Organisers adopt wait-and-see approach for weekend mass events due to haze

SINGAPORE — Organisers of mass sporting events scheduled for this weekend are adopting a wait-and-see approach before they decide whether to call off their activities because of the haze, which worsened on Friday (Aug 26) morning.

As of 6 pm on Friday, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was at 82-112, which is in the unhealthy level.

Puma Singapore said on Friday that they will cancel Saturday’s Puma Night Run if the 24-hour PSI exceeds 200 at 5pm.

The run, which will be held at Seletar Aerospace Park, is scheduled to begin at 6 pm for the 12km Men’s and Women’s Open categories, and at 7pm for the 6km Men’s and Women’s Open.

In a statement issued on Friday, they said: “The safety and health of participants, volunteers and staff are of utmost importance and Puma will adopt the following measures based on the 24-hour PSI reading at 5pm on Saturday.

“If the overall Singapore 24-hour PSI exceeds 200, PUMA Night Run Singapore 2016 for both 6km and 12km will be cancelled.

“If the 24-hour PSI falls between 100 to 200, Puma Night Run Singapore 2016 will be converted into a 6km walk for both 6km and 12km categories. Flag-off timing will remain the same.”

However, activities at the race village will continue as planned.

The Puma Night Run, which made its debut at Sentosa in 2014, was almost cancelled last year due to the haze, but eventually went ahead at the Marina Barrage area.

Puma also announced that participants can collect their finishers’ medals at the race village if the event is cancelled.

“Alternative arrangements will also be made for participants to collect their finisher medals at a later date. Details for the later collection will be announced shortly,” it said.

Participants can refer to the event’s official website (www.puma-nightrun.com.sg) and PUMA’s Facebook page by 5pm on Saturday for further information. An SMS notification will also be sent to all participants.

Meanwhile, organisers of the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon, which will take place on Sunday, are monitoring the haze situation and have advised participants to check the event’s Facebook page for any further updates.

National sports governing body Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced on Friday that all outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities at its ActiveSG Centres would be closed to the public if the 24 hour PSI is above 200, while air-conditioned sports halls and gyms will stay open during this period.

SportSG will assess and re-open the facilities when haze conditions improve.

However, the ActiveSG football academy will cancel their training sessions if the 24-hour PSI is above 100 at 7am on Saturday. If the session is already underway, the coaches will stop the training immediately any time the PSI crosses 100.

The public can refer to the official ActiveSG website (www.myactivesg.com/news/2015/9/health-advisory-on-haze) for the latest updates on the haze and closures of MyActiveSG sports centres, or the MyActiveSG Facebook page. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NOAH TAN.