The Singapore Sports Festival "will introduce the Singapore Sports Hub to the public in June and rugby will be the first sport played at the new National Stadium," according to John Leong of CHANNEL NEWS ASIA. In the works are 13 sporting events, starting with the Singapore Open 2014 badminton tournament in April, and 11 performances by musicians Taylor Swift and Jay Chou as well as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Singapore Sports Council CEO Lim Teck Yin: "The venue is going to be very (heavily) booked, more so than many other venues around the world." Lim said that some of the challenges they faced "include maintaining the turf conditions and the readiness of the stadium as there is not a lot of time for recovery." The inaugural World Club Rugby 10s "will be the first event to kick off" at the new National Stadium and it "marries the speed of the 7s with the intensity of the 15s." The Singapore Rugby Union "has also put in a bid for the 2018 Rugby World Cup to be hosted" in Singapore. It also "hinted at a mega rugby event that will start next year and run for the next decade." Singapore will also host the group stages of the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup at the end of the year (CHANNEL NEWS ASIA, 2/27).
LEFT BEHIND: In Hong Kong, Alvin Sallay reported leading Hong Kong sports officials "have again urged the government to get cracking on the Kai Tak Sports Complex," fearing the city "will be left behind" as Singapore unveiled the opening acts. Hong Kong Rugby Football Union Chair Trevor Gregory: "We were asked to host the rugby World Club 10s in June, but we couldn't make a commitment due to the uncertainty over the Hong Kong Stadium pitch." Hong Kong FA CEO Mark Sutcliffe "was also concerned major events would move to Singapore" with the Kai Tak complex scheduled to finish in '20. Sutcliffe: "It is worrying that major sports events may gravitate to Singapore. As 'Asia's world city,' Hong Kong cannot be complacent because the world is moving on" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 2/27).
