As an overarching consideration, Mr Tong noted that the Sports Hub will be made more accessible to Singaporeans.
“We want to make it a community icon that Singaporeans can identify with, feel a part of in their social or sporting activities. We are thus planning regular Sports Hub and National Stadium Open Houses with activities for the young and old, and of course everyone else in between,” he added.
“We are also working with MOE to host even more National School Games, such as the track and field, netball, rugby competitions, as well as Singapore Youth Festival performances, or even sports days for schools, at the Sports Hub.”
Responding to a question from Member of Parliament Darryl David (PAP-Ang Mo Kio) who asked if there were plans for a regular schedule of National Day Parades (NDPs) at the Sports Hub in the future, Mr Tong said that it would be considered.
“We will certainly be open to it. I think what this taking back of the ownership and management of Sports Hub is designed to do is to give us more flexibility and the ability to not let costs, which was otherwise a serious prohibitive factor, constraint the organisation of events like NDP at Sports Hub,” said Mr Tong.
“At the same time, we also want to be circumspect about having it there every year or even every other year, because there is a five- to seven-month lead time before and after where much of the facilities will have to be decked up for rehearsals and can’t be used.”
The 35-hectare Sports Hub was built at a cost of S$1.33 billion. Apart from the 55,000-capacity limit in the National Stadium, it also includes an indoor aquatics arena, the multi-purpose OCBC Arena, a water sports centre, the Singapore Indoor Stadium and Kallang Wave Mall.
The project is a public-private partnership between the Government and SHPL, a consortium made up of four companies namely Infrared Capital Partners, Dragages Singapore, Cushman & Wakefield Facilities & Engineering and Global Spectrum Asia.
SHPL was engaged in 2010 and has a 25-year contract to design, build, finance and operate the Sports Hub.
RETAINING CURRENT EMPLOYEES
Mr Tong also announced that SportSG will incorporate a holding company to own and operate the various “pieces of assets” within Kallang Alive. A subsidiary of this holding company will be set up specifically to own and manage the Sports Hub, he added.
“Where necessary, it can be operated as a single, integrated entity, able to reap synergies and economies of scale across the entire suite of sporting and lifestyle assets of Kallang Alive,” said Mr Tong.
All SHPL employees have also been offered an opportunity to cross over into the new corporate entity, he added.
“Beyond the internal capabilities of SportSG, we value the expertise and experience of existing SHPL employees, and would like to retain them,” Mr Tong said.