When short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh appears at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Pyeongchang next Saturday to create history for Singapore, her countrymen will be able to witness the moment live on their screens.
This comes after yesterday's announcement by online streaming provider Eleven Sports that it had struck an 11th-hour deal with Denstu, which holds the exclusive broadcast rights for the Summer and Winter Olympics in 22 Asian countries until 2024, to provide coverage of the Feb 9-25 Winter Games.
Eleven's coverage is through various mediums, including television, online and on its smartphone app. The live all-day action from South Korea will also be broadcast daily on Eleven's seven channels on Singtel mioTV (901 to 907) as well as on Mediacorp's online platform Toggle.
The national broadcaster's channel okto will carry a live telecast daily, from 9pm to midnight.
Fans can also catch the action for free by registering with Eleven (elevensports.sg). Its Facebook page will also show tonight's opening ceremony and the closing ceremony on Feb 25, daily highlights, and selected events like Goh's, the Republic's first Winter Olympian, race on Feb 17.
Said Sonja Chong, president of the Singapore Ice Skating Association: "Tomorrow will be a huge moment in Singapore's winter sports history as Cheyenne flies the Singapore flag at the opening ceremony."
Singapore Ski and Snowboard Association president Low Teo Ping, 71, hailed the breakthrough to broadcast the Winter Games here.
He said: "It will expose Singaporeans to another area of sport, and help raise awareness of winter sports. It is very good for people to know that the Olympic movement is not just about the Summer Games."
Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel's chief executive officer (consumer Singapore), said: "We're extremely pleased that Eleven Sports has managed to secure broadcast rights to the Games, allowing us to give our customers front-row seats to all the exciting action at Pyeongchang."
The prospect of local sports fans missing out of the Pyeongchang Games had appeared very real in recent weeks. The Straits Times had reported last week that Mediacorp were unable to reach an agreement with Dentsu.
A similar situation had occurred in 2016 when Mediacorp reached a last-minute deal with Denstu to beam the Rio Summer Games live a day before the opening ceremony.
Shalu Wasu, Eleven Sports Singapore managing director, said: "It is very important for us to provide coverage for free so that all Singaporeans can enjoy our comprehensive, multi-platform coverage of the Games.
"For the first time in history, Singapore will be represented at the Winter Olympic Games, and Eleven Sports could not be prouder to bring coverage of this milestone to all Singaporeans."
Correction note: An earlier version of the story wrongly referred to the Singapore Ski and Snowboard Association as the Singapore Snowboarding and Skiing Association. We are sorry for the error.
