Sports Hub targets more and bigger live events in 2021
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Across November and December, the Sports Hub organised more than 140 activity sessions for Singaporeans.
PHOTO: SGSPORTSHUB/INSTAGRAM
The Singapore Sports Hub is confident of staging more and bigger live events next year on the back of its successful hosting of multiple One Championship events since October.
Its experience of Project Dorm, which saw the OCBC Arena and National Stadium transformed to house 3,000 migrant workers to help contain the spread of Covid-19, has also showcased its ability to zone and accommodate a sizeable number of people without compromising on safe distancing.
Sports Hub chief executive Lionel Yeo said yesterday it has been a challenging year but one of learning opportunities as the $1.33 billion facility is "eager to put together more safe and engaging events as we transition into Phase 3".
He added: "With the right mindset and approach and the cooperation of all stakeholders, we believe that this national asset can deliver great value to Singapore through good times and bad."
Mixed martial arts promotion One Championship held a closed-door event on Oct 9 and another on Oct 30, which was the first live sports event here to welcome spectators. It had 250 fans in attendance.
There have been four live shows in total and they are part of a pilot project the Government hopes will help identify a model that can be widely implemented so that more large-scale events can resume safely in Singapore.
While there have been positive coronavirus cases involving overseas athletes and staff, these individuals were isolated as part of stringent protocols which allowed the shows to proceed as planned.
With marquee events like rugby's Singapore Sevens and the International Champions Cup football competition cancelled, the Sports Hub moved into "phygital" programmes that carry both online and offline elements.
Last month, it hosted ZoomBa, a phygital event that saw both online and offline participants come together for Singapore's longest Zumba relay.
Despite safe management restrictions, the Sports Hub welcomed more than 4.8 million visitors this year and organised more than 140 activity sessions for Singaporeans in the last two months.
The OCBC Aquatic Centre was especially popular, with entries up 41 per cent in the fourth quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2019.
