Singapore Sports Hub Explained

Stadium Name:Singapore Sports Hub
新加坡体育城
Hab Sukan Singapura
சிங்கப்பூர் விளையாட்டு மையம்
Location:Kallang, Singapore
Opened: (Soft Opening)
(Official Opening)
Operator:Kallang Alive Sport Management Co Pte Ltd
Construction Cost:S$1.3 billion est.
Architect:Arup Architecture (National Stadium and Sports Venues), DP Architects (Non-Sport Venues, QP), AECOM (landscape)
Publictransit: Stadium
Seating Capacity:National Stadium

55,000
Singapore Indoor Stadium: 12,000
OCBC Aquatic Centre: 6,000
OCBC Arena: 3,000

Overview[1]

The Singapore Sports Hub (Chinese: 新加坡体育城; Malay: Hab Sukan Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் விளையாட்டு மையம்) is one of the world’s first fully integrated sports, entertainment & lifestyle destination. Spanning a mammoth 35 hectares of land in the heart of the city, the Singapore Sports Hub houses a unique cluster of world-class facilities comprising the National Stadium, Singapore Indoor Stadium, OCBC Arena, OCBC Aquatic Centre, Water Sports Centre, Kallang Wave Mall, Singapore Sports Museum, and Shimano Cycling World. Officially declared open by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in July 2015, the Singapore Sports Hub incorporates cutting edge, environmentally conscious design and construction. The campus comprises different multi-purpose venues with the capacity and professional expertise to host a variety of events ranging from sports and entertainment to lifestyle and community events. This mega-project was conceived as part of the Singapore Government’s vision to enhance the nation’s sporting landscape and built with the community in mind. The in-house community programme – Experience Sports – enables everyone to participate in sports and fitness while the community facilities, which are open daily, encourage them to exercise at their convenience. These facilities include the 100PLUS Promenade, beach volleyball courts, outdoor hard courts, skate park, giant chess and lawn bowls.

The centrepiece of the Singapore Sports Hub is the 55,000 capacity National Stadium that provides spectacular views of the waterfront and Singapore city skyline. The National Stadium features the world’s largest free-spanning dome, a retractable roof and comfort cooling technology for spectators – design elements that complement Singapore’s humid climate. The retractable roof also features an innovative lighting system that is embedded with 20,000 LEDs and can serve as a giant screen with the projection visible from both inside and outside the stadium. This unique National Stadium is also the only stadium in the world capable of hosting a multitude of events including football, rugby, cricket and athletics, concerts, family entertainment shows, national and community events. To date, notable events held at the National Stadium include large-scale events such as the National Day Parade, 28th SEA Games and 8th ASEAN Para Games; sporting spectacles such as the HSBC Singapore Rugby 7s, 83rd Singapore Open Track & Field Championships, FIFA World Cup 2026TM Qualifiers, Cigna Healthcare HYROX Singapore, and Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2023; entertainment by leading International and Asian artistes including Coldplay, Harry Styles, Backstreet Boys, Foo Fighters, Madonna, Mariah Carey, One Direction, Black Pink, Mayday, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, and A-Mei; and community events such as the OCBC Cycle, National Steps Challenge, and The Straits Times Run.

History

The Sports Hub project was proposed on the recommendation of then Community Development and Sports Minister Abdullah Tarmugi in Parliament in 2001.[2] His proposal was based on a report by the Committee of Sporting Singapore calling for the city-state to promote a culture of sports, and replace the aging National Stadium.[3]

The Sports Hub was to include the new stadium, as well as a new aquatic centre, indoor arena, and recreation facilities. Alpine Mayreder, Singapore Gold Consortium, and the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium (SSHC) submitted bids for the project, which included the new National Stadium and its surrounding facilities, in February 2007.[4] [5] On 19 January 2008, the Singapore government awarded the development of the Sports Hub project to SSHC, led by Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd.[6] Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan stated that their bid "displayed significant strengths in programming, team culture and partnership, functionality and layout".[7]

The Sports Hub was a public-private partnership with SportsHub Pte Ltd,[8] which is made up of four companies namely InfraRed Capital Partners, Dragages Singapore, DTZ Facilities and Engineering and Global Spectrum Asia.[9]

SHPL was engaged in 2008 and has a 25-year contract to design, build, finance and operate the Sports Hub.[10]

The demolition of the former National Stadium was slated to begin in 2008 while the construction of the new Sports Hub was originally planned for completion in 2011. Due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010 and high construction costs, the project was inevitably delayed. In 2008, barring any major problems, it was projected that the project would be completed in time for the 2013 Southeast Asian Games.[11] However, after delays were announced in 2009, Singapore withdrew from hosting the Games.[12] In August 2010, it was reported that the contract to begin construction had been signed with plans for the demolition works of the former National Stadium to start in October 2010 and for the completion of the new Sports Hub in April 2014. The demolition of the National Stadium started with a groundbreaking ceremony on 29 September 2010.[13]

The contract with SHPL started from 2010 due to the delay and it was to last for 25 years till 2035.

