The general manager of ride-hailing firm Gojek Singapore, Mr Lien Choong Luen, and his team of nine will lead Singapore Athletics for the next two years.
Lien’s team were elected en bloc after his Team Ground Up won the SA Elections during the national sports association’s Annual General Meeting on 25 September.
Mr Lien, 43, secured 14 votes, way ahead of veteran lawyer Edmond Pereira, who got three votes.
Pereira, who led TeamSGP Athletics, was attempting to take over as President of Singapore Athletics for the fourth time over four decades.
He has stood for elections in 1984, 2000 and also in 2016 previously.
“We are really humbled and very grateful for the trust placed in us by the affiliates,” said Lien.
“And now really, what I’ve said to the team is it’s time to get to work to put into place the plans that we’ve outlined. It’s all action, no more talk.”
He had also held positions at Triathlon Singapore and the Singapore Squash Rackets Association previously.
Mr Lien will take over the helm from outgoing chief Mr Tang Weng Fei, who had announced previously that he will not seek re-election at this AGM.
Pereira, who is President of Flash Athletics Club, said it was important for the elected team to take the sport forward.
“The affiliates have spoken,” said the lawyer.
The full slate of Lien’s team who were elected in as follows:
The weekend ended on a high note for Legion of Racers simracers as they finished in podium spots at multiple competitions.
Ar Aleef Muhammad picked up the eRGP Global Edition (American championship), making it a hattrick of three titles at the eRGP competitions. In addition to Aleef’s exploits, Andika Rama finished in second spot at the Logitech G Challenge Asia Pacific Quarterfinals, which qualifies him for the Regional Final to be held in November.
The icing on cake for the Legion of Racers was when three of its simracers – Aleef, Jason Tay and Nur Shazliezhan collected their prize earnings for coming in the top three spots at the Toyota GR Supra GT Cup (Singapore leg). All three simracers will now be on the starting grid for the Toyota GR Supra GT Cup Asia 2020 Regional Round which will be held in October 2020.
Said Aleef, who is also currently serving his National Service, “I am absolutely stoked to have won the ERGP Global Edition Championship for the 3rd time in a row! We used much more trickier cars this time around with the Indycars, using mainly American circuits, which made my job much tougher. With ballast playing a bigger role in these single seaters, I had to find an extra gear and perform at a higher level to make sure we could retain the title.”
With other top simracers like Singapore-based Mikko Nassi and Malaysian Naquib Azlan breathing down his neck, Aleef found that he needed to be more precise and adopt a sound tactical approach before he was able to emerge as the winner of the competition.
It was all the more sweeter for Aleef having been able to take the championships with a round to spare.
It was not as straight forward for him in the Logitech G Challenge Asia Pacific Quarterfinals though, where he suffered a penalty which then dropped him to fourth place which ruled him out of the regional final. However, his misery was another LOR simracer Andika Rama’s gain as the Indonesian found himself moved up to second spot and in the process earning a spot in the regional final.
Andika had started the race in third spot, and was following his team-mate Aleef all the way to the chequered flag but was then bumped up to second spot after Aleef’s penalty.
Said Andika, “I practiced almost every day so that I could be really fast in this championship. I participated in almost every round of the qualifying time trial round and it now seems worth it. I also faced many ProjectCARS2 fast drivers like Daniel Shields, THR m0o0o7, and of course my fellow team-mate former AP Champion Aleef Hamilton. The field was really strong overall, and all the hard work over the past few months have really well paid off!”
To cap off a sizzling week for LOR, the trio of simracers from the team – Aleef, Nur Shazliezhan and Jason Tay collected their prize winnings on 18 September for winning the GR Supra GT Cup Singapore at the Toyota Showroom in Leng Kee.
They walked away with S$3000, S$2000 and S$1000 cash prizes respectively. The 3 boys will represent Singapore and compete in the GR Supra GT Cup Asia which will be held in October.
Said Melvin Moh, co-founder of the LOR, “We are really proud with what the boys have achieved recently as they continue to show top results not just in Singapore, but also in the regional races. This is a testament of our esports team and highlights the talent that we have. Now we will concentrate on the upcoming races and we will continue to support them to give them the best opportunity to perform and hopefully achieve a top result in the races.”
Former DPMM FC midfielder Blake Ricciuto has completed his move to Spanish fourth tier side Velez CF after the club announced his signing for the 2020/2021 season, the Borneo Bulletin has reported.
Ricciuto left DPMM FC at the end of 2019 after winning the Singapore Premier League title.
The Australian-Uruguayan will now play in the Tercera Division, the fourth level of Spanish football system.
Spanish outfit Velez CF said, “With Blake, we get a central midfielder who can contribute well both in attack and defence. He is Australian and of Uruguayan descent so he speaks English and Spanish.”
DPMM FC, the defending champions of the Singapore Premier League have been in training in Bandar Seri Begawan since July.
The Singapore Premier League has been suspended since March, but it is widely expected to resume competition soon.
The Thai League has already resumed, as with the leagues in Malaysia, Korea Republic and Japan, among others in the region.
A team led by lawyer Edmond Pereira has submitted its nomination forms in preparation for the elections for office bearers at the Singapore Athletic Association to be held on 25 September.
The list of candidates in TeamSGP Athletics are as follows:
All forms were submitted ahead of deadline on 15 September.
“We have a diverse team with professionals with skillsets which are necessary for the development of track and field in Singapore and to move the sport to greater heights,” said Mr Pereira.
In addition to the team of nine, former national sprinter UK Shyam and Chan Mun Wei, a former Director of Sports of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, will be supporting the team through the various committees which have been set up.
Apart from his time at the Ministry, Mr Chan was also a director of corporate planning at Sentosa and is a Regional Director of Giga Asia, a consultancy which helps companies with sustainability strategies.
Said Ang Peng Siong, Olympian and a candidate for Vice-President of Training and Selection, “Mun Wei brings a wealth of experience to the table for this team. His knowledge of governance and sports development will help us in our vision to propel the sport of track and field in Singapore.”
Also on the team of nine is Fahmy Raimi, Chief Marketing Officer of digital marketing firm RAWR Global. With events management expertise under his belt as well, Fahmy has pledged to digitalise the services rendered by Singapore Athletics such that its portal becomes a one-stop shop for all matters relating to track and field.
“There is a lot of scope to develop and use of the digital space for track and field, including live streaming of events. Enhancement of social engagement will also help open new doors and opportunities, merging offline with online to drive growth. It will become my personal project on a pro bono basis to modernise the face of Singapore Athletics through the upgrading of the portal.”
The team has also announced that it will be providing fiscal support to the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to assist in the organisation of the annual Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic track and field meet.
The responsibility to assist with fundraising falls on Gerald Kua, currently a banker from Credit Suisse who is involved with various corporates and charitable foundations. He hopes to catalyse synergies between them and Singapore Athletics with active sponsorships and exposure for athletes. He is also working towards raising up to $1million in sponsorships for Singapore Athletics.
“We have already spoken to a few corporates, in particular a European MNC which is keen to support us with funding as well as sponsorship of track and field jerseys. It is through this support which we will receive that we will be able to roll out programmes to support our athletes, work closely with our affiliates and also aim to organise a few major events in Singapore over the next few years to help raise the profile of track and field at all levels.”
The team will also be releasing its content through its Facebook page leading up to the elections.
A Malaysian sports blog has suggested that Singapore teams be brought back into the Malaysian league competitions as “the only possible solution to the problem of the number of teams participating in Malaysian football leagues next season.”
In a post on twentytwo13.my, the writer also suggested that the Malaysian football authorities “stop over-thinking or being paranoid of how Singapore’s inclusion would benefit our neighbours more” and “start addressing the problems of commercialisation and enriching our league’s competitiveness.”
The blog added that this was also the views shared by B Sathianathan, a former Malaysian national coach who is currently with Selangor.
A poll on Twitter by Bahas Bola (Football Debate) also showed that a majority of its respondents agreed to having Singapore teams back in the Malaysian competitions.
Singapore left the Malaysian league competitions in 1995, only to make a return in 2012 through the Lions12.
The team won the league championship in 2013 and left the competition in 2015 after it lifted the Malaysian FA Cup.
Fans of Irfan Fandi and Thai football are in for an online treat with the resumption of the 2020/21 season of Thailand’s top flight league T1 on Saturday, 12th September.
1 Play Sports, which is a leading Singapore-based sports media narrowcasting startup, has secured an agreement to broadcast four T1 live games every weekend on Facebook and YouTube.
Brokered by SPORTFIVE, the deal will allow football fans across South East Asia and the Indian subcontinent to watch the region’s number one football league online with multi- language match commentary options available for selected matches in English, Bahasa Indonesia, and Hindi.
Announcing the deal, Mohit Lalvani, Founder and CEO of 1 Play Sports Pte. Ltd.,said, “The Thai League sits very well with our growth and aggregation strategy.
“Multilingual narrowcasting will provide an opportunity for the new acquisition of fans who otherwise may not have engaged with the league. I must thank SPORTFIVE for making this happen.”
Added Malcolm Thorpe, Managing Director – South East Asia, SPORTFIVE, “We are pleased to facilitate this partnership, which not only provides 1 Play Sports with an outstanding platform to connect with new and existing fans but new avenues to engage with fans meaningfully. We look forward to the positive long-term results of the collaboration for both parties.”
Thailand is known to be the regional powerhouse in football, with the T1 League being the marquee competition.
With only four rounds played earlier in the year, the 2020/21 season – also the 24th edition in the competition’s history – will resume following its adjournment in March to adhere to the COVID-19 restrictions throughout the region.
A total of 16 teams from across Thailand will be chasing after four slots to qualify for the next edition of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL).
The changes in the regional football calendar will mean that the ACL places will be allocated from the league standings after the first half of the season, ensuring thick and fast action right from the first whistle of the referees this weekend.
With a mix of local and foreign talent in the league, the T1 2020/21 season will feature footballers from over 17 countries playing in the competition including Singaporean Irfan who plays for BG Pathum United, and Indonesian Yanto Basna who will start the season with Thailand’s PT Prachuap football club.
The Philippines and Malaysia are also represented with a combined roster of 16 young stars on the books of T1 clubs.
Football fans and 1 Play Sports followers around the region can check the 1 Play Sports Facebook page for the latest updates as well as how to catch the live action.
The first round of league fixtures featured on 1 Play Sports are as follows:
Saturday 12th September 2020
RATCHABURI V BANGKOK UNITED – KICK OFF – 18.45 SGT (17.45 WIB)
SUKOTHAI V MUANGTHONG – KICK OFF – 19.45 SGT (18.45 WIB)
Sunday 13th September 2020
PORT FC V POLICE TERO – KICK OFF – 19.00 SGT (18.00 WIB) BG PATHUM UNITED V BURIRAM UNITED – KICK OFF – 20.00 SGT (19.00 WIB)
Hongkong’s Jonathan Wong has emerged as the Legion of Racers Online League 2020 champion in the Pro category after dominating the season and winning five of the six races.
Indonesia’s Moreno Pratama and Indera Raditya returned in second and third place respectively.
In the Am category, Sean Yee took the podium after a nail-biting finish in the last race of the season, and was able to pip Rayzaki Madrova to the title by just three points. Another Singaporean, Yeo Hong Yang finished in third spot.
Both champions will walk away with cash and other product prizes valued at $11,000, which include a Prism+ X340 Pro Monitor, Motul Rudy Project Sunglasses and others
Said Wong, who races under the saika159- profile and turned out for Tarmac Works, “This was my first outing at the Legion of Racers Online League and I had a lot of fun being involved with it. It was challenging and my fellow participants pushed me to the limit in every single race. It was organized very well, and I hope to have this event on my race calendar next season as well.”
The LOR also broadcast a livestream for lobby 1 on its Facebook page and managed to garner more than 1000 views. A replay of the lobby can be watched here.
In the eNations Cup, Hong Kong took top honours with its simracers gathering a total of 745 points. Indonesia and Philippines finished in second (719 points) and third spot (680), with Singapore not far behind in fourth spot with 665 points to boot.
Said Melvin Moh, co-founder of Legion of Racers, “First off, a big congratulations to both Jonathan and Sean for winning the Pro and Am category. LOR is happy to see many participants from different countries joining the league this year, from professional simracers to racing drivers and new drivers.”
“The league would not be successful without the support of the participants. At the same time, we would also like to thank all the sponsors and partners who believed in us and who have continued to support us in our journey of growing simracing in Asia. While we are already planning for next year’s online league season, the Legion of Racers will also be making a couple of other exciting announcements very soon.”
75 simracers participated in the LOR Online League Season 2020, the highest number of participants since the competition began in 2018.
The Chiam See Tong Sports Fund (CSTSF) is aiming to raise at least $125,000 from its annual fundraising dinner which will be held on 2 October 2020.
The event, dubbed the Chiam See Tong Sports Fund “LIVE FOR SPORTS” Fundraiser 2020, will be the organisation’s first-ever fundraiser which will involve 400 donors who will not be congregating at any venue. Instead, they will have their nine-course meals from the Salted Plum Restaurant delivered to their homes on event day.
With the help of web solutions service provider RAWR Global, the CSTSF digitalized the donation process for the dinner by integrating a dinner page on the CSTSF website, which allowed all donors to purchase a package and make a payment electronically. On event day, the dinner programme will be broadcast through Zoom and the CSTSF Facebook page for all donors and partners to follow while they consume their specially curated dinner for between four to five people.
Said Chairman of the Board of the CSTSF Ang Peng Siong: “Sports has the ability to bring people together, and while Covid-19 continues to limit the kind of interactions we may have with large groups of people, that does not stop us from being creative in our outreach and in our approach towards raising funds to support our under-resourced athletes.
“While the sport industry continues to get back on its feet, we must do our part to ensure that we help as many aspiring athletes as possible who come from under-resourced backgrounds. I am thankful for the organizing team for piecing everything together creatively despite the many constraints faced in organizing events to raise funds.”
The organizing team for the e-dinner is led by Board Directors of the CSTSF Jose Raymond and Damon Yong, and the Commercial Director of the Singapore Rugby Union Douglas Danapal, who has volunteered to help the CSTSF for the fundraiser this year.
Since its inauguration in March 2017, the CSTSF has assisted more than 30 young athletes. Some of these include modern pentathlete Kok Kiat Xuan, sailor Olivia Chen and powerlifter Matthew Yap among many others.
The CSTSF raised about $150,000 at its fundraising dinner in 2017, and in 2019, about $170,000 was raised at a dinner which was attended by former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
For this year, guests can make donations of $500 or $1000 towards the fundraiser, and in return will have their meals prepared and delivered to their homes from The Salted Plum restaurant located at Suntec City. Apart from the dinner, each donor will also receive two bottles of wine, half a dozen cans of beer and special glasses. The donors who contribute $1000 will have an additional bottle of champagne added to their list of items.
Apart from the food, which will be delivered by CSTSF’s very own sports ambassadors like Kerstin Ong, Kok Kiat Xuan, UK Shyam and May Ooi, the donors will be treated to performances by artistes Jack and Rai, Leandra Lane and Iluminari.
Apart from the dinner, the CSTSF will also raise money through an online auction which will be conducted on the night itself as part of the proceedings.
“Our role is to help as many young Singaporean athletes as possible fulfil their dreams of becoming champions and be our national heroes and we are grateful for all the support. It will be a massive logistical undertaking to ensure that the food is delivered to all our donors during a two-hour window but we are determined to get out and start raising funds for our athletes,” said Mr Danapal, who is assisting with the coordination with the restaurant and the guest artistes.
Lawyer and sports advocate Edmond Pereira will lead a team into the Singapore Athletics elections for office bearers at the upcoming annual general meeting to be held on 25 September 2020.
TeamSGP Athletics will bring together a team of professionals and former athletes with a five-point plan to develop the state of the sport in Singapore through the following:
Plan
Engage
Empower
Professionalise
Act
Details of the team’s mission and manifesto will be released on 10 September.
TeamSGP Athletics includes seven potential appointment holders who have not held office at the management committee at Singapore Athletics, Mr Pereira included.
Only two members in TeamSGP Athletics are currently part of the Singapore Athletics management committee from 2018 to 2020 – Olympian Ang Peng Siong and lawyer S Govindaraju.
The new faces in Pereira’s team include Chief Financial Officer of Ce La Vi Penh Huynh, banker Gerald Kua, medical doctor and former Chief Air Force Medical Officer Dr Robin Low, lawyer Desmond Ong, who is also the Chairman of Tampines Rovers Football Club and former national sprinter and 100m record holder U.K. Shyam, currently a Senior Manager at national sports agency Sport Singapore, among others.
The full slate of TeamSGP Athletics candidates and the positions they are challenging for, are as follows:
Name
Occupation
Position
Edmond Pereira
Lawyer, Executive Director of Edmond Pereira Law CorporationFormer national athlete
President
Ang Peng Siong
Founder of APS Swim School and Aquatic Performance Swim Club, Olympian and Singapore Sports Hall of Famer
Vice-President (Training and Selection)
S Govindaraju
Lawyer and International Walk Judge
Vice-President (Competitions)
Gerald Kua
Executive Director, Credit Suisse AGFormer track athlete and hurdler
Vice-President (Finance and Partnerships)
Nadine Yap
Chief Product Officer, Tickled Media Former national gymnast and high jumper
Honorary Secretary
Penh Huynh
CFO, Ce La Vi, Certified Public Accountant
Treasurer
Desmond Ong
Senior Partner, Solitaire LLP and Chairman of Tampines Rovers Football ClubFormer track and field athlete
Management Committee Member
Dr Robin Low
Medical Director, Singapore Aeromedical Centre and former Air Force Chief Medical Officer Former track and field athlete
Management Committee Member
U.K. Shyam
Senior Manager, Sport Singapore and national record holder for the 100m
Management Committee Member
Said Mr Pereira, who is the President of Flash Athletics Club, “There is a combination of energy, diversity, experienced and passion in this team and they are motivated to take Singapore track and field forward. There is a lot of work to revamp Singapore Athletics and the state of the sport, and move sport forward on so many levels.”
Added Mr Kua, a banker, “As a team, we strongly believe that we can contribute to the development of the sport in Singapore, and look after the interests of all our athletes, coaches, officials and affiliates. For many of us, the sport has given us many wonderful moments and memories. Our ambition is to have as many Singaporeans enjoy the sport and be a part of it, to run, jump or throw and to realise their potential to be champions.”
Stags chairman and lawyer Mr Ong, a former hurdler who will serve as a committee member, marks his first volunteer foray into track and field.
He said, “Sports occupies a space close to our hearts and we see this as a way of continuing and extending our connections with the community. It is our collective dream to see the sport produce champions at all levels, and for me, it is an extension of my contribution to the sports fraternity in addition to my work at Tampines Rovers.”
Apart from the team to contest for positions, TeamSGP Athletics will start various working committees to be helmed by professionals, who will assist in the growth, strength and delivery of the secretariat.
Fahmy Raimi, Chief Marketing Officer of digital marketing firm RAWR Global will head up a Marketing and Communications Committee, and Alan Chua, who is an executive director of Concorde Security Pte Ltd will lead a Fundraising and Sponsorship Committee, while candidate for Honorary Secretary Ms Yap will also be tasked with leading a committee to look into developing the sport for female athletes across the country.
Other committees to be set up will include the Athlete Development Committee to be helmed by Mr Ang and Mr Shyam, a Coaching and Training Committee, an Athletes Medical Committee, a Legal Support Committee and a Masters Development Committee which will be made up of representatives from Singapore Masters Athletics and Singapore Masters Track and Field Association.
“This is not a sprint we are embarking into, but will be a marathon, and the team is determined to get down to work as soon as possible, for the benefit of the affiliates, the athletes, officials and everyone who loves track and field. We look for the mandate of the affiliates to help us realise our goals and objectives,” said Mr Pereira.
The team will be holding a Zoom session with affiliates on 10 September, where it will discuss elements of its manifesto and its plans for the sport.
The team will also be releasing its content through its Facebook page leading up to the elections.
The fly-on-the-wall five part series – FEARLESS: Rise of the Johor Southern Tigers will feature the highly successful behind-the-scenes docuseries concept and will turn the floodlights on Southeast Asian football powerhouse,Johor Darul Ta’zim FC (JDT FC), whose success over the years have helped forge a community, a society, a state and a nation.
The highly-anticipated series lifts the lid on the establishment of JDT FC’s world-class infrastructure; from its top training facilities and the stunning new Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, to their progressive youth academy program, which is not just building the next generation of footballers, but globalising Johoreans and the Malaysian society.
A heartfelt story, FEARLESS: Rise of the Johor Southern Tigers also takes viewers from the epic vistas of football fandom to the intimate moments of JDT FC’s triumphs, bringing into focus the untold story of one of the most admired clubs in the Asian region.
Owner of JDT FC and Crown Prince of Johor, HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim comments: “Some ridiculed our dreams but this exclusive, behind-the-scenes series shows what the Johor football project – Johor Darul Ta’zim FC – is really all about and how we have become a force to be reckoned with.
“FEARLESS features never-before-seen footages of how the Southern Tigers have become an empire, the struggles and success, how the club is managed away from the public eyes and the drive behind our endless pursuit for success on and off the pitch,” he added.
Filmed during the 2019/20 season, FEARLESS: Rise of the Johor Southern Tigers highlights, through the personalities of JDT FC and their passionate superfans – the ‘Boys of Straits’, the boardroom politics and the footballers’ struggles both on and off the pitch, and how the ambitious team built its legacy to stake an enduring claim on the world of football.
FEARLESS: Rise of the Johor Southern Tigers is co-directed by Leon Tan and Tony Pietra Arjuna and produced by Kuala Lumpur-based, Supernova Media which comprises of 5 x 22-minute episodes, with English language narration and subtitles.
