Wake Up, Singapore is at Singapore / Singapura / 新加坡 / சிங்கப்பூர்.
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The rot in Singapore Football has to be addressed from the top. Let us not blame the players. The entire institution and culture needs reform.
Forget the World Cup, we won't even win regional tournaments if this