Athletics' turn to rock the National Stadium
The National Stadium is set to host four athletics events from April 28 to May 8, following the hosting of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series last weekend.
The two-day 78th Singapore Open Track & Field Championships will kick off the 11 days of athletics action at the stadium on April 28, with its second day coinciding with the finals of the National Inter-Schools Track & Field Championships.
The 55,000-seater stadium will then host the ActiveSG Athletics Fiesta on April 30 and May 1, before the Asia Masters Athletics Championships are staged from May 4 to 8. The back-to-back events are the result of a collaboration between Singapore Athletics (SA), Sport Singapore (SportSG), Ministry of Education and the Singapore Sports Hub.
The four events will see athletes aged 13 to 99 competing.
SA president Tang Weng Fei said: "The opportunity to compete alongside some of the region's best athletes in the iconic National Stadium... will surely inspire our local athletes to put in their best during the competition."
The various agencies are aiming to hold the respective events together in the following years, with the exception of the Asia Masters, for which Singapore won the 2016 hosting rights in 2012.
SportSG CEO Lim Teck Yin said: "It is our aspiration to eventually establish a series of quality events which all local and even regional athletes gunning for glory in the track and field scene can look forward to each year.
"We hope to inspire not just a generation of great track and field athletes, but also a nation of proud and enthusiastic supporters."
- LIM SAY HENG
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