AFTER the roaring success of last weekend’s 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, sports fans here can expect more action on our shores over the next couple of years.
Next July, the first Asian Youth Games will be held here, as a precursor to the inaugural Youth Olympics, which Singapore will host from Aug 14-26, 2010.
Come 2016, Singaporeans could find Asia’s finest doing battle in events like parasailing, jet-skiing and beach volleyball here, if the Asian Beach Games come to town.
Mooted by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the 1st Asian Beach Games will be hosted in Bali, Indonesia, from Oct 18-26, and will feature more than 4,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions competing in 18 sports.
The beach games add to a list of multi-sport events under the auspices of the OCA, namely the Asian Games, Winter Asian Games and Indoor Asian Games.
The biennial event will be held in Oman in 2010, followed by China and the Philippines in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
While Singapore has yet to indicate interest in hosting the event in 2016, officials from national sports bodies here feel that the city-state will be perfect for the beach games.
“Singapore has the potential to host the Games ... just look at what we’ve done with Formula 1,” said Basketball Association of Singapore’s general manager, Hans Goh, yesterday.
“It’s a good idea and a good format ... lots of other things like computers are keeping people at home and we need something to invigorate the people.”
Handball Federation Singapore president Mary Ang is confident the country would host a successful beach games.
“We’ll be doing the Youth Olympic Games in two years, we’ve already hosted Formula 1 and we’re really moving up the international stage,” said the 31-year-old physical education teacher. “Sports like beach handball and volleyball are lifestyle things and we need to bring in something like that to excite the youngsters.”
Thirty-six athletes from Team Singapore will compete in seven sports — beach basketball, beach pencak silat, bodybuilding, sailing, triathlon, windsurfing and woodball — at the inaugural Asian Beach Games.
With a mix of experience and fresh faces in the contingent, chef-de-mission Mahipal Singh is confident of a good report card. He said: “With some of our top athletes, such as silat extraordinaire Muhammad Razif and Syariff Hidayatullah being part of our contingent, we are confident.
“The Asian Beach Games provide athletes who cannot feature in major Games like the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and SEA Games, with the opportunity to compete in a high performance, multi-sport environment. Young emerging athletes who have qualified for the Games on their own merit will gain invaluable experience which will better prepare them for future major Games.”
National sports associations like SingaporeSailing intend to blood their youngsters at the Asian Beach Games. Six sailors will compete in the Laser 4.7 and Hobie 16, with two athletes in windsurfing (RSX and Mistral OD Lightweight).
“We’re sending a relatively young team who will be there to gain exposure and experience,” said president Low Teo Ping.
“The Asian Beach Games will be another platform for the youngsters to demonstrate their abilities.”
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