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The Big Read: On pitch and off, frenzy builds up for SEA Games

SINGAPORE — It is a week night at the Singapore Basketball Centre, and the hall is a flurry of activity — a symphony of thump-thump ball beats and squeaky shoes on the hardwood floor.

Organisers are targeting for 800,000 to one million visitors at the Kallang cluster during the Games, which will cost S$324.5 million to organise and will see about 4,900 athletes from 11 nations competing across 31 competition venues in three clusters in Kallang, Marina Bay and the Singapore Expo. Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY

Organisers are targeting for 800,000 to one million visitors at the Kallang cluster during the Games, which will cost S$324.5 million to organise and will see about 4,900 athletes from 11 nations competing across 31 competition venues in three clusters in Kallang, Marina Bay and the Singapore Expo. Photo: Ernest Chua/TODAY

SINGAPORE — It is a week night at the Singapore Basketball Centre, and the hall is a flurry of activity — a symphony of thump-thump ball beats and squeaky shoes on the hardwood floor.

For two-and-a-half hours, the gruelling session of 5-on-5 games and red- vs white-shirt scrimmages leaves the players gasping for air. But there is no rest for the weary, says captain Desmond Oh, the oldest player at 29, who wants to lead his 15-strong squad to a first-ever men’s basketball gold at the 28th South-east Asian Games.

With just over a month to the June 5 to 16 Games, Team Singapore athletes are kicking into high gear as they pack their bags for training and competition tours in Sydney, Munich and Taiwan ahead of the big battle on home soil.

Their aim of course is to deliver at least 50 gold medals as a fitting gift to Singapore as the nation marks its golden jubilee.

An initial shortlist of 985 athletes to represent the Republic will be trimmed down by next week. The final list will be Singapore’s largest-ever contingent — surpassing its previous high of 483 from the 1993 Games. Swimming sensation Joseph Schooling will be one to watch as he attempts a nine-gold feat in the pool, alongside other gold medal favourites such as Tao Li (swimming), the national men’s and women’s table tennis teams, waterpolo and sailing. Others, such as football will be looking for record-firsts, as the national Under-23 team target an elusive first gold in what will be a highly-anticipated contest.

With just over a month to the Games, logistics, preparations, upgrading and installation work is well underway as Singapore readies the red carpet for its guests from the 10 South-east Asian nations. But the question on people’s minds is: is Singapore ready for the region’s biggest sporting event?

TEAM SINGAPORE ALL FIRED UP

Back at the Singapore Basketball Centre, national head coach Neo Beng Siang is holding court as his charges execute jump shots, lay-ins and three-pointers under his watchful eye.

Errant passes get a stern shout, but he says “Bravo” as Oh and his team play out the game plan to perfection.

The national men’s basketball team got their first test against their regional rivals at the 11th South-east Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) Championships this week, and will travel to Australia for an eight-day training and competition camp with the Australian Institute of Sport before heading to the Philippines.

“Since January this year, 10 of us have gone full-time, and the team trains twice a day, five days a week putting in 1,000 shots a week,” said Oh. “We are gunning for gold, and we don’t want all our efforts to go to waste. This may be my last SEA Games and I hope to help the team to the podium.”

The national cagers are men on a mission after clinching a bronze at the 2013 Myanmar Games – a first medal for men’s basketball in the Games in 34 years – but they will need to upset 16-time champions the Philippines for gold.

Over at the Kallang Practice Track, hurdler Dipna Lim-Prasad is getting back into the training groove. The 23-year-old, who won a bronze in the 400m hurdles in Myanmar, only recently returned to speed work after sustaining a muscle strain earlier this month. She will head to the Taiwan Open in mid-May ahead of her Games assignments in the 400m hurdles, women’s 4x100 and 4x400m relays. The lanky hurdler is eager to dig her spikes into the National Stadium’s Mondo track after missing this month’s Singapore Open.

