minutes later, Chan restored Singapore’s two-goal advantage soon after. The third period belonged to Singapore as Christopher Wong got on the scoresheet and Chan grabbed his second goal of the game. Redden netted another before completing his hat-trick just before the buzzer to seal an 8-2 win and the bronze medal for Singapore. Kyrgyzstan rounded out the tournament later on Tuesday with a 14-0 victory over Kuwait, claiming the title and promotion to Division III Group B with a perfect record and just two goals conceded.
Iran took home the silver, while Malaysia finished fourth ahead of Kuwait. The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team in action against Kyrgyzstan during their IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV match at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 7, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association/Joanna Tan) The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team in action against Kyrgyzstan during their IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV match at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 7, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association/Joanna Tan) YOUNG GUNS Coach Martini was full of praise for his side as they concluded their campaign. “I have coached the Singapore national team at six international tournaments now, and as a Canadian, I am always struck by the passion that these players have for the Singapore name on the front of their jerseys,” he said. “The players’ passion for hockey is infectious, and it’s an honour to help them build their skills and their knowledge so that they can hopefully make all the citizens back in Singapore proud!” he added. Singapore’s squad in Bishkek were aged between 16 and 46, and Martini singled out one of his youngest players for praise. “While it has been great to see the steady play of veteran leaders such as captain Daniel Chew and Ryan Tan, the highlight has to be the emergence of a core group of very young players,” he said. “Our goaltender Joshua Lee is 16 years old, and has proven himself to be the most talented goaltender in the tournament. While other goalies in the tournament may have better statistics, I can assure you that I have been playing and watching hockey for 30 years, and none of the other goaltenders in the tournament has shown the talent and skillset that Josh has. “Additionally, we have had many players aged 16 to 21 playing big minutes, and (they) have taken huge strides this week, both offensively and defensively. The future of Singaporean hockey looks very bright, and I am excited for what the future holds for this group.” Chew and Redden said that having a core group of young players will be key to Singapore earning more success on the ice. “Having a younger team will help to lead team Singapore to more medals,” said Chew. “We will be working harder to expand the team and try to have more younger players playing ice hockey.” Redden added that “the next stage for Singapore ice hockey is to continue to develop and grow its young roster of players”, although he noted that the young and growing team have had to work around National Service obligations and fine-tune communication. The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team in action against Kyrgyzstan during their IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV match at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 7, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association/Joanna Tan) The Singapore men’s national ice hockey team in action against Kyrgyzstan during their IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship Division IV match at the Bishkek Arena in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Mar 7, 2022. (Photo: Singapore Ice Hockey Association/Joanna Tan) PROMISING FUTURE Martini, Chew and Redden said that the team gained a lot of valuable experience at the tournament, even during the drubbing against Kyrgyzstan. “Feeling the speed of the game at this level. Playing in a hostile atmosphere; the game against the local Kyrgyzstan team had nearly 2,000 highly enthusiastic spectators. There’s nothing that you can do in training to prepare you for that, and it’s great for these young players to get that kind of experience,” said Martini. Redden added: “We need more exposure to higher levels of hockey, so we need to continue to play and win in tournaments like this.” Looking ahead, Martini said Singapore ice hockey will continue on its upward trajectory. “As these boys grow and develop into men, if they continue to dedicate themselves to their craft – which, given the strong character of these players, I have full confidence that they will – they will see their results continue to improve markedly,” he said. He hopes to see the sport itself continue to grow as well. “Ice hockey had a lot of momentum pre-COVID, not just in Singapore, but in many of the surrounding countries. One of my biggest wishes is that everyone can pick that momentum back up,” he said. “As someone who grew up in a hockey-mad country, the game is in my blood. Many of my best qualities as a person and a human being stem from the lessons I learned playing ice hockey. “My biggest hope is that the next generation of young Singaporeans gets the chance to experience those same lessons as well!” Source: CNA/kg(gs)
SEA Games: 146 athletes earn the nod for Hanoi Games on appeal From far left: Jed Ong, Lam Zhi Loong, Eugene Lee and Lim Yao Xiang - Singapore's victorious 4x100m surface relay fin swimming team at the 2003 SEA Games in Hanoi. Lim will return to Vietnam for this year's Games in May. ST FILE Kimberly Kwek PUBLISHED MAR 8, 2022, 9:48 PM SGT SINGAPORE - Nearly 20 years after Lim Yao Xiang clinched a gold and bronze medal in fin swimming at the 2003 SEA Games in Hanoi, the 39-year-old will be returning to the city to compete in the sport again. On Tuesday (March 8), Lim was among 146 athletes who earned the nod from the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) to compete at the May 12-23 SEA Games in Vietnam. Singapore will now be represented by 476 athletes in 34 sports at the Hanoi Games. The former national water polo player was pleasantly surprised to have made the cut for the biennial competition given that his last competitive fin swimming outing was nearly two decades ago. He was first approached to pick up the sport again by a former Singapore Underwater Federation president in 2019, when it was announced that fin swimming would feature at the Hanoi Games. But it was only two years later that Lim, co-founder of the gym Grityard, dug out his 20-year-old monofins from his storeroom and gave the sport another go. His comeback was challenging as the physical demands of fin swimming took a toll on his body. Lim said: "Due to the nature of the movements (in the sport), I was just aching and every day something was in pain. To be very honest, sometimes I questioned myself and asked what was the point because I was going through a lot of pain and I didn't know where I was going. But I just took it as a learning process." Because of his work schedule, Lim was only able to attend two of the four weekly national training sessions. But he made up for it by doing exercises that would help improve his mobility and power. Lim, who won three SEA Games gold medals with the national water polo team, admitted that he is still getting used to the sport, adding that disruptions to training caused by the pandemic have made things more challenging. He said: "I'm getting used to the pain and challenge in the pool so that's helped a little bit. Through those stretches, some parts of my body feel a lot better. It's still nowhere near what it was, but there have been some improvements." With two medals under his belt, Lim would appear to be a favourite but he played down his title chances in the men's 50m and 100m fin swimming surface events. He said: "The overriding theme was just to do the best (that I can). I've gone past the stage where my expectations would be to win something because that's not realistic any more, especially for something that I've not been doing for such a long time." MORE ON THIS TOPIC SEA Games: Marathoner Soh Rui Yong won't appeal exclusion, vows to do 'self reflecting' Swimming: National head coach Gary Tan not expecting gold medal rush at Hanoi SEA Games There was also joy for the silat team on Tuesday with 20 athletes getting the nod from the SNOC Games Appeals Committee, which is chaired by International Olympic Committee vice-president Ng Ser Miang. Only three exponents were included in the initial selection last month. Defending SEA Games champion Hazim Yusli was thrilled to get the chance to compete in Vietnam after being left out of the earlier list. The 20-year-old said: "I'm looking forward to this opportunity. We are happy to get selected for the SEA Games, but we have to work hard for it also." Defending SEA Games champion Hazim Yusli. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR The Institute of Technical Education student will be competing in the men's Class C (55-60kg) instead of the Class B (50-55kg) this time but he is ready to go. He said: "The last round in 2019, I was one class below my current one so it's a new experience. I'm competing in a heavier weight category so I feel like I have to learn and prepare more. "Obviously (the goal is) a gold medal and I expect myself to give a good performance for supporters and people in Singapore, especially my family." MORE ON THIS TOPIC Silat: Singapore top SEA Championships with 11 golds Silat: SEA C'ships a chance for exponents to stake their claim for Hanoi Games spots E-sports will also make a return to the SEA Games in May, as will Singapore, who will compete in five e-sports events: the women's and men's League of Legends: Wild Rift, mixed Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Fifa Online 4 and League of Legends. The Republic will also have men's and women's teams competing in the 3x3 and 5x5 basketball events. The women's 4x100m relay team led by 2015 SEA Games gold medallist Shanti Pereira will miss out on Hanoi, however, as they were not selected by the committee. This year's SEA Games, which was postponed from last year owing to the pandemic, will see 526 events contested across 40 sports. At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, Singapore's largest away contingent of 659 athletes competing in 48 sports brought home a haul of 53 gold, 46 silver and 68 bronze medals. The 2015 Games on home soil remains Team Singapore's best performance (84-73-102) while the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur (58-59-71) is their best away Games. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Sporting Life: Confirmed SEA Games is boon to young athletes
Obituary: Former national football coach Yap Boon Chuan remembered as no-nonsense fatherly figure Former national football coach Yap Boon Chuan was best known for leading Singapore to fourth place at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. PHOTO: ST FILE Laura Chia PUBLISHED FEB 14, 2022, 7:52 PM SGT SINGAPORE - In his roles as a lecturer, coach and administrator, former national football coach Yap Boon Chuan always came across as a no-nonsense figure, but who was also fatherly and kind. And it is these characteristics that his many students and colleagues remember him by. Yap, believed to be in his early 90s, died on Sunday (Feb 13) night. The Straits Times understands he had not been well for some time. In the football scene, he is best known for leading Singapore to fourth place at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. It remains the Republic's best Asiad finish. Striker Andy Yeo, who was part of the team, recalled Yap was a strict coach who implemented a rigorous fitness regimen when he took charge just three months before the Games. Yeo, 75, said: "He wanted perfection and he wanted results. We did a lot of weights training and a lot of running but at the end of the day, we were super fit. "That helped us a lot at the Asian Games because the teams like Thailand, (South) Vietnam and Japan were very strong. It taught us to be disciplined and he would also participate in training with us." The fitness training paid off as the team had to play four games in four days, when they beat the likes of South Vietnam and Thailand to reach the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Burma. The Republic then lost 2-0 to Japan in the bronze-medal match. After stepping down as national coach in 1971, Yap remained in the football scene, serving in roles within the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) such as chairman of the referees committee and technical committee. Although he held high-ranking positions, Yap did not impose his ideas on others, said former national coach Jita Singh, who led Singapore to Malaysia Cup glory in 1980. Describing Yap as a forthcoming and astute person, he said: "Sometimes, you need to discuss something with someone but at the end of the day, it's your decision. He reinforced my belief in this. "We used to discuss the team and if I had any problems with the boys, I would consult him. He may suggest something but it was up to me. "He was someone who supported what I believed in and that gave me more confidence that what I was doing was right." Outside football, Yap was an educator whose roles included physical education lecturer at the Teachers' Training College (TTC). Former national sprinter C. Kunalan had a brief encounter in the early 1960s when he was training to be a teacher and joined the TTC football team, which was coached by Yap. He said: "Sometimes, I would be the only one there for training but he would be there too making me do things like dribble the ball down the wing and cross it. I learnt dedication from that and that's the way a teacher has to be." One of his students, Robert Tan, said Yap's nickname was "Papa Yap" because he was a fatherly figure who was caring and kind to his students. He also worked with Yap during his time as the director of sports excellence at the Singapore Sports Council (now Sport Singapore) when Yap conducted coaching courses for aspiring sports coaches. Tan, 81, said: "We are very close but the last couple of years, we weren't able to meet because of Covid-19. I haven't seen him in more than two years and that's very unfortunate. "Everyone respects him for his caring nature and he's well-loved by all his students and people who know him. Mr Yap is a very high-spirited person who would make jokes and pass witty remarks. He looked after himself very well and looked good even in old age." Illustrating this point, Tan said that whenever someone tells Yap he looks good, he would reply "charming on the outside, but alarming on the inside". MORE ON THIS TOPIC Obituary: Wonder winger Mat Noh kept low profile even during Malaysia Cup highs From The Straits Times archives: Local football legend Dollah Kassim dies at age 61 Tan added that he was inspired by Yap to be a gentleman and sportsman for life, which is why he continues exercising regularly till this day. Another of Yap's TTC students, Rodney Tan, regarded him so highly that he even named his second son after Yap. Tan, 77 said: "He always had a good sense of principle and he never said anything degrading of any individual. He helped us learn the right values. He was a gentleman and he wasn't vulgar at all. (Naming my son after him) is the minimum honour I can give him having learnt so much from him." In a Facebook post, the FAS said it was saddened to hear the news and added: "Our sincerest thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time." The details of Yap's wake have been kept private.
