“Former Team Manager of Singapore’s 2004 Athens Olympics Swim Team, Eugene Tan, Asserts Hosting Major Sports Events Must Serve More Than Vanity Purposes”
“In March, anticipation swelled within Singapore’s sports community as Commonwealth Games Singapore (CGS) and Sport Singapore (SportSG) confirmed that the nation was actively evaluating the feasibility of an invitation extended by the Commonwealth Games Federation. The prospect of Singapore potentially stepping onto the global stage as a host for the 2026 Commonwealth Games sparked a flurry of discussions and speculations.This confirmation underscored Singapore’s reputation for meticulous planning and strategic foresight in its approach to hosting major international events. With past successes such as the 2010 Youth Olympic Games bolstering its credentials, Singapore was poised to weigh the opportunities and challenges associated with hosting the Commonwealth Games.However, the recent announcement on April 3 brought a sense of relief to many stakeholders as CGS and SportSG opted against pursuing the bid further. The decision, made without divulging explicit reasons, prompted reflection on the nuanced considerations involved in hosting such mega-sporting events.
Multi-sport events like the Commonwealth Games rarely do as well as single-sport marquee events like the Rugby Sevens and the Formula 1 night race.Moreover, the Commonwealth Games is in search of relevance, unlike the Asian Games and the Olympic Games. Until its relevance is clear, hosting the Commonwealth Games is a “poisoned chalice” that I thought we would do well to not be the proverbial fools rushing in where angels fear to tread. Admittedly, I was concerned about hubris that Singapore could be the go-to destination. In December 2023, the Singapore Sports Hub marked the first full year of its handover from the private consortium that had been running the facility since 2014 to the government. It announced a 30 per cent increase in sports, entertainment and lifestyle event days compared to 2019.
KASM expects to draw close to 1 million visitors this year, helped in no small part by a star-studded list of artistes including Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, as well as sports and family entertainment events such as the Singapore Smash table tennis tournament, Disney on Ice, the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup and the HSBC Rugby Sevens.
