S'pore in 'game changer' bid

The world's top track and field meet could have a very different look and feel should Singapore succeed in securing the right to host the 2025 World Athletics (WA) Championships.

In a media statement hours after The Straits Times broke the news yesterday morning, Sport Singapore (SportSG) announced "Singapore25", the nation's bid for the 20th edition of the biennial competition.

Singapore "has set its sights on becoming the gateway for athletics for South-east Asia, a region of untapped potential for the sport", it said in the statement.

It added that it would partner hotel tycoon Ong Beng Seng, the man behind the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix's heady mix of night racing and star-studded concerts, as it seeks to "reimagine the World Athletics Championships and deliver an event that aims to set a new bar for the future".

The next world championships will take place in Eugene, Oregon from July 15-24 after it was postponed a year because of the pandemic. The edition after that will be held in Budapest next May.

Japan, Kenya and Poland are understood to be among those who have also thrown their hats into the ring for the 2025 edition, with all three having hosted major athletics meets last year.

Tokyo hosted the Olympics from July 23-Aug 8, while Nairobi staged the world Under-20 championships from Aug 18-22. Poland's Silesia, meanwhile, hosted the WA Relays event in May.

Should Singapore's bid succeed, it would be the first time South-east Asia has staged the event.

The competition has been staged in Asia only five times before - Tokyo (1991), Osaka (2007), Daegu, South Korea (2011), Beijing (2015) and Doha (2019).

Despite Singapore's relative inexperience in staging large-scale athletics events, it boasts the necessary infrastructure and world-class facilities. The 55,000-capacity National Stadium at the Sports Hub is understood to be a key selling point in Singapore's pitch.

The Republic is also an experienced hand at putting on a world-class show.

In recent years, the international-level events that have taken place here include golf's HSBC Women's World Championship, women's tennis WTA Finals from 2014-2018, and the Singapore Grand Prix, which was recently extended for another seven years.

It has also staged legs of the HSBC Rugby Sevens series and Fina World Cup swimming.

In addition, Singapore is an attractive option as it allows WA to bring the championships to a new region, and one which has burgeoning talent.

Indonesian sprinter Lalu Zohri, for instance, became the first South-east Asian to win gold at the U-20 world championships in Finland in 2018, while Filipino pole vaulter Ernest Obiena holds the Asian record in the event.

Describing Singapore25 as a bid which "has the potential to be a game changer for sports and athletics in the region", SportSG chief executive Lim Teck Yin noted that South-east Asia is "home to 680 million people including 200 million under-35s, countless MNCs (multi-national companies) and over 30 tech unicorns".

"South-east Asia's potential for new fans, partnerships, athletes, and heroes to take athletics to the next level is self-evident - and Singapore25 can be that springboard."

Lien Choong Luen, president of national track and field body Singapore Athletics, said: "Singapore25 will give our athletes and those from the region the opportunity to rub shoulders with the giants of the track and field and fire up more interest for the sport.

"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to inspire the athletes of tomorrow."

An evaluation committee from WA is expected to assess the bids in the coming months.

It is understood the decision on the 2025 host will be announced during the Oregon edition.