“There’s been so much hype about the Games, so many newcomers to the athletics scene. Seeing people’s dreams come true, including my own, it’s just an awesome feeling,” she said.

Shooter Jasmine Ser, on the other hand, is keeping it cool. But do not mistake the 24-year-old’s icy cool for a lack of enthusiasm. So serious is the shooter about her craft that she took on full-time training last January after graduating from the National University of Singapore. Ser estimates that she has fired some 58,000 pellets and bullets at the SAFRA Yishun and Choa Chu Kang shooting ranges since then, and she wants to make every shot count.

“The SEA Games is really important and I’m really looking forward to it….but I’m trying not to overthink it,” said Ser, who will compete in the World Cups in United States and Germany next month before returning just days before the Games. “My first SEA Games was in 2007 when I was in junior college so it is a big part of my life. Since then I’ve always had the thought that I can go for more and achieve more.”

HUGE LOGISTICS INVOLVED

The Singapore South-east Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) told TODAY that the 31 competition venues – spread across three clusters in Kallang, Marina Bay and Singapore Expo – and the Games’ 20 official hotels are gearing up to roll out the red carpet for some 7,000 athletes and officials expected here for Games.

The S$1.33 billion Sports Hub will host the largest number of sports – 10 – at its venues: the National Stadium (athletics, football), OCBC Aquatic Centre (swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, waterpolo), OCBC Arena (basketball, billiards and snooker, fencing, netball, volleyball) and Singapore Indoor Stadium (table tennis, badminton).

The crown jewel of the Kallang facility, the National Stadium, will host the multi-million dollar opening ceremony on Friday, June 5, and work began two weeks ago with the installation of power generators, sound overlay, aerial systems for giant props, construction of the stage and setting up the control room – which will take up seven hospitality suites – for the ceremony.

Juggling the overlapping sports schedules, equipment installation and peripheral events at the 35-hectare site requires military-style precision. For example, lay-and-play natural grass turf will be placed in the National Stadium after the opening ceremony, with work to be completed in time for the athletics competition two days later.

Said Mr Lim Teck Yin, chairman of the SINGSOC executive committee: “The work schedule has to be detailed down to the very last minute.”

Across the three clusters, work is also underway. Spectator stands have been put in at the Kallang field for the archery competition, courts for tennis and squash refurbished, while Bishan and Choa Chu Kang Stadiums – which will host football and rugby respectively – boast brand new fields.

The Singapore Expo area, which will host boxing, silat, sepak takraw, judo, taekwondo and wushu, will be the last venue for the big move in mid-May, with work expected to be completed about three days before the first competition on June 6.

The Games’ 20 official hotels – which will form the “Village in the City” for visiting athletes, officials and guests – have also pulled out the stops to welcome their local and foreign guests.

Village Hotel Bugis expects to host some 244 athletes and 170 officials from canoeing and rowing, and 200 out of its 393 rooms have been set aside for the contingents.

Arthur Kiong, Chief Executive Officer, Far East Hospitality, said both Village Hotel Bugis and Village Hotel Albert Court will hold food tasting activities to introduce the visiting athletes to some of Singapore’s famous and well-loved dishes.

Over at Swissotel the Stamford, the hotel will be banking on past experience from the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, 2009 Asian Youth Games and Singapore Grand Prix, as it will host over 1,000 athletes and officials this time around and serve as the Games’ main media accreditation centre.

Managing director Tom Meyer said the hotel will be preparing food for the althetes based on a special dietary programme by Sports Singapore’s panel of nutritionists.

“Halal-certified buffet meals will be served at dedicated dining rooms, bigger beds are available for taller athletes, and the gym will be opened 24 hours as per usual.”

PUBLIC INTEREST MIXED

With athletes’ and logistical preparations for the Games falling into place for the final stretch, a question that has popped up is whether Singaporeans are ready for the big sporting event.

Based on a quick check by TODAY, public interest and awareness of the Games appear mixed.