Naming rights to some of the Sports Hub's facilities were sold to various partners, with OCBC Bank sponsoring its indoor arena and aquatic centre, and 100plus sponsoring an 888m (2,913feet) promenade around the new National Stadium.[14]

The Sports Hub's facilities were officially opened to the public on 30 June 2014,[15] and began to host events over the year that followed, including the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially inaugurated the facility on 26 July 2015 during the Youth Day event Youth Celebrate! at the National Stadium.[16]

On 10 June 2022, it was announced that Sport Singapore, a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth, would take over management and ownership of the Sports Hub from 9 December 2022 onwards, with plans to make it more accessible to the broader community in Singapore.[17]

Facilities

The 35-hectare Singapore Sports Hub includes the following sports facilities:

It also includes the Singapore Sports Museum,[23] the Sports Hub Library, Shimano Cycling World (a cycling museum operated by bike manufacturer Shimano),[24] and Kallang Wave Mall (a shopping centre attached to the National Stadium featuring stores, restaurants, a 16m (52feet) climbing wall, and a children's water park on its roof).[25]

Gallery

OCBC Aquatic CentreFile:Singapore Indoor Stadium.jpgSingapore Indoor StadiumFile:Singapore OCBC Arena.jpgOCBC ArenaFile:Skate Park at Singapore Sports Hub.jpgSkate ParkFile:Beach Volleyball at Singapore Sports Hub.jpgBeach Volleyball AreaFile:Hard Court at Singapore Sports Hub.jpgOutdoor Basketball Court

Hospitality

The National Stadium has 62 Executive Suites, 456 Premium Plus Seats, 544 Premium Seats and 2 Members' Lounge.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Google Search . 2025-01-31 . www.google.com.
  2. Web site: Newspaper Article – State-of-the-art sports hub in the offing, says Mr Abdullah. 2016-08-24. eresources.nlb.gov.sg.
  3. Web site: July 2001. Report of the Committee of Sporting Singapore. Ministry of Community Development and Sports, Singapore.
  4. News: Cheney. Satish. 28 March 2007. All 3 proposals for the new Sports Hub are 'truly spectacular': Vivian Balakrishnan. Channel NewsAsia. Mediacorp. 2021-11-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20070816204925/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/267019/1/.html. 2007-08-16.
  5. Web site: Sports Hub proposals promise to add buzz to Kallang. 2021-11-25. asiaone.com.
  6. News: 19 January 2008. 'Cool Dome' design wins Singapore Sports Hub project. Channel NewsAsia.
  7. News: 19 January 2008. Singapore Sports Hub Consortium, Led By Dragages Singapore Pte Ltd, Selected as Preferred Bidder For Sports Hub Project. Singapore Sports Council. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080123133127/http://www.ssc.gov.sg/publish/Corporate/en/news/media_releases/2008/singapore_sports_hub.html. 23 January 2008.
  8. Web site: SportSG CEO Lim Teck Yin to hand over reins to MCI deputy secretary Alan Goh . 2023-01-17 . sg.news.yahoo.com . en-SG.
  9. Web site: Sports Hub takeover: A timeline of events leading up to the Govt's move . 2023-01-17 . TODAY . en.
  10. Web site: Auto . Hermes . 2022-06-10 . SportSG to take over ownership and management of Sports Hub from private consortium on Dec 9 The Straits Times . 2023-01-17 . www.straitstimes.com . en.
  11. News: 17 June 2008. Sports Hub may now be ready only by 2012. The Straits Times.
  12. News: 30 September 2009. S'pore may not host 2013 SEA Games due to Sports Hub delay. Channel NewsAsia.
  13. News: 29 September 2010. Finally, groundbreaking ceremony for Sports Hub. Channel NewsAsia.
  14. Web site: Every corner available for sponsors: Oon. 2021-11-25. TODAYonline.
  15. News: Free access for a month. TODAYonline. 2018-06-11.
  16. News: hermesauto. 2015-07-26. PM marks Youth Day, opens Sports Hub in front of 50,000 crowd. en. The Straits Times. 2018-06-11.
  17. Web site: SportSG will take over ownership of Singapore Sports Hub to make it more accessible to the community . 2022-06-10 . CNA . en.
  18. Web site: 2019-11-21. FINA Diving Grand Prix series to reach conclusion in Singapore. 2021-11-25. insidethegames.biz.
  19. Web site: Yap. Clement. 2014-06-20. Sports Hub pool free to public for a month. 2021-11-25. The New Paper. en.
  20. News: Chen. May. 2014-05-19. OCBC Aquatic Centre completes construction; National Stadium and OCBC Arena to follow. en. The Straits Times. 2021-11-25. 0585-3923.
  21. Web site: 2014-08-05. Singapore’s mammoth new Sports Hub reaches completion. 2021-11-25. Wallpaper Magazine.
  22. News: Said. Nabilah. 2015-03-20. The new Sports Hub: 10 things to do in Kallang. en. The Straits Times. 2021-11-25. 0585-3923.
  23. Web site: Sports pioneers honoured with opening of S’pore Sports and Youth Olympic Museum. 2021-11-25. TODAYonline.
  24. Web site: 2019-01-11. The Experience Economy Boom. 2021-11-25. The Business Times.
  25. News: Tan. Christopher. 2014-05-14. Mall at Singapore Sports Hub to be named Kallang Wave. en. The Straits Times. 2021-11-25. 0585-3923.