Renowned sports journalist and former Straits Times deputy editor Alan Hubbard dies at 85

SINGAPORE – Alan Hubbard, a renowned British journalist who had spent many years with The Straits Times as a writer and later as the paper’s deputy editor (sports), died on June 8 at the age of 85 after a short illness.

He leaves an indelible mark on the world of sports journalism and his stories not only captivated readers but also inspired his fellow writers.

In a career that spanned almost 70 years, Hubbard was ST deputy editor (sports) from 1983 to 1986 and also its Europe editor. The boxing enthusiast had also written for The New Paper till 2003.

A former Olympic Journalist of the Year and a two-time Sports Journalists’ Association (SJA) British Sports Journalism Award winner, Hubbard was also a columnist for several publications, including online sports site Inside The Games. He was a former editor of the Sportsworld magazine and later on, sports editor of British newspapers The Observer and The Mail on Sunday.

He had been to 16 Olympic summer and winter Games and 10 Commonwealth Games and several Fifa World Cups as a journalist.

He was one of the last writers to be trained at London’s Fleet Street, once considered the most important location for journalism in the world, with Britain’s national newspapers making the street their home for centuries.

Former ST sports editor Godfrey Robert, 76, paid tribute to his former colleague and described Hubbard as “a brilliant writer and effective communicator, who had worldwide sports contacts, which enabled him to break stories and follow up on breaking news at the drop of a hat, or rather press of a key”.

Robert, who went on several overseas assignments with Hubbard including three Olympics, added: “He was a true asset to The Straits Times. I had known Alan for almost 50 years and he was a true role model.

“I saw first-hand how he operated. I remember the 1988 Seoul Olympics when the story broke about Ben Johnson’s positive dope test a day after the Canadian won the 100m.

“Alan knew immediately after Johnson took the plane back to Canada, and although we could not get Johnson we worked together on stories that were informative and telling because Alan knew some of Johnson’s friends.”

In its tribute, the SJA described Hubbard as being “always on the money” and that he would be remembered for his passion and sublime prose.

World Athletics president and two-time Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe paid his own tribute on Twitter.

He wrote: “Fearsome with facts and fanatically fair. No matter how tough he was I always enjoyed every interview and our many conversations about boxing, London 2012 and football.

“In the age of mostly male reporters, he was a supporter and mentor to many female journalists & comms pros.” 

But while Hubbard’s columns are now part of history, his impact will remain.

Robert, who is still a contributor to ST and The Business Times, said: “He was an unselfish, willing and always obliging personality who was very professional in all what he did.

“The last time I contacted Alan was two years ago, and he was suffering from many illnesses that handicapped him from many chores.

“But he summoned his inner strength to tell me just this: Keep writing.”