Renovated ActiveSG Queenstown Sport Centre reopens on Aug 8

SINGAPORE – After a three-year wait, the ActiveSG Queenstown Sport Centre will officially open on Aug 8.

The reopening of the sport centre, which had been closed since May 2023 for upgrading works before its soft opening on June 30, was welcomed not just by residents in the area, but also the rugby and diving community.

The refreshed facility features a new annexe building that houses an ActiveSG gym and two activity rooms, spanning about 1,000 sq m. 

The gym has both conventional and inclusive strength training equipment, including HUR machines, which use pneumatic technology (air pressure) and lever arms to support safe, accessible workouts for seniors, persons with disabilities and those with mobility concerns.

Programmes available at the sport centre’s gym activity rooms include kickboxing, yoga and Zumba.

To better support high-performance training and competitions, other facilities within the centre have also been enhanced.

The home of rugby returns to Queenstown with a field upgraded to meet World Rugby standards.

Measuring 98m by 68m, the field uses an artificial grass system specially designed for the sport.

Singapore Rugby Union (SRU) general manager Sidney Kumar is happy that the sport has a place to call home.

The national sports association estimates that it will shift its operations from Toa Payoh to Queenstown in September or October.

The national teams started using the Queenstown pitch three weeks ago and the SRU is exploring options to set up facilities for recovery at the venue, said Sidney.

The 40-year-old added: “Over the last five, six years, we’ve moved around quite a bit, so it’s been a long time coming to go back home.”

The revamped pitch will also provide visiting teams with a good experience during events and regional tournaments, he said.

One potential issue, he noted, is the artificial turf, which might take a toll on players given the physical nature of the sport.

To manage that, one of four weekly training sessions will be held at another venue with natural grass.

He said: “The Queenstown pitch is already World Rugby certified, which means it already has extra specifications like shock padding to facilitate rugby so that’s been taken into account, but in general we want to protect the longevity of the players.

“But the synthetic turf allows us to have a consistent training venue in Singapore’s unpredictable weather. Rain or shine, we know what we are experiencing on the pitch.”

Newly constructed team changing rooms with dedicated restrooms also provide athletes with a private space for preparation and debriefs.

In a first for an ActiveSG facility, the upgraded running track now features three artificial turf lanes and two surfaced with ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, the material used for conventional athletics tracks.

The sport centre’s 4.5m diving pool, featuring 10m and 3m platforms and a 1m springboard, has been retained.

It will be complemented by a new dry-dive facility that serves as an additional training environment for Team Singapore divers.

The swimming complex, comprising a competition pool, a learner’s pool and two wading pools, has also been refreshed with new pool deck flooring.

Accessibility features have also been incorporated into the facility.

These include a mobile pool hoist at the competition pool for persons with disabilities, accessibility ramps and a central lift to improve connectivity across the facility.

Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) ActiveSG chief Tan Hock Leong noted that the centre is a “familiar space” for many people.

“With this renovated facility, we want to make it a place where the community can pursue sport at various levels – from residents looking for a space to play sport, to athletes who require specialised spaces for training and sport development,” he said.

“With Queenstown’s strong sporting heritage, we hope to continue providing the community with opportunities to reconnect through sport while embracing and celebrating our past.”