S'pore to strengthen local sporting culture, relocate sports school & build better facilities for athletes

Singaporeans with sporting aspirations will have more support coming their way, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Speaking at the National Day Rally on Aug. 18, he gave a nod to Singapore's Olympic athletes, including 17-year-old medallist Max Maeder.

"I’m glad that more young Singaporeans with the talent in sports are taking it seriously, and excelling at the highest levels," he said.

"Mindsets are changing. In the past, parents were not so sure about their children pursuing sports as a career...[but now] more young athletes are taking sports seriously, and training full time, with support from the government."

To that end, the government will do more to strengthen the sporting culture in Singapore, and help Singaporeans realise their sporting dreams.

This includes working with the community to nurture sports talents, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds — an initiative that will come through in the President's Challenge, he said.

Kallang Alive

There will also be space for these dreams to materialise.

Under the next stage of Kallang Alive — a masterplan first announced in 2019 — the government will roll out a slew of changes to transform the precinct into a destination for sporting and entertainment, said PM Wong.

First, the Singapore Sports School, currently located at Woodlands, will move to Kallang.

In tandem with this, the government will also bring together the national training centres for several key sports, and will introduce new and improved sports science and sports medicine facilities in the vicinity.

As a result, "our student athletes can study and train together with the senior athletes", PM Wong said.

"So this will be the new home for Team Singapore!"

He added that the indoor stadium would also be rejuvenated, with the construction of a new indoor arena with a larger capacity of 18,000.

This, he explained, would help Singapore host more top-tier events, while also allowing local athletes to compete on home ground.

The current indoor stadium can accommodate between 4,000 and 12,000 spectators, according to the Sports Hub website.

Lifestyle destination

In addition to supporting athletes, the upgraded Kallang Alive precinct will also cater to other Singaporeans interested in sport.

This will include the construction of a pedestrianised community boulevard, running through the Sports Hub.

Along this stretch, new sporting facilities and programmes will be introduced, PM Wong said.

"You don’t need to be an elite athlete to enjoy the facilities at Kallang," he added.

"We will make Kallang a new lifestyle destination for people to watch more sporting and entertainment events; take part in sports; and enjoy quality family time together!"

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Top image from Sport Singapore