SINGAPORE - The Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (Singsoc) has apologised to all who were inconvenienced when seeking to gain entry to the National Stadium for the SEA Games closing ceremony on Tuesday.
In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Thursday afternoon, Singsoc said: "There are some very clear lessons to be drawn from this experience that did not surface during the Opening Ceremony, like how to have better informed everyone on arrival timings; and how to better manage the rapid build-up of crowds and the ushering at entry gates. We acknowledge that we should have done a lot better."
On Tuesday, many ticket holders were refused entry to the closing ceremony at the National Stadium, leaving the ticket holders disappointed and outraged.
According to Singsoc, they invited Team Nila volunteers and Voluntary Welfare Organisations groups to the closing ceremony due to their "experience at the Opening Ceremony where about 30 per cent of ticket holders were no-shows". Singsoc also reiterated that tickets were not oversold and there were sufficient seats in the stadium even after accounting for the complimentary tickets given out.
However, due to the fast build-up of spectators before the event and dimming of lights that made directing guests to their seats difficult, there was insufficient time for the organisers to seat the audience at the various levels of the stadium. The build-up of a large crowd at the gates also raised safety concerns.
Affected spectators can contact Singsoc at 1800-344-1177 during office hours (Mon-Fri: 9.00am-6.00pm) for refund matters.