Student Hanna Tay, did not know when the Games was going to be held, and the 19-year-old does not intend to catch any of the sports “live” or on television as she is “not really a sports fanatic”. “If I had to take a guess (for Games dates), October, September?” she said. “When it is held in Singapore, there will be a lot of buzz about it, but I haven’t seen or heard it yet. (But) it is good to host it as Singapore can have another achievement to be proud of.”

Retiree Jeffrey Law, 73, however, has been tracking the Games for some time, and he told TODAY: “I think it is a very timely occasion to host it as it is in conjunction with SG50.

“Singapore is always ready, and we are ready to go. I’m looking out for Joseph Schooling because he is an upcoming swimmer who is breaking records. Our swimmers, waterpolo team and table tennis players are front runners (for gold) and with them I think this can be the best SEA Games ever.”

Sharandev Subhas, 20, is still undecided on which sports to catch “live”, as he said: “I might consider going if it’s free. I like athletics, swimming and rugby and I might go for these. I am pretty excited about the SEA Games but I feel they haven’t been promoting it enough on social media, and if that happens, I might get more excited about the Games.”

Others like senior executive Naziakim Abdul Ghani suggested ideas for a phone application to get more information and results from the Games to keep the public up to date on the event and athletes’ performances.

One group that is already all pysched up for the Games is the Myanmar Football Lovers Group, which consists of Myanmar nationals working or studying here. “We will make a rallying call for volunteers to join us in helping Myanmar supporters in various ways, such as providing information, ushering to competition location, distribution of flags, scarfs and ultimately to motivate and support Myanmar atheletes as if they are in their home country,” said a spokesperson.

“We are expecting between 3,000 to 4,000 strong supporters for football matches, provided we can get enough tickets.”

GETTING SINGAPOREANS INVOLVED

SINGSOC’s Mr Lim said that a SINGSOC survey found that about 70 per cent of respondents are aware that the SEA Games are being held here and the committee is working on spreading the word.

About 790,000 tickets have gone on sale since February, with sales for most sports exceeding the 70 per cent mark. Updated figures this week show that sports like sepak takraw have hit 50 per cent sales, while others with bigger arenas to fill, like table tennis and rugby – located at the indoor stadium and Choa Chu Kang stadium – have sold 20 to 30 per cent of available tickets. Half of the 36 sports featured at the Games will be open to the public for free.

While some have pointed to the lack of buzz around town, SINGSOC is ramping up its drive to get Singaporeans on board for the Games. The island’s different neighbourhoods, key iconic buildings and community spaces will “paint the town red”, with Pasir Ris West the first to kick off the movement last Saturday with its public areas dressed in red in a show of support for Team Singapore.

Team Singapore athletes will also be roped in for special appearances in their own neighbourhoods to get their neighbours to support them in their quest for medal success.

Mass participation sports events will be held in conjunction with the Games’ triathlon, marathon and athletics’ 20km race walk to ramp up interest and spectatorship.

Said Lim: “Have we managed to create a level of awareness? The answer is yes. We have tried a mass walk, a one-year countdown, concert at Gardens by the Bay, make a Nila activity and Torch Up art installations, and we will have a major event at the Promontory on June 4. There is a level of excitement, and as we start dressing (up the neighbourhoods and other areas), bit by bit we will see more demand.”

The curtains will come up on the SEA Games on June 5, and with less than 40 days to the Games’ opening extravaganza, Lim has a message for Singaporeans: “This is a special year for all Singaporeans. It’s the year we reflect on our past, a year for thanksgiving to pioneers who have contributed to Singapore. The SEA Games is one of those opportunities to do that, and it’s historic because it’s SG50.

“Team Singapore are our team, no matter if we win the gold or not, they have all been working very hard and many have made great sacrifices to train full-time. They are worthy of our support, and I imagine if all of Singapore is behind them, they will deliver some very special performances.”

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