SEA Games opening: Spectators will be part of the show

Organisers promise special celebration for Singaporeans
By Jonathan Wong, The Straits Times, 16 Jan 2015

MORE than 40,000 spectators will form a virtual canvas for the opening ceremony of Singapore's biggest sporting event on June 5.

The Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (Singsoc) will be giving all audience members a commemorative LED medallion to be hung around their necks, and the medallions will be activated during the three-hour spectacle to create a giant "wall" of display graphics and moving images.

Post by SEA GAMES 2015.

Together with the 5,000 performers and volunteers, the spectators will transform the National Stadium into a kaleidoscope of colours and pageantry to launch the 28th SEA Games.

As host of the biennial Games for the first time since 1993, Singapore will be welcoming more than 7,000 athletes and officials across 36 sports for the region's biggest multi-sport event in the Republic's Golden Jubilee year.

Its scale will surpass the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, which involved around 5,000 athletes and officials across 26 sports.

The 55,000-seat stadium will be reconfigured for the ceremony to accommodate around 40,000 fans. All of them will be immersed in a 360-degree multimedia experience; the stadium floor will be transformed into a massive screen, thanks to 160 high-definition projectors, while images will also be beamed onto the dome roof.

Audiences, including the millions of television viewers across South-east Asia, will also be entertained by a host of flying performers and props, supported by a system of tracks and cables attached to the stadium roof. These stunts will blend in with the musical, dance and pyrotechnics segments of the show.

During yesterday's media briefing at the Sports Hub, the Opening and Closing Ceremony's (OCC) creative director, Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond said: "If we could get three things right - creating a spectacle, presenting the heart of the host country as well as welcoming our South-east Asian neighbours - then I think we will be successful."

She and her team have been brainstorming since 2013, and they sought inspiration from other major sporting events such as the 2012 London Olympics.

Said Singsoc executive committee chairman Lim Teck Yin: "This is a special year for Singapore, our 50th anniversary, and we aim to make the 28th SEA Games a very special celebration for Singaporeans."

Local artists Gurmit Singh, Sharon Au and Nikki Muller will host the opening ceremony, which will also showcase some of the country's best home-grown musical talents such as The Sam Willows and violin star Siow Lee Chin. Around 3,000 soldiers from the Singapore Armed Forces' Artillery Formation will provide support for both ceremonies. Said the Chief Artillery Officer and OCC's chairman, Colonel Lawrence Lim: "The expanse of the new national stadium and the surrounding Kallang Basin has much to offer, and we will leverage on this new facility to deliver a spectacular and inspiring show that all Singaporeans can be proud of."

Priority tickets for both ceremonies - for those who had registered last year - went on sale yesterday. Public sales begin next Thursday from 10am through the SEA Games official website and hotline. Ticket prices range from $12 to $60 before concessions.

Competition tickets for the 36 sports will be released by the end of this month.

Ms Melissa Chen, 29, who is self-employed, has already snapped up four tickets and intends to take her two young children, aged four and two, to the show. She said: "I grew up cheering on Singapore athletes at the SEA Games on television. It will be very special to be a part of this in person, and for my children to experience it too."

Showtime expected in S'pore
Asean officials say Republic will stage spectacular 28th SEA Games
By Jonathan Wong, The Straits Times, 16 Jan 2015

SINGAPORE'S reputation as an efficient and modern metropolis has re-affirmed belief among Asean sports officials that June's 28th SEA Games will be a rousing success.

Recent hosts were either in developing nations, such as Myanmar's Naypyidaw (2013) and Laos' Vientiane (2009), or secondary cities such as Indonesia's Palembang (2011) and Thailand's Korat (2007).

While those SEA Games were still held successfully, issues like lack of infrastructure and inadequate transportation networks cropped up occasionally.

Such problems are unlikely to occur when the biennial Games return to Singapore for the first time since 1993, noted Malaysian Olympic Committee secretary-general Sieh Kok Chi.

He said: "Singapore is such a developed and matured city, and with your brand-new Sports Hub with its retractable roof, I'm sure it will be an eye-opening experience for many of the athletes to visit and compete in."

Being a small and compact nation also means that Singapore will not encounter logistical problems such as travelling distance between the athletes' village and the competition venues.

Some previous host cities have also had to stage the events in other places owing to a lack of facilities.

For instance, the 2007 Korat Games saw sports like bowling and squash held in Bangkok while the coastal town of Chon Buri staged sailing and other water-sports events.

"It's not just the athletes who get tired but the officials as well," said Thailand's Nat Indrapana, an International Olympic Committee member since 1990.

"Having all the sports within the same city and easily accessible is a huge plus, and I have absolutely no doubt about Singapore's capability to deliver a fantastic SEA Games."

The June 5-16 Games on home soil will feature around 7,000 athletes and officials involved in 36 sports, with many of them held at the 35ha Sports Hub.

While the chase for medals will inevitably be fierce, Singapore's chef de mission Nicholas Fang is also keen for the local contingent to act as positive ambassadors for the country.

He said: "We've enjoyed the hospitality of our neighbours for many years and it's our turn to extend a warm welcome to them.

"We want everyone to feel part of the SEA Games and it all starts with the opening ceremony which sets the tone and I'm sure we will put on a great show for Singapore and South-east Asia."

The next two editions of the biennial Games will be held in Kuala Lumpur (2017) and Bandar Seri Begawan (2019).

Sieh, 76, feels that Singapore will be keen to set a high standard for others to follow.

Said the veteran administrator: "This next Games will be a good learning experience and I am confident that Singapore can be a good role model of a well-run and efficient host city."