Obituary: Wonder winger Mat Noh kept low profile even during Malaysia Cup highs 1 of 2 Mohamed Noh Hussein (left) and Nasir Jalil at the pre-World Cup Tournament at the National Stadium where Singapore beat Malaysia 1-0, on March 6, 1977. PHOTO: ST FILE Godfrey Robert PUBLISHED SEP 20, 2021, 3:33 PM SGT SINGAPORE - He was publicity-shy, yet he often came under the media spotlight for his silky footballing skills. He was monosyllabic with replies, so you came away with many questions unanswered. He preferred the low profile, always slipping away from reporters and photographers, in both victory and defeat. In short, gentleman footballer Mohamed Noh Hussein , of Malaysia Cup fame, was a man of few words who enjoyed letting his feet do the talking. Superlatives from the sports fraternity flowed in Whatsapp messages and chatgroup exchanges when Noh, 67, the revered winger who dazzled down the right flanks at the National Stadium and beyond, died on Monday (Sept 20) after suffering a heart attack. Noh was with the national team for less than 10 years, quitting in 1981 after Singapore's Malaysia Cup loss to Selangor that same year. But he left behind a legacy for posterity with his supreme ability and innate talent. A large part of honing his footballing skills came because of the close attention of the late legendary coach Choo Seng Quee who turned this Tanjong Katong Secondary School star player (also a school sepak takraw stalwart) into a national icon via clubs such as Burnley, Singapore Marble and Toa Payoh United. The hallowed pitches of Farrer Park and Jalan Besar Stadium used to be the playgrounds for the Noh-Choo partnership to blossom before Noh broke into the national team in the mid-70s and "lent his voice" to the deafening Kallang Roar. Often seen hugging the right sidelines of pitches as he made his mazy runs with the ball, he was the main reason, with his accurate centres, for allowing strikers such as Dollah Kassim, Arshad Khamis and Quah Kim Song to poach goals. Quah, 69, says: "He was a phenomenal winger, stylish in his movements and sensational in his deliveries. A quiet gentleman on and off the field, he was a disciplined player who always gave of his best. I salute him as an exemplary personality and a perfect national teammate." Samsudin Rahmat, 70, who played alongside Noh with the national team and Singapore Malays, says: "He was the ideal role model for aspiring footballers. He was a coach's delight for he never gave any problems. Always well-behaved and among the first for training, Noh was a fast learner and a great buddy to his teammates." In this photo from 1978, Mat Noh (left) struggled to hold back his tears in the 1978 Malaysia Cup football final at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. PHOTO: ST FILE MORE ON THIS TOPIC Football: 1970s Malaysia Cup star Mat Noh dies at 67 I had met Noh multiple times during his playing days, but never since he retired from football, even missing him at a social gathering for Malaysia Cuppers because he chose to be a recluse. He valued privacy, so he was not a reporter's delight in a sense for he gave away little. At one interview, outside Jalan Besar Stadium in the late 70s, I came away with little to report because I could hardly get past "yes" and "no" responses. In fact, once at The Straits Times office, the company for which he worked in the marketing department after his career at Malaysian Airlines System, I tried to engage him in a conversation as a colleague. Still he remained reticent, but there was a certain politeness about him. However, volumes have been written about Noh in newspapers and magazines because he had extraordinary talent that mesmerised opponents and wooed the crowds. The poster boy of Singapore football, whose grandmother was Japanese, married local singing star Rahimah Rahim but the pair divorced in 1988 after 11 years. Mat Noh was married to local singing star Rahimah Rahim for 11 years. PHOTO: ST FILE MORE ON THIS TOPIC From The Straits Times archives: Local football legend Dollah Kassim dies at age 61 Dubbed "Allan Clarke", the inside forward of Leeds United and England fame, Noh, is well remembered for scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot in the first round of a World Cup qualifier against Malaysia on March 6, 1977. That statistic gets starker, when you consider that Noh has recorded more "assists" than goals. Beneficiary Quah will vouch for this because "Noh's telepathic floaters from the right flank have often been inch-perfect". That special skill does not make headlines. Goalscorers grab those, and the quiet Noh was happy to let others take the limelight. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Football: Malaysia Cup star Mat Noh suffers heart attack Football: Former national striker Arshad Khamis dies at age 68
Swimming: Schooling second in 100m fly but pleased with fastest time in two years Swimmer Joseph Schooling in the men’s 100m butterfly at the Liberty Insurance 52nd SNAG Major Games Qualifier, on March 17, 2022. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Kimberly Kwek Published 17 Mar 2022, 10:44 pm SGT Facebook Twitter SINGAPORE - After clocking 52.09 seconds to finish second in the 100m butterfly at the SNAG Major Games Qualifier on Thursday (March 17) evening, Joseph Schooling came out of the pool smiling. It may have been over a second slower than the 51.04sec that won him gold at the 2018 Asian Games, but it was still the quickest he had gone in the event in over two years. His effort at the OCBC Aquatic Centre was also enough to meet the 'A' cuts for this year's Asiad (53sec) and Commonwealth Games (53.11sec). He was joined by race winner Teong Tzen Wei (52.04sec), Quah Zheng Wen (52.86) and Ong Jung Yi (52.93), third and fourth respectively. "It feels good. My main goal for this was to make Asian Games," said Schooling, who is aiming to retain his 50m and 100m fly titles in Hangzhou. "Without Tzen Wei next to me, I don't think I could have gotten 52, it's way faster than I was at the Olympics." At Tokyo 2020, Schooling failed to defend his 100m fly crown. He was last in his heats in 53.12sec and ranked 44th out of 55 swimmers. That was his last competitive outing. The 26-year-old, who enlisted in national service in January, was glad to be back racing, saying: "I'm pretty surprised - I was hurting towards the last 15, trying to get my hand on the wall first, but to be separated by 0.05sec in this current state, I think looking forward to SEA Games and Asian Games is going to be quite exciting. It's given me a renewed amount of excitement and I couldn't ask for more." Teong, a two-time SEA Games champion (50m freestyle, 50m fly), was content with notching two personal bests on Thursday, although he had hoped to go below 52 seconds. The 24-year-old said: "I've only been swimming this event for maybe 1 ½ years... I would say I'm a rookie in terms of this event so I'm quite happy to hold myself up against two Olympians (Schooling and Quah). "I've always been categorised as a sprinter and always doing well in 50s, so it's always been my goal to move towards the 100m because that's where I can potentially go for a relays so I'm happy. "For me, it's just to try my best because if you keep chasing positions, you will be very disappointed as you can't win every day, you can just try to be the best you can be on the day itself. Today, I'm the best I've ever been in my life so I have to take that and move on." National head coach Gary Tan was encouraged by his charges performances. He said: "I'm very happy with Joseph. I finally saw a very good fight from him, and coming into this meet, we can see that burning desire to make an impact in the race. "Kudos also to Tzen Wei, he also did a really good swim and probably helped pull Joseph along as well as the other two - Zheng Wen and Jung Yi. To me, it goes to show that Singapore swimming even though it had a big hump in 2021 from the Olympic Games, this race has given me a good feeling that there are guys stepping up." Reagan Cheng, 13, on Thursday also rewrote the national boys' Under-14 records in the men's 200m backstroke twice. He bettered his previous national record of 2min 9.97sec with a time of 2:09.89 in the morning heats, before setting a new record of 2:09.05 in the final. More On This Topic Swimmer Joseph Schooling to enlist for NS on Jan 3 Swimming: Quah siblings hit Asian Games 'A' times on first day of qualifier
Athletics: Singapore in bid to host 2025 World Championships If successful, the world's top athletics stars could converge at the Singapore Sports Hub in 2025. PHOTO: ST FILE Sazali Abdul Aziz Correspondent PUBLISHED MAR 17, 2022, 11:25 AM SGT FacebookTwitter SINGAPORE - The world's top athletics stars will converge at the Singapore Sports Hub, if the Republic's bid to host the 2025 World Athletics (WA) Championships is successful. In a media statement hours after The Straits Times broke the news on Thursday (March 17) morning, national agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced Singapore25, the nation's bid for the 20th edition of the biennial competition. Singapore "has set its sights on becoming the gateway for athletics for Southeast Asia, a region of untapped potential for the sport", it said in the statement, adding that it will partner hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, the man behind the success of the Singapore Grand Prix race, as it hopes to deliver a similar success. The next World Championships will take place in Eugene, Oregon from July 15-24 after it was postponed a year because of the pandemic. The edition after that will be held in Budapest in 2023. Japan, Kenya and Poland are understood to be among those who have also thrown their hats into the ring for the 2025 edition of the championships, with all three nations having hosted major athletics events recently. Tokyo hosted the Olympics from July 23-Aug 8 last year, while Nairobi staged the World Under-20 Championships from Aug 18-22. Poland's Silesia, meanwhile, had hosted the 2021 WA Relays event in May. Should Singapore's bid succeed, it would be the first time South-east Asia has staged the event. The competition has been staged in Asia only five times before. Japan hosted it twice, in Tokyo (1991) and Osaka (2007), and the meet was also staged in Daegu, South Korea (2011), Beijing, China (2015) and Doha, Qatar (2019). An evaluation committee from WA is expected to carry out assessments of each party's bid and suitability in the coming months. Despite Singapore's relative inexperience staging large-scale athletics events, it boasts the necessary infrastructure and world-class facilities. The 55,000-capacity $1.33 billion Sports Hub which opened in 2014 is understood to be a key selling point in Singapore's pitch. The Republic is also an experienced hand at putting on a world-class show. In recent years, the international-level sports events that have taken place here include the HSBC Women's World Championship for golf, the tennis WTA Finals from 2014-2018, and the Formula One Singapore GP - which was recently extended for another seven years. It has also staged legs of the HSBC Rugby Sevens series and Fina World Cup swimming. In addition, Singapore is an attractive option as it allows WA to bring the championships to a new region, and one which has burgeoning athletic talent. Indonesian sprinter Lalu Zohri, for instance, became the first South-east Asian to win gold at the U-20 World Championships in Finland in 2018, while Filipino pole vaulter Ernest Obiena holds the Asian record in his event. Describing Singapore25 as a bid which "has the potential to be a game-changer for sports and athletics in the region", SportSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin said: "The World Athletics Championships has never been to South-east Asia. "The region is home to 680 million people including 200 million under-35s, countless MNCs (multi-national companies) and over 30 tech unicorns. "South-east Asia’s potential for new fans, partnerships, athletes, and heroes to take athletics to the next level is self-evident – and Singapore25 can be that springboard." Lien Choong Luen, president of national track and field body Singapore Athletics, said: “Singapore25 will give our athletes and those from the region the opportunity to rub shoulders with the giants of the track and field and fire up more interest for the sport. "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to inspire the athletes of tomorrow.” Noting the Republic's previous success in staging top international events, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive officer Keith Tan said: “We hope to welcome the world’s best athletes and their fans to Singapore in 2025. "We have a proven track record of hosting world-class sports events successfully, and Singapore25 would be a strong addition that boosts our vibrancy and attractiveness as a lifestyle destination." It is understood WA will announce its selection for host of the 2025 Championships during the WA Championships in Oregon. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Sports Hub aims to scale up in 2022 in bid to attract more events to Singapore Experience with S'pore Airshow should pave way for bolder reopening moves
Water polo: Singapore men's head coach Kan Aoyagi takes over as technical director Kan Aoyagi replaces Paul Oberman, who left the SSA in November to return to Australia to tend to his wife. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SINGAPORE SWIMMING ASSOCIATION David Lee PUBLISHED MAR 21, 2022, 6:06 PM SGT SINGAPORE - National men's coach Kan Aoyagi will double up as the Singapore Swimming Association's water polo technical director, the SSA announced on Monday (March 21). The new appointment took effect on March 1. SSA vice-president for water polo Dominic Soh said: "Kan has been able to immerse quickly and has already established a strong relationship with the national men's team as well as with the management and the other national coaches. "He possesses lots of experience and is innovative. Having been intimately involved in the development of our plans in the past year, we concluded that it was best for Kan to assume the technical director role to maintain our momentum in pursuing our goals." Aoyagi replaces Paul Oberman, who left the SSA in November to return to Australia to tend to his wife, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Oberman was then appointed Australia's women's water polo coach. Aoyagi said he was pleased and honoured with the added responsibility, and added: "I have been able to work well with the men's national team and good progress has been made. "This is possible with the help of the management as well as the water polo community, even though Covid-19 has limited me from doing much more than I hoped to. "Since last year, all of us at Singapore water polo have spent a lot of time strengthening our plans to enhance water polo in Singapore as whole. I believe that together with the swimming and water polo community, we can build a unique and strong water polo development system that cannot be imitated by any other country." The SSA shared that as technical director, Kan will focus on several key areas including the development of a systematic and relevant training programme for the national teams and enhancing the competencies of local coaches. Aoyagi, who was formerly Japan's national captain, had been appointed national men's water polo coach in March 2021 and managed to restructure the team from 14 senior players and 25 youth development players to two teams of senior national players, one team of players in National Service and university, and an Under-17 youth development squad of 87 players. The 41-year-old also created a new high-performance league within the national men's set-up to enable player and coach development, and to form a selection pool for competitions like the Asian Games, SEA Games and World University Games. Training times were also modified to ensure more training-life balance for national players who have work and family commitments, and for players who are still studying. Water polo has been dropped for the May 12-23 SEA Games, but the SSA's target for the Sept 10-25 Asian Games remains for the men's national team to equal or better the sixth-placed finish they achieved in Jakarta in 2018. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Water polo: New Japanese coach Aoyogi to lead S'pore men's quest to reclaim SEA Games gold Water polo: Tan Eng Liang & family donate $500,000 to start fund to develop the sport
Singapore table tennis player Yu Mengyu to retire after 16 years and switch to coaching (From left) Ser Lin Qian, Yu Mengyu and Izaac Quek with their awards. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Laura Chia PUBLISHED MAR 22, 2022, 8:07 PM SGT SINGAPORE - After spending half her life in the sport, national paddler Yu Mengyu has called time on a career that saw her winning multiple medals at the SEA Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. Yu, 32, made the announcement at the Singapore Table Tennis Association's (STTA) Annual Awards Night on Tuesday (March 22). Her last international competition was last August's Tokyo Olympics, where she won Singaporean hearts after fighting through an injury in the semi-final against China's eventual gold medallist Chen Meng, before losing to Japan's Mima Ito in the third-place play-off. Despite hanging up her bat, Yu will continue to be involved in the fraternity as she has been appointed assistant coach for the STTA junior development squad for high potential athletes aged nine to 12 years old. Calling it an important moment in her life, Yu said she is happy to work with the younger generation. She added: "This is the right time for me to retire and I have always indicated my priority would be to continue to work with STTA who has been nurturing me all these years. "Looking back at the past 16 years of my career, they were filled with touching moments and honours. From now on, I will open a new chapter of my life. "I want to share my experiences with (the younger players) and groom these young athletes into champions of Singapore. I will keep adhering to the tenacious and indomitable sportsmanship which is crucial to success, and I hope to convey more positive energy to others and to society at large." Born in Liaoning, China, Yu started playing the sport at the age of five and eventually became a provincial table tennis player. This led to STTA coach Chen Yong talent-spotting her and she accepted his offer as she was looking for opportunities to compete in international competitions. She arrived here when she was 17 and first represented Singapore in 2006, before receiving her citizenship a year later. In 2010, she was part of the team who stunned China 3-1 to be crowned world champions. But her journey was not all smooth-sailing as Yu had to battle multiple injuries over the years. In 2014, she suffered from spinal and shoulder injuries which left her bedridden for a month. During the 2016 Rio Games, she had injections and platelet-rich plasma treatment, before undergoing surgery to fix a torn labrum in the shoulder later that year. At the World Table Tennis Star Contender competition in Doha last year, her back injury flared up, leaving her unable to walk and she had to be escorted on a wheelchair to board her flight home. MORE ON THIS TOPIC ST Athlete of the Year: Yu Mengyu insists on seeing the beauty amid the imperfection 9 things about S'pore table tennis player Yu Mengyu, who booked Tokyo Olympics semi-final spot The STTA awards on Tuesday night also saw Olympian Clarence Chew handed the Special Award (Senior Category) alongside men's coach Gao Ning, while youth paddler Izaac Quek - who became the boys' Under-15 world No. 1 in April 2021 - was named the Youth Player of the Year. Izaac was pleased to win the award and thanked the STTA for sending him to more overseas competitions towards the end of last year. The 15-year-old, who hopes to compete in this year's Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, said: "Competing overseas really helped me with updating my skills and I learnt a lot about what I have to work on." Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) president Ellen Lee presenting the STTA Star Player of the Year award to Yu Mengyu. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM Ser Lin Qian, who won Singapore's first medal - a U-15 girls' singles bronze - at the International Table Tennis Federation World Youth Championships last year, took home the Special Award (Junior Category). Lin Qian, 15, said the award will spur her on to train harder and added that she was grateful to have worked with Yu in the national team last year. "When I injured my back some time ago, she gave me advice on how to heal and she comforted me," she said. "She's definitely one of the local players I look up to and I was not only able to watch her, but also train beside her, so that motivated me and I learnt a lot from her." Yu was also presented with a $29,752.96 cheque for her role in the 2010 world championships win. The STTA had raised funds for the five team members as the competition is not part of the Singapore National Olympic Council's Major Games Award Programme - an incentive scheme to reward medallists at major Games - with the funds disbursed on their retirement. STTA president Ellen Lee paid tribute to the athletes and credited them and the coaches for their resilience and perseverance during the pandemic. She said: "Tonight was a special night and the STTA awards were handed out to pay tribute to these athletes and their coaches for fighting harder than usual and we applauded them for coming this far. We are extremely proud of them." 谢谢梦雨! Our Olympic semi-finalist, Yu Mengyu 于梦雨 announced her retirement from playing this evening. She has braved... Posted by Edwin Tong on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 STTA Award recipients Star Player of the Year: Yu Mengyu Youth Player of the Year: Izaac Quek Coach of the Year: Hao Anlin Special Award (Senior Category): Gao Ning, Clarence Chew Special Award (Junior Category): Ser Lin Qian Outstanding Zone Training Centre Award: Zhao Peng and Liu Peng (Toa Payoh Zone Training Centre coaches) MORE ON THIS TOPIC Table tennis: S'pore's Feng Tianwei not hanging up her bat yet Table tennis: Four young players promoted to Singapore national team
Table Tennis: Singapore's Olympic semi-finalist Yu Mengyu announces retirement AFP Yu Mengyu at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Published March 23, 2022 Updated March 23, 2022 SINGAPORE — Singapore’s Olympic semi-finalist Yu Mengyu officially announced her retirement on Monday (Mar 22), bringing an end to her 16-year table tennis career. “Today, it's the time to say goodbye, this is a very important moment in my life. Looking back through the past 16 years in my athletic career, it is full of touching moments and honours,” said Yu in a Facebook post. "From now on, I will open a new chapter of my life, adhere to tenacious and indomitable sportsmanship, and convey more positive energy to others and the society," she added. Yu most notably finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics table tennis women’s singles event after losing 4-1 to Japan’s Mima Ito in the bronze medal match. She had sustained an injury to her thigh during her semi-finals clash with China’s world No 1 Chen Meng. READ ALSO Table tennis: Singapore's women's team ends Tokyo Olympics campaign with quarter-final defeat to China “She has braved several serious injuries, played through the pain barrier, and in the end, decided to call time on a glittering career,” said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong in a Facebook post on Monday. Yu was also a part of the team that clinched gold at the 2010 World Championships in Moscow, Russia. “Mengyu also has a string of gold medals from the Commonwealth and SEA Games, representing Singapore with pride and distinction. At the last Asian Games, she lost out to highly ranked Wang Manyu in the semi-finals, en route to a bronze medal,” said Mr Tong. Mr Tong added that Yu will continue to be involved in the sport as a coach with the Singapore Table Tennis Association. “She never failed to give her best for Singapore, overcoming all odds and debilitating injuries to don our colours on the podium,” said Team Singapore in a Facebook post. "Though we will miss watching the Olympian in action, she will be returning her serves as assistant coach of the Junior Development Squad," it added. READ ALSO Olympics: Singapore beat France in women’s table tennis team event, to face favourites China in quarter-finals Mr Tong said he had talked to Yu several months ago about the possibility of her mentoring younger players. “I’m glad that she will be doing so ... Her experience at the highest levels will help inspire a new generation of players for Singapore,” he said. CNA READ ALSO Table tennis: Singapore's Yu Mengyu misses out on Olympics bronze, losing to Japan's Mima Ito
Commentary: S’pore’s 2025 World Athletics Championships bid — a potential game changer or vanity project? AFP The 2017 World Championships in London saw some 335,000 unique spectators, including 230,000 who were non-local — a welcome boost for the local hospitality industry which has been battered by the pandemic. BY NICHOLAS FANG Published March 25, 2022 Updated March 25, 2022 Singapore’s announcement that it has made a bid to host the World Athletics Championships in 2025 has met with mixed reaction, since the news last week. National sports agency Sport Singapore (SportSG) said that, if successful, it would mark the first time a South-east Asian nation has hosted this flagship event, and that it would be a fitting addition to the country’s celebrations of its 60th year of independence. Among the sporting community, and the country more broadly, there were seemingly an equal number for and against the project. It is useful to examine the arguments on both sides, before considering the best way forward to ensure that the project is a genuine success for all stakeholders, should Singapore secure the bid. THE PROS SportSG, the Singapore Tourism Board, and national sports association Singapore Athletics had highlighted significant benefits of hosting the event. READ ALSO Getting the private sector to play a bigger role in funding sporting success Beyond the additional festivities that could be added to the likely long list of celebrations around SG60, the event would enhance Singapore’s reputation as a host nation capable of presenting world-class major events, and potentially contribute to the tourism sector here as well. In the bid guide document for the championships, it is stated that the local organiser can expect to keep all revenues from sources such as public ticket sales, rent from sold expo area spaces, food and beverage sold on site to the public, as well as hospitality and merchandise sales. The bid guide states that the world championships, featuring 10 days of competition and more than 2,000 athletes competing in 49 track-and-field events along with the marathon and race walk, are typically watched by a global audience of a billion people. Some 6,600 beds would also be required for between 11 and 20 nights for international federation staff and guests, as well as teams of competitors, media and suppliers. In terms of on-site spectators, the 2017 World Championships in London saw some 335,000 unique spectators, including 230,000 who were non-local. Such tourism activity would be a welcome boost for the local hospitality industry which has been battered by the pandemic. On the sidelines of the sporting action, a World Athletics Congress would also have to be organised for the 214 member federations during the world championships, and that could also provide opportunities for local service providers and vendors. The guide also notes that the 2017 world championships saw direct economic impact of US$104.1 million (S$141.3 million) for the British capital, comprising US$75 million in spectator spend, US$19.6 million in event attendee spend and US$13.9 million in event organiser spend, offset by "direct leakages" of US$4.4 million. Direct leakages occur when visitors spend money at an event that does not flow into the host economy, such as when they patronise on-site concessions or trade-stands which are not resident in the country. The event is likely to be a boon for the S$1.33-billion Singapore Sports Hub, which will be a focal point for the bid to host the championships. The 55,000-seat National Stadium is a fitting backdrop for a world championship event and would be able to showcase top-notch athletic performances, should Singapore win the bid. In terms of the benefit for the sporting community, the event is expected to inspire the next generation of athletes. Singapore Athletics president Lien Choong Luen said: "Singapore25 will give our athletes and those from the region the opportunity to rub shoulders with the giants of track and field and fire up more interest in the sport.”
THE CONS READ ALSO 3 ways to build Singapore’s 2021 sporting highs into sustained success But not everyone is completely over the moon at the Singapore25 bid. In speaking with various members of the local sporting community, I have heard objections spanning a range of issues. High among these is concern over the cost, especially for a one-off event that is unlikely to have sustained economic benefit in the medium to long term. According to the event bid guide, the budget to organise the world championships is estimated at US$70 million to US$80 million, with logistics accounting for a third of the total. This will vary according to local costs and conditions. This is comparable to Singapore’s other marquee sports event — the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, which reportedly requires hosting fees of S$35 million per race, and chalks up S$150 million in terms of total organising costs. However, Singapore’s F1 deals have been multi-year, with the latest contract seeing the race staying in the Lion City till 2028. READ ALSO Ikhsan Fandi double fires Singapore to 3-0 win over Myanmar in Suzuki Cup opener A sports observer said that a one-off world championships in athletics would likely not boost Singapore’s reputation on the global stage as much as the hosting of the F1 race since 2008. At the same time, the lack of any world-class Singaporean athletes in the sport currently means that Singaporeans are unlikely to be cheering on any local representatives in the finals of the event, although that could change by 2025. Others I spoke to pointed out that hosting mega-events was not necessarily a key contributor to national pride that would be celebrated at SG60, and that the funds could be better spent on other sports or events. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? I have a somewhat different view to the critics. As an avowed sports fan, I am particularly drawn to athletics, especially the middle-distance running events, which strike me as the perfect and most fiendish combination of speed and endurance that requires almost super-human abilities to excel at. Despite being a mediocre runner at best, I love watching all manner of track-and-field competitions, and catching the action live and in person is a completely different proposition to watching it on television. READ ALSO AFF Suzuki Cup: Three reasons Singapore lost when victory seemed possible At the same time, I am a fan of sports in general, and have travelled to catch sporting events such as the F1 race in Shanghai, and the Sydney Olympics in 2000. In my past roles as a former national athlete and sports administrator, I have also been to many major games, including the 2015 South-east Asian Games in Singapore. I am a firm believer in the power and beauty of sports and its ability to inspire, uplift, motivate and entertain people, ranging from the die-hard sports fanatic to a casual spectator. As we aim to build a broader sporting culture, and to evolve and grow as a sporting nation, developing a greater appreciation for sports in general and the performances of athletes as a whole is important. As such, moving away from a parochial tendency to support only a local or home team, and then only when they are winning, would be helpful. There are some promising signs that we are moving in that direction. At last year’s Suzuki Cup, the Singapore Lions failed to make the final, but still managed to fire the imaginations and passion of local sports fans with their fighting spirit. Singaporean fans, famous for being hard on our national footballers, united behind the team in a way that bodes well for the future of the sport. Hosting the athletics world championships would offer yet more opportunities for sports fans here to develop a greater appreciation for sports in general, and perhaps rally behind our hometown heroes, even if they’re not challenging for gold just yet. As such, there is a good chance that the Singapore25 project could be a positive game-changer for the Singapore sports scene if the organiser ensures that the financial and economic benefits are optimised for the local ecosystem, and that sufficient marketing, outreach and education efforts are deployed so that the event contributes to a more robust and mature sporting culture in the country. Mine might be a slightly biased perspective, but I’m excited at the prospect of seeing the world’s best track-and-field athletes strutting their stuff on our shores. It’s not a done deal, with Kenya and Japan previously expressing interest in hosting the event as well. I, and many other sports fans, will be watching with great interest when the results of the award are announced, most likely in July during this year’s world championships in Eugene, Oregon in the United States. That city is a hotbed for global athletics. Perhaps Singapore can join them in three years’ time. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nicholas Fang is a former national athlete, sports administrator and journalist. He was a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2012-2014, and Team Singapore’s chef de mission at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
Golf: SEA Games the top priority for Singapore Golf Association in busy 2022 Justin Kuk is one of the golfers who will be representing Singapore in the SEA Games. PHOTO: SINGAPORE GOLF ASSOCIATION Godfrey Robert PUBLISHED MAR 27, 2022, 6:14 PM SGT In the past five years or so, Singapore golf at the biennial South-east Asia Games has reached a highly prominent position. From mere also-rans for more than 20 years, Singapore's men golfers have worked themselves into gold-medal contention – thanks to the foresight of the Singapore Golf Association which had tweaked its approach with a professional outlook. A restructuring in training with national coach Matt Ballard, a high-performance set-up that catered to taking the game to new heights and a huge investment in time and resources saw the local men's golf hit lofty heights. In 2017, the team of Gregory Foo, Joshua Shou, Marc Ong and Joshua Ho struck gold by beating perennial favourites Thailand in a play-off after both sides were tied at the end of the match-play competition. And in 2019, history was made when James Leow hit pay dirt with a one-shot victory over Thailand's hot favourite Tanapat Pichaikool after overcoming an overnight two-shot deficit to win by one stroke at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in the Philippines. It was Singapore's first individual gold medal after 30 years, following Samson Gimson's triumph at the 1989 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. So with the defence of the historic title coming up in May in Vietnam – following last year's postponement of the Games and other major events because of the Covid-19 pandemic – 2022 has turned out to be a very busy year for the SGA. Six major international tournaments have been slated for the year and the SEA Games feature highly at the Heron Lake Golf Course in Hanoi. The Heron golf course is a memorable venue for Singapore after the nation's Putra Cup team claimed both the individual and team golds at the Putra Cup in 2019. Singapore will be represented by Ryan Ang, Justin Kuk, Hiroshi Tai and Wong Qi Wen (men) and Aloysa Atienza, Hailey Loh and Inez Ng (women). Said Ang: "I'm looking forward to flying the Singapore flag high and getting the best result we can from the Games. The next few weeks will be spent on tidying up various aspects of my game to best prepare for the challenge in Hanoi." The Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September and the Nomura Cup, the dates and venue for which will be announced soon, are two other notable events for Singapore. Other major events to look out for are the World Amateur Team Championships in Aug-Sept in Paris for the Eisenhower Trophy (men) and Espirito Santo Trophy (women). To cap the busy year ahead, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific, the dates and venues for which have not been decided yet, are tournaments to look out for. Coach Ballard will be focusing on training the Singapore golfers for these events with the help of newly appointed assistant national coach Joshua Shou. The SGA has also engaged strength and conditioning coaches as well as a psychology coach for the golfers. A restructuring in training with national coach Matt Ballard helped lift the local men's golf to lofty heights. PHOTO: SINGAPORE GOLF ASSOCIATION Shou, who starts on April 1, will also focus on the training of juniors to ensure a sustainable pipeline of golfers in the coming years. In a bid to boost junior golf development, the association recently formed a junior development committee which comprises one representative from each golf club in Singapore, chaired by SGA executive board member and Keppel Club captain Ng Luo Yi. The SGA has selected 40 juniors between the ages of 6 to 12 as part of its Future Squad. SGA will continue to organise on-course competitions and ranking games which will count towards the junior Order of Merit for spots in the SGA Junior Squad. Dylan Chua won the January event and Annika Chui claimed the February honours in the SGA-Mandai Junior Golf Series, held every Wednesday for 6-12 year olds. SGA and corporate partner Lexus will award a customised headcover to the "Junior Golfer of the Month" who records the lowest gross score each month. Other events for juniors are the SGA Junior Golf Challenge Series, SGA Junior Golf Day and the HSBC Youth Golf Challenge. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Golf: Getting junior, development and national players up to par in competition Golf: All in the family as Kuk siblings Justin, Jillian aim for sporting success
Fencing: Double joy as Amita Berthier wins silver medal, team title at NCAA c'ships Amita Berthier won a silver medal in the women's foil at the National Collegiate Athletic Association fencing championships. PHOTO: COURTESY OF AMITA BERTHIER Kimberly Kwek PUBLISHED MAR 29, 2022, 8:02 PM SGT SINGAPORE - Already a veteran of two SEA Games and outings at the Asian and Olympic Games at just 21 years old, Amita Berthier went into this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) fencing championships with more nerves than ever. As the team championship is determined by the number of bouts won throughout the competition, she was worried about contributing to her team. But with the help of her sports psychologist, Berthier turned those nerves into motivation, winning a silver medal in the women's foil last Friday (March 25) to help the University of Notre Dame retain their championship title. On Monday, Notre Dame won its 12th title with 189 points, ahead of Harvard and Columbia, both on 168 points. Berthier said: "The reason I'm so hard on myself is because for this, it's about the number of bouts I win and I want to play my part. Sometimes your thoughts just take over, but my teammates were very supportive and said that no matter what happens, just go out there and fight. Last weekend, we were cheering our hearts out. "What I did was I tried to stop thinking about the end result - I just wanted to have fun, put in the work, fence beautiful and it will work out." Berthier claimed the silver after a 15-9 loss to Princeton University's Maia Weintraub for her third individual title at the NCAA championships since she enrolled at the University of Notre Dame in 2018. In 2019, she became the first Singaporean to win an NCAA fencing title with a bronze in the women's foil, before picking up her second bronze last year. She also notched another first for Singapore last year when Notre Dame won the NCAA team championship in fencing. Berthier credited the support of her teammates and coaches for her and the team's successful campaign. She said: "I'm always grateful that my coaches decide to put me through - the women's foil is very hard to qualify for but the coaches took the chance on me. I'm glad I got to do them proud this year. "We've also learned to appreciate that competitions are a blessing (amid the pandemic), which we don't take for granted. The team chemistry is amazing, we're all out there supporting each other." Next up for Berthier is the World Cup in Belgrade, Serbia in April, before September's Asian Games in Hangzhou. She said: "It (the NCAA) definitely gives me a boost of confidence, so I've just got to bring the same energy, it's a whole process." Fencing Singapore vice-president David Chan said: "It is a huge achievement and we are extremely proud of her efforts. Amita's ability to challenge for the top position is proof of her potential and determination. "Amita has made significant sacrifices for her sport, having stayed in the US, away from her family during the past two years of the pandemic. This has allowed her to maintain her training regime, and provide her exposure to high-level fencers. We hope that this result at the NCAAs will give her a confidence boost towards her future events this year." MORE ON THIS TOPIC Fencing: Amita Berthier is first Singaporean to win NCAA team championship Fencing: En Garde! Singapore fencers in France set to finally return to top-level competition
Combat sports: S'pore bags three medals at the Jiu-jitsu Asian C'ships in Bahrain Constance Lien (right) in action at the March 28-31 Jiu-jitsu Asian Championships in Manama, Bahrain. PHOTO: JACK TRAN Kimberly Kwek PUBLISHED APR 1, 2022, 2:48 PM SGT SINGAPORE - Jiu-jitsu exponent Constance Lien is used to training five hours a day, but after a bout of Covid-19 in February, she found herself struggling to even complete a 45-minute session without her head pounding. Given she could barely do runs beyond five minutes on the treadmill despite testing negative soon after the infection, it was a pleasant surprise to the 2019 SEA Games champion that she managed to clinch a bronze medal in the Under-63kg class at the March 28-31 Jiu-jitsu Asian Championships in Manama, Bahrain. The 22-year-old, a silver medallist at the 2018 Asian Games, said: "It was physically and mentally tiring leading up to these games and for me I'm a perfectionist, I always want to excel so that was really tough. "But given all those circumstances, I'm actually really proud of myself that the first huge competition overseas, I actually made it to the podium and I qualified myself a position for the Asian Games and I think the way I performed was commendable." Lien was also glad to be competing internationally again for the first time since the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines. She had been looking forward to 2020 after bagging golds at both the SEA Games and World Championships, but the pandemic threw her plans into disarray and left her feeling lost. Lien then decided to take a break from the sport last year to focus on her mental well-being and explore her other passions outside of sport, which included driving mental health initiatives. She said: "I wasn't sure whether I wanted to come back to jiu-jitsu because it was very frustrating when Covid first started. As an athlete, it was mentally draining like you're training but you don't know what you're training for. As athletes, we are very goal driven and that forced me to view the sport as more than just a goal. "I always felt winning and losing is literally life for me and I couldn't lose because I wouldn't know what to do with myself the next day. The pandemic has slowed my competitive process down and forced me into self-reflecting and realising I cannot be so outcome driven because that's not sustainable as an athlete." Also finishing on the podium in Manama were Teh May Yong and Amirul Syafiq, who clinched silvers in the U-48kg and U-62kg categories respectively. Both had come into the competition aiming to secure an Asian Games berth, which is a sixth placing, but exceeded their expectations as they made it to the final of their events. Teh, 28, attributed her fine run to a good support system comprising her coach Robyn Goudy, national coach Teco Shinzato, team manager Jack Tran and her teammates. The civil servant, who was beaten by the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) Abdoh Abdulla Balqees Abdul Kareem in the final, said the result at the Asian Championships was encouraging and also enabled her to see where she needs to improve. She said: "I was surprised to even get into final so the loss was not a loss to me because it was already beyond what I'd expected. When I went to the final, it was a big bonus for myself and more about gaining experience. "But I somehow managed to get into that dominant position, which is a big win for me. It gave me a lot more confidence to show that actually with a little bit more training, I can go further than that." While he was disappointed about missing out on the gold medal, Amirul, who lost to UAE's Alshehhi Khaled in the final, also felt that there were lessons to take away from the competition. The 28-year-old was also determined to try and qualify for the Asian Games after narrowly missing out on this year's SEA Games squad and had been training daily in preparation for the Asian Championships. The operations manager said: "I just wanted to make sure that this time round, I left no stones unturned and do my best to make it to the Asian Games without any hiccups. "It's actually unexpected because the goal initially was just to make it to the national team, then to the SEA Games and just progress from there. It was just six to eight months of training every day just to make the team and even after that, I was lucky not to get injured, everything was going well so that's what really helped me." Among those who finished in the top six at the Asian Championships were brothers Noah Lim (U-69kg) and Paul Lim (U-77kg), who won a gold and bronze medal at the 2019 SEA Games respectively, and Aacus Ee (U-85kg). They all came in joint-fifth in their respective events and are hoping to get the nod for the Asian Games. Jujitsu Association of Singapore vice-president May Ooi said: "This is a good outing for the squad considering the lack of international competition these last two years. The team did an amazing job out in Bahrain and fought their hearts out. "Spirits are high in the camp and this is a good gauge in where Singapore stands in the international jiu-jitsu arena. If the athletes can stay injury-free and continue training consistently, we will be looking forward to a bountiful harvest at the coming SEA Games in Hanoi." MORE ON THIS TOPIC SEA Games: Combat sports set for centre stage in Hanoi Athletes invited to apply for support from Temasek Foundation Inspire Fund
Football: Lionesses raring to put SEA Games preparations to the test at upcoming friendlies Lionesses' vice-captain Stephanie Gigette Dominguez has been training while juggling other commitments. PHOTO: FAS Kimberly Kwek PUBLISHED APR 3, 2022, 4:59 PM SGT SINGAPORE - After a two-decade absence from the SEA Games, the excitement of competing in the regional tournament once again is palpable among the national women's footballers. Since receiving news in February that they would be competing at the May 12-23 Games in Hanoi, the Lionesses have been hard at work, arriving for training two to three hours earlier to work on things like skills and technique, while also putting in additional sessions in the gym to improve their strength and conditioning. Players like vice-captain Stephanie Gigette Dominguez have been doing this while juggling their school and working commitments. Now, they will get the chance to put their preparations to the test at the upcoming FAS Tri-Series Nations 2022 (Women's), as they take on Seychelles and Papua New Guinea in the triangular tournament at Jalan Besar Stadium. "Ever since we got the announcement that we were going to participate in the SEA Games, I can see we've been coming to training earlier just to self-train, to up our skills and technique," said Dominguez, a 23-year-old graduating student from Temasek Polytechnic, who also works part-time as a food deliverer to cover her daily expenses. "Not only that, we've been going to the gym to build on our strength and conditioning. It's not only the physical part, I really like how we check in on each other mentally and emotionally so in a way that builds our chemistry on and off the pitch so that's what I really like about our team and that's how we've progressed ever since we came back from Tajikistan last year." She was referring to last September's AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Dushanbe, where they lost 1-0 to Indonesia twice. Their upcoming matches in the triangular tournament will be world No. 135 Singapore's first since then. Dominguez said: "I'm actually very excited to play in front of friends and family and how they can be physically there to support us. It's exciting to see and show them how much we've improved." For head coach Stephen Ng, the upcoming tournament in Singapore is an opportunity to put the things they have been working on into practice. It is also a chance to see how foreign-based players such as Danelle Tan and Putri Syaliza Sazali, who are studying in the England and the United States respectively, gel with the squad. The games against unranked Seychelles on Monday (April 4) and world No. 49 Papua New Guinea on April 11 also gives the younger players a chance to gain international experience. Over a third of the players in Ng’s 25-strong squad are aged 20 or below. He said: "Having not played any games from the last game we had in Tajikistan last year, these matches will give us experience and exposure to prepare for our May SEA Games. "We are looking to expose players, especially the younger players wherever possible and also to look at overseas-based players with Danelle and Putri coming back to Singapore." MORE ON THIS TOPIC Football: Lionesses to roar as overseas-based players return for friendlies Football: Lionesses to play Seychelles, Papua New Guinea in Tri-Nations Series Ng was encouraged by what he has seen in training ahead of the team's match against Seychelles. The former national goalkeeper said: "The team are gelling very well, it's a good build up from last year - we have included a few more young players to look at the future of the team... The SEA Games is a different ball game altogether so this game against Seychelles is very good for us in terms of our preparations." For Seychelles, who are coached by former Singapore international Angeline Chua, the upcoming tournament could prove to be significant as they work towards earning a place in the Fifa rankings. To be ranked on the Fifa list, the team have to play a minimum of six international matches. Prior to the tournament, the team had already played five games, coming up twice against United Arab Emirates and Maldives, and once against Saudi Arabia. MORE ON THIS TOPIC Football: Lioness Siti Rosnani relishes fresh start with Japanese third-tier league club Football: Women's game remains on the sidelines in Singapore Seychelles captain Pascalina Moustache, 30, said: "If tomorrow we achieve the ranking then it's history for Seychelles people because it's a big thing for us, especially for me. I'm 30 and maybe have five more years to play soccer but I will be glad to be part of the team right now for the ranking." Chua, also the Seychelles Football Federation director of women's football, added: "It's really good because we need to have a benchmark of where we are going so to be in the Fifa ranking is the first step towards that." Ahead of Monday's game, the 33-year-old, who made 32 appearances for the Lionesses from 2007 to 2019, said: "The team changed quite a little bit. Singapore is going with young players and the playing style has changed over the years... so (there could be an) advantage maybe because I know some players but I feel like from the development point of view, it's good for both teams because we both want to expose our players." Match information Singapore v Seychelles (April 4) Seychelles v Papua New Guinea (April 8) Singapore v Papua New Guinea (April 11) All matches will be played at Jalan Besar Stadium and will kick off at 8.30pm Tickets can be bought here. They are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for concession, applicable for students aged 16 and below, and senior citizens aged 60 and above, with a valid concession card. Fans can also purchase the Singapore bundle for both matches, priced at $18 for adults and $9 for concession, excluding booking fees.
