Story by Colin Tung/Red Sports
The Sports Hub has been plagued with numerous delays, and with the latest announcement, Singapore will not be able to host the 2013 SEA Games. (Photo © Leslie Tan/Red Sports file photo)
Wednesday, 9 December, 2009 – It is official.
After much speculation resulting from the numerous delays to the construction of the $1.87 billion Sports Hub at Kallang, Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) secretary-general Chris Chan confirmed on Tuesday that Singapore will not be hosting the 2013 South East Asian (SEA) Games.
And it is unlikely that we will host it in 2015 as well.
Singapore’s hosting of the biennial SEA Games was to be used as the platform to showcase the world-class facility expected of the Sports Hub.
But the continual postponement of the building of the Sports Hub, due to the increase in construction costs caused by the global financial crisis, has led to the authorities to decide to relinquish the hosting rights.
Singapore hosted the SEA Games in 1973, 1983 and 1993.
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@Forrest – I share your sentiments. Presumably, it’ll be “easier” to make the Singapore team in a Singapore-hosted SEA Games as there will not be the issue of overseas travel and the utilisation of taxpayers’ money for that purpose. So athletes/sports who are on the fringes should have a greater opportunity to make the SEA Games. Sigh, looks like that chance for exposure is gone. I would like to forward the question to the authorities – “When then are we likely to see the SEA Games return to Singapore?”
I think the greatest impact will be on sports/events that traditionally don’t do well enough in the region to get the nod from SNOC to go to the SEA Games. 2013 was supposed to have been something to look forward to for unproven atheletes and teams.
singapore can host youth olympics but cannot host a small SEA games, so sad
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