WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (8-14 August)
SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (8 to 14 August):
12-player squad for Asian Netball C'ships announced
Singapore announced its 12-player squad for the Asian Netball Championships to be held at the OCBC Arena from 3 to 11 September, with five players making their major international tournament debuts as well as veteran shooter Charmaine Soh returning to competition after giving birth to her first child in June.
Soh, with 122 caps, rejoins the team together with another veteran: wing attack Kimberly Lim (94 caps), who is making a comeback after two years out with a torn Achilles tendon. Both of them took part in the 2015 and 2019 Netball World Cups.
The squad - finalised after a week-long training tour in Perth - will be led by co-captains Khor Ting Fang and Toh Kai Wei, with Annette Bishop as head coach.
Singapore were runners-up at the last edition of the championships in 2018. The other 10 teams competing in this year’s edition are defending champions Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Japan, India, the Philippines and Maldives. The top two finishers will attain automatic qualification to the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town.
Tickets can be purchased online via ticketmaster.sg, by phone, or by going to Ticketmaster’s outlets at Singpost or The Star Performing Arts Centre Box Office. Concession prices are available for students in Ministry of Education schools, as well as children aged between 5 to 12.
Singapore squad - Shooters: Toh Kai Wei, Amandeep Kaur Chahal, Lee Pei Shan, Charmaine Soh. Midfielders: Khor Ting Fang, Kimberly Lim, Angelina Lim, Tan Yi Jie. Defenders: Sindhu Nair, Jamie Lim, Miki Ng, Yew Shu Ning.
Sailors open 3-point lead after 10-1 thrashing of Young Lions
Lion City Sailors stretched their lead atop the Singapore Premier League (SPL) to three points, after a 10-1 thrashing of bottom-placed Young Lions at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (13 August). It was the first nine-goal margin of a victory in the league since Tampines Rovers beat Tanjong Pagar United 9-0 in 2004.
The defending champions scored through Maxime Lestienne (7th and 34th minutes), Gabriel Quak (12th, 33rd), Kim Shin-wook (15th, 50th, 61st), Song Ui-young (74th, 81st) and Hami Syahin (86th). Abdul Rasaq Akeem (16th) replied for the Young Lions.
Second-placed Albirex Niigata (Singapore) need a last-gasp own goal by Geylang International's Faizal Roslan to salvage a 2-2 draw at Jurong East Stadium on Sunday. Geylang had scored through Vincent Bezecourt (51st) and Sime Zuzul (71st), while Ilhan Fandi (58th) scored Albirex's opener.
On Saturday at Jurong East Stadium, Tampines Rovers scored a thrilling 4-3 victory over Tanjong Pagar United to move within a point of the Jaguars in third place, with a game in hand. Boris Kopitovic (40th), Christopher van Huizen (42nd), Yasir Hanapi (53rd) and Shuya Yamashita (76th) scored for the Stags, while Tanjong Pagar replied through Shodai Nishikawa (2nd) and Reo Nishiguchi (36th, 67th).
On Friday, Balesier Khalsa recorded their biggest win in club history with a 6-1 rout of Hougang United. The Tigers scored through Shuhei Hoshino (5th, 67th, 84th), Delwinder Singh (21st), Ryoya Taniguchi (33rd) and Kuraba Kondo (73rd), while Hougang replied through Shahfiq Ghani (17th).
Lions to play Vietnam and India in September friendlies
The Singapore men’s national football team are set to play international friendly matches against Vietnam and India during the upcoming FIFA international window in September.
Takayuki Nishigaya’s charges will travel to Ho Chi Minh City for the matches against Vietnam and India on 21 and 24 September respectively, both taking place at Thong Nhat Stadium as part of a triangular tournament.
The Lions, ranked 159th in the world, last faced Vietnam (97th) in June 2016 in a 0-0 draw at the AYA Bank Cup friendly tournament. Their last encounter with India (104th) was a 2-0 friendly victory in October 2012.
Nishigaya will use the matches as part of his preparations for the year-end AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022. He said, “We are looking forward to the opportunity to play Vietnam and India, teams that are really strong and will give us the opportunity to further test ourselves as we start our preparations for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup."
POSB PAssion Run for Kids returns in hybrid format
This year's POSB PAssion Run for Kids will return in a hybrid format, featuring a virtual race as well as a physical event.
The virtual race will take place from 30 October to 15 November, as participants accumulate 10km at their own time and pace, as well as complete "eco-missions" for e-deals and attractive prizes. The physical event will take place at East Coast Park's Angsana Green on 30 October, and consists of an "eco-walk", beach clean-up and other activities along a 3km route.
Spots for the physical event are limited to the first 1,000 sign-ups. Visit the official website for registration and more information.
Asian Tour donates US$25,000 to S'pore Golf Association
The Asian Tour gave a donation of US$25,000 (S$34,300) to the Singapore Golf Association’s (SGA) junior development programme on the sidelines of the International Series Singapore at Tanah Merah Country Club.
Cho Minn Thant, CEO and commissioner of the Asian Tour, presented the cheque to SGA president Tan Chong Huat on day three of the tournament, as part of the Tour’s pledge to support communities in the destinations that host the marquee International Series events.
The SGA is promoting golf among junior boys and girls in Singapore, with initiatives including a calendar of SGA Junior events, a junior development Order of Merit and the junior development programme, a pathway for talented junior boys and girls aged 6 to 12 into the SGA future squad.
Singapore to host PSA World Tour gold event in November
Singapore will be hosting a Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour gold event for the first time, with the Singapore Open to be held from 15 to 20 November at the Kallang Squash Centre and OCBC Arena.
The Straits Times reported that the US$220,000 (S$301,000) tournament offers equal prize money for men and women, while the top male and female Singaporean player - currently Samuel Kang and Au Yeong Wai Yhann - will each earn a wildcard.
The last international squash event here was the 2019 Singapore Open, then part of the lowest-tier Satellite Tour.
AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup draw on 30 August
The official draw for the 2022 Asean Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup will be held on 30 August in Bangkok.
The championship, renamed from AFF Suzuki Cup under a new sponsor, will see 10 teams back competing in the full home-and-away format. In the 2021 edition, Singapore was the host nation for all the matches of the tournament due to the logistical constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The draw will divide the teams into two groups of five, with each team playing two matches at home and two away in the group stage.The top two sides of each group will advance to the knockout stages consisting of two-legged semi-finals and finals.
The nine nations in the draw consist of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Brunei and Timor Leste will compete for the 10th spot in a qualification-round playoff.
Fans can tune in to the draw which will be streamed live on the official AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 website and social media platforms, as well as on various channels and platforms by official media partners of the event.
Meanwhile, the AFF Cup has also announced the return of TMGM as the official online forex and CFD broker for the tournament.
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