Venue operations team at the Water Sports Centre convey their birthday greetings.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB
Singapore Sports Hub turns six this month! Construction of this iconic venue started in September 2010 and operations commenced in June 2014, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong officially opening Singapore Sports Hub on 26 July 2015.
Since then, international athletes, world-renowned performers and visitors from around the world have enjoyed its world-class facilities. The Singapore Sports Hub has hosted the 2015 SEA Games, 2015 ASEAN Para Games, 2016 National Day Parade, BNP Paribas WTA Finals, HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens, International Champions Cup, Monster Jam, Japan Summer Festival and ONE Championship, amongst many other major events. Acclaimed performers like BTS, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Jay Chou, JJ Lin, Madonna, Sam Smith and U2 too have performed to thousands of raucous fans here. Last year, the National Stadium and sports halls at OCBC Arena were transformed into accommodation for 3,000 migrant workers, an unusual project that proved to be equally challenging and rewarding for everyone who was part of it.
Delivering on these tall orders would not have been possible without the capable men and women of our Singapore Sports Hub family, who gladly shared their memories of this iconic venue:
“The SEA Games and Para SEA Games in 2015 were monumental multi-sport showcases of the region’s best athletes. An extraordinary operational and logistical exercise, working shoulder-to-shoulder with Sport Singapore over several years on its planning and delivery, the Singapore Sports Hub in its entirety proved to be a worthy stage for hosting a wide range of games, sports, ceremonies and many other vibrant activities, all of which left a deep legacy and created many memorable moments,” recalls Rob Abernethy, Deputy Managing Director.
“When Singapore hosted the WTA Finals for five years, from 2014 to 2018, I had the opportunity to learn more about tennis and the players such as Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina. While I won’t consider myself an avid tennis fan, I am now more aware of the rules and definitely enjoy watching live matches. It is actually on my bucket list to travel to Shenzhen to attend WTA and experience the atmosphere one day,” shares Samantha Wong, Assistant Director, Customer Care.
“Transforming the OCBC Arena into temporary accommodation for our migrant workers last year was a humbling experience for me, during which I felt a sense of comradeship with all my Singapore Sports Hub colleagues. It was challenging in the beginning, as we had a tight timeline of less than seven days to transform OCBC Arena, from a sports facilities venue into lodging for thousands of foreign workers. The risk of getting COVID then was very high, but knowing that we would help the nation in curbing the spread of COVID, all of us put our fears aside, worked 24/7 shifts for six months and ensured that all the necessary health and safety measures to mitigate and minimise risks were put in place. I did not interact with any of my relatives for these six months, but it does feel kind of good to know that we all played a small humbling part in the nation’s fight against the virus,” remarks Jaime Cheong, Assistant Director, OCBC Arena.
“Japan Summer Festival, in conjunction with Sports Hub Community Play Day, was a two-day event aimed at strengthening cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the local community. Together with the Japanese Association, we put together traditional Japanese food stalls, cultural and dance activities as well as sporting activities that people could bond together over. I worked many sleepless nights together with my team preparing for this event and I am very proud that the tens of thousands of patrons who visited the event enjoyed it,” shares Serene How, Assistant Director, Marketing.
“Korean concerts are widely known for their crazy show effects and wild crowds. When it comes to BTS, the fans are fiercely loyal to their idols. They are literally an army, so planning an event of this scale required immense preparation down to every detail, including looking after their welfare and safety. It was a crazy couple of months but hearing the energy and atmosphere in a sold-out stadium of screaming fans on the concert day was really amazing and worth it. I can still remember every song from that tour till today,” recounts Joyce Wong, Manager, Venue Operations, National Stadium.
As we celebrate our sixth birthday, we would like to thank the people who helped realise these milestones, and shine a spotlight on their invaluable contributions. These are our patrons, staff, hirers, performers and athletes, who have helped shape the history of Singapore Sports Hub:
