Live sports returns to Singapore

The year is winding down, but Singapore's sporting calendar is just coming alive with a slew of local and international events lined up in the next few weeks.

At least 10 events across sports like athletics, swimming, cycling and football are set to take place here in the next four weeks in an exciting period for sports fans and enthusiasts.

With Singapore seeing a wave of tightening and relaxing of Covid-19 measures over the last six months, the last time fans had such a packed sports calendar was last December, when eight events were held in a week for the first time since the pandemic.

With restrictions easing from yesterday, the fraternity can look forward to more events in upcoming weeks.

One of the first events taking place is the Nov 25-28 Singapore National Swimming Championships (Short Course) 2021 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.

While national swimmer Amanda Lim is disappointed that spectators are not allowed, she is excited to be racing again and possibly travelling overseas to compete. Her last competition was the long-course SNSC in June.

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Only the top 20 swimmers per event per gender have been invited to the meet, which is also a qualifier for the Dec 16-21 world short-course championships in Abu Dhabi.

"The past two years have been like a blur for me but there's some end in sight for me like I see competitions being held overseas so I can train for them. It's not like last year when there was no direction," said Lim, 28, who will compete in the 50m and 100m freestyle.

Weekend warriors can look forward to the OCBC Cycle National Championships Urban MTB Cross-Country - Individual Time Trial on Nov 27 and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon's (SCSM) in-person grand finale from Dec 4 to 5.

The urban mountain bike race will see 147 riders across 19 categories in three waves, with about 50 athletes in each wave.

Amateur cyclist Michael Chang is excited about competing in his first race this year and is willing to do whatever it takes to be at the starting line, even if it means taking two antigen rapid tests (ARTs).

The finance director, 50, said: "It has become the norm, so we just have to accept it and live with it. There's a lot of pent-up demand... The only thing is there might not be a carnival for the community like previously which was a lot of fun."

FULLY VACCINATED

All the events require participants to be fully vaccinated and/or produce a valid negative ART or pre-event test. Other safe-management measures will also be in place, such as limiting the number of people in the venue at one time and spacing competitors apart in holding areas.

Avid runner Paul Martin, 41, who works in the service industry, will be running his eighth SCSM in the 10km. He said: "It's exciting because the atmosphere is totally different. In a mass race, there's a little more hype and excitement and you feel like you really want to give it your best shot."

One of the most-anticipated events is the Dec 5-Jan 1 Asean Federation Football Suzuki Cup at the National Stadium and Bishan Stadium.

While the Football Association of Singapore have not confirmed the number of spectators allowed, national team head coach Tatsuma Yoshida said fans' support "will be a big motivation for us".

Lions player Jacob Mahler said: "It's a good feeling to have the fans back. All of us players miss that. It's a step in the right direction for us to live our normal lives again."

Mixed martial arts fans can also catch a One Championship fight in the coming months as it will be part of a trial to allow relaxed safe-management measures at selected events.

Singapore Cycling Federation president Hing Siong Chen reckons the local sports scene will see more events being held next year, as vaccination rates increase and border measures are relaxed.

He said: "Everyone is seeing light at the end of the tunnel, not just in sports but across the whole spectrum. There's reason to feel that some normality is coming back and that's something to look forward to next year."

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DEEPANRAJ GANESAN