Singapore Sports Hub deal signed

Singapore Sports Council Media Release

Singapore, Wednesday, August 25, 2010 — The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the Singapore Sports Hub Consortium (SSHC) signed the contract today for the consortium to design, build, finance and operate the Singapore Sports Hub for the next 25 years. The consortium will begin demolition of the National Stadium by October 2010, and the new Sports Hub will open its doors by April 2014.

Said Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth & Sports: “I am glad that we are ready to start construction of the Singapore Sports Hub. It will be a fully integrated sports, leisure, entertainment and lifestyle hub for world class events and community activities. The facilities will be accessible to both the general public and top athletes to train and compete in.”

“As part of the Greater Marina Bay masterplan, the Singapore Sports Hub will also contribute to the larger government objective of repositioning Singapore as a great place to work, live and play,” added Dr Balakrishnan.

Mr Oon Jin Teik, Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Sports Council said: “Based on international feedback and comparison of the Singapore Sports Hub with other major sports facilities around the world, I am confident to say that our Sports Hub is highly unique as it is conceived as part of the larger Sporting Singapore 2001 blueprint which looks at sports development holistically. It is guided by the project objectives and desired outcomes which have a clear focus on target audiences. A programming-led strategy will keep the Sports Hub abuzz with activities on a daily basis and we have the world’s first integrated land and water sports facility with extensive retail space and a sea front location within the city.”

The Singapore Sports Hub was designed with the end users in mind and every effort has been made to ensure a delightful experience for spectators, participants, event companies, the sports fraternity, commercial tenants, and others. For example:

• For easy accessibility to the Sports Hub in Kallang, the Stadium Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station is located next to the National Stadium. The entire Sports Hub is also designed with features to facilitate movement for people with disabilities.

• For the comfort of all spectators, the new National Stadium will feature individual seats, natural ventilation and a retractable roof for all-weather enjoyment. It will be Singapore’s largest all weather sports venue, and uses an innovative bowl cooling system that provides comfort with limited energy usage. The new National Stadium also features retractable seating which will allow us to bring spectators up close to the action, customized for soccer, rugby, cricket, athletics, and major spectacular events (e.g. National Day Parades).

• For the enjoyment of mobile and technology-savvy stakeholders, including remote spectators, the entire Sports Hub will be wired up with fiber optics and driven by technology and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to ensure a refreshing, immersive, and interactive user experience. The entire Sports Hub, supported by a sports library and sports museum, will showcase knowledge-intensive sports offerings and integrate the past, present, and future of Singapore and Asian sports.

• For a diverse and participative experience for youths, seniors, and families, a host of community facilities are also provided and integrated within the Sports Hub. These include a beach volleyball court, rock climbing wall, hard courts, a Skate Park, an area for lawn bowling, and a 1-km jogging track located on the perimeter of the National Stadium. And when visitors have finished their sports games, they can hit the 41,000 sqm of retail shopping, health & wellness offerings, and food & beverage outlets.

• For the convenience of elite athletes with a hectic schedule, state-of-the-art training facilities, a comprehensive suite of services for rest and recovery, and a facility for short term stay will be offered to help them achieve podium success. There will be a sports-solution collaboration platform for the sports industry business partners and sports science & medicine specialists.

Visitors can also look forward to a host of international and local sports and entertainment events, maximizing the open land space, water body, and arenas. Additionally, Singapore Sports Hub will continue to attract live entertainment events (e.g. concerts and artistes from around the world), MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, & exhibitions) events, and other exciting entertainment events and activities for the community.

For event organizers, the flexible, scalable, and modular design of the Sports Hub provides a multi-functional layout that is designed to the relevant sport’s International Federation specifications. To propel sports sponsorship, the Sports Hub is fully cabled for broadcast, thereby allowing events to be transmitted to the billions of viewers in the world. Eighty Corporate Boxes will be available for lease for organizations and companies to host their customers during major sports events. These features will help make the Singapore Sports Hub a preferred venue for international sports and entertainment events.

The consortium is ready to go full throttle. “We are very happy to finally close the deal. We are ready to go full swing,” said Ludwig Reichhold, Managing Director, Dragages Singapore, “In partnership with the Government of Singapore, we will bring together the strength of our consortium and ensure Singapore Sports Hub reaches its full potential to create the excitement seen in other world class venues, thereby fulfilling the project vision and objectives set by the Singapore Sports Council.”

Under the Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) arrangement, the government will pay the consortium an annual payment (covers construction, operating and financing costs) over 25 years. The construction cost is SGD$1.33 billion, which the government does not pay upfront. The government’s payment will be through annual payments.

The Singapore Sports Hub is the largest sports infrastructure Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) project in the world and Singapore’s largest and flagship PPP project. Under the PPP model, the Consortium brings in their expertise in various aspects of the project, such as construction, financing and programming, while the government makes monthly payments to the Consortium when the facilities and services become operational and meet the contractual obligations.

Annex A: Singapore Sports Hub Fact Sheet
Annex B: Key Features in Sports Hub
Annex C: SSHC Profile