Woe Cup 2010

By Ron Chua

Leon Lu could find himself missing out on the biggest sporting event of the year. He joins many other Singaporean football fans facing the bleak prospect of not being able to catch any World Cup action when it kicks off in South Africa this June.

209 countries have already secured the rights to broadcast the epic event that begins on Jun. 11, but Singapore is not one of them. With less than 70 days left to the opening match, football fans in Singapore will be left high and dry. Even though the football governing body, FIFA, has made the opening game, semi-finals and finals free-to-air, Singaporean fans are still less than cheered.

Lu and his fellow football fans are not the only ones affected. Businesses are also sweating over the impasse.

One of them is St. James Holdings that owns a number of bars in Singapore. Chief executive officer, Dennis Foo said, “(The World Cup) is once every four years and the climax of football. Without the live broadcasts, our business will be 50 per cent down but with it, we will be 50 per cent up.”

Advertising agencies are also feeling the pinch. With less than three months before the kick-off, analysts say advertising deals are getting harder to score. Victor Ng, chief creative officer at advertising agency Euro RSCG Singapore said, “Advertising campaigns that capitalise on the World Cup are highly time-sensitive.”

Regardless, some companies are continuing with their publicity plans. A spokesman for Coca-Cola said, “It’s full steam ahead; we absolutely believe in it and we’re not shying away from promotions just because the airing might be limited.”

Many are unhappy with SingTel’s and StarHub’s failure to negotiate a deal with FIFA’s regional sales agent, Football Media Services. The deadlock began after SingTel had won the exclusive rights to broadcast the English Premier League for the next three seasons.

According to an industry source, FIFA is asking for close to $100 million in broadcasting rights for the upcoming World Cup. This is up from the $10 million and $15 million StarHub paid in 2002 and 2006 respectively to broadcast the same event.

The source said, “Last year, FIFA quoted a price to both telcos, which was already a few times more than what StarHub paid for the 2006 World Cup.”

“After SingTel won the EPL rights, FIFA came back with an even higher amount,” the source added.

Several reports quoted that SingTel won the English Premier League broadcasting rights with a bid of $400 million. However, SingTel Pay-TV vice-president, Tim Carmichael, has come out and clarified that their bid “was less than the quoted amount.”

With the clock ticking, fans like Lu are desperate in their frustration. The second year student at the Nanyang Technological University said, “This is ridiculous. Somalia, Ethopia and us do not have the broadcast rights.”

Similarly, full-time national serviceman Lionel Lin said, “We can afford the EPL for three seasons but we cannot afford one month of World Cup.”

But there are others who feel that the companies should not give in to their demands. The escalating price of watching sports on cable television has many Singaporeans pessimistic that the eventual costs will be passed on to consumers.

The question now is, how much are fans willing to pay to watch the World Cup’s 60 matches in June? From $8.40 a month in 2004, fans now pay $26.75 just for StarHub’s sports package.

Taxi driver, Peter Chua said, “I will not pay unreasonable amounts to watch the World Cup. I might as well go to JB and watch.”

53 year-old Linda See had similar sentiments. She said, “If we give in this time, they will come back with a higher price in 2014.”

Being able to catch the semi-finals and final is good enough for Lee Shirley, a fan of football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The third year student from the Singapore Management University said, “It will be best if Portugal wins the World Cup.”

Still, sports buff Cris Tan believes that SingTel or StarHub should secure the rights at all costs. The 27-year-old public relations practitioner said, “It comes only once in four years. I cannot wait eight years to watch the next World Cup.

For football-crazy Singapore fans, it is not over till the final whistle blows. “I might just install an antenna and tap into signals from Malaysia or Indonesia,” Tan added.

Singapore’s top triathlete proves himself once again

By Gloria Lee

In the wake of his record‐breaking performance at the recent Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, national triathlete Mok Ying Ren was the crowd favourite to win this year’s Singapore Biathlon.

On Saturday, he did not disappoint as he breasted the tape four minutes ahead of closest rival Lim Zhi Ming to defend his title in the Men’s Open category.

With a finishing time of 55 minutes 38 seconds, Mok not only broke his previous year’s race record by a half minute, but also achieved a personal best in the 10‐kilometer run segment. His timings for the 1.5‐kilometre swim and the 10‐kilometre run were 21:45 and 33:54 respectively.

The win was rendered all the more exceptional by the fact that an ankle injury sustained two months earlier had forced Mok to adopt an alternative training plan that did not include his usual 100‐kilometre weekly run mileage.

“Mok Ying Ren was in top form. Those who didn’t know about his injury wouldn’t have been able to tell from his performance, “ said 21-year-old Benjamin Yap, a recreational biathlete who also competed in the Singapore Biathlon.

Jointly organized by SAFRA and the Republic of Singapore Navy, the annual Singapore Biathlon is widely regarded as the largest and most competitive event of its type in Southeast Asia.

Mok first entered the local sporting limelight when he won the triathlon gold at the 2007 SEA Games. He turned to the 5,000‐metre athletics event when his core sport was excluded from the 2009 SEA Games, but unfortunately missed the cut.

A third-year undergraduate from the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the aspiring doctor believes that his course of study aids his training because it allows him to be more aware of the way his body works.

“Those who have seen Ying Ren train are all in awe of his discipline and ability to balance both studies and training,” said 25-year-old Samson Han, who stays in the same hall of residence as Mok.

When asked for his formula for success, the 21-year-old athlete said, “Be patient in whatever sport you do. Do not find short cuts.”

This philosophy is reflected in his rigorous training regime. On a typical day, he wakes up at 6 a.m. for a morning run, attends school for seven hours from 8 a.m., before resuming training at 5 p.m.

“My goal is to be the fastest that I can be,” said Mok, who has been the National University of Singapore’s “Sportsman of the Year” for the last two years.

Huge Turnout at Biggest Street Party in Singapore

By Clara Huang

The overwhelming 8,000 strong turnout at City Alive! 2010 turned Singapore’s largest street party into a dance and music extravaganza.

During the event, the 360-metre long F1 race track was used as a dance floor. This move drew more young street revelers to party their night away in front of the F1 Pit Building on Saturday, Feb. 20.

“It’s much more enjoyable this year as we have more standing room to dance our hearts out. I am already looking forward to the next year’s party,” said Calvin Liu, 23, a national serviceman, who always keeps a lookout for nightlife events in Singapore.

28-year-old Leong Jing Yun, one of the organisers of City Alive!, said, “The Hippo Open-Deck Bus is definitely the winning formula to draw people to come back again. In fact, DJs hyped up the crowd by spinning rapturous music on the Hippo Bus is unusual in Singapore street-part.”

Organised by the People’s Association and People’s Association Youth Movement, City Alive! was held at City Hall area for the last two years, in conjunction with the annual Chingay Parade.

“City Alive! took place for the third time in three consecutive years as it is certainly the ideal platform to engage more youths from diverse backgrounds to come together to enjoy themselves,” Leong added.

As the party lasts from dusk to dawn, access to the new party location was one of the concerns expressed by this year’s event organisers.

According to Leong, complimentary shuttle-bus services were catered for the public as the F1 pit building is not as accessible as City Hall.

Jacqueline Cheok, a fourth-year undergraduate at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, participated in City Alive! for the first time.

“I think the location is slightly out-of-the-way. But this shouldn’t be a problem for most people, with a bus-stop at Singapore Flyer and a car park nearby,” Cheok said.

Come next year, City Alive! will return with more exciting concepts and performances for the young energetic partygoers.

“We always believe there is a huge demand for outdoor party among the young,” Leong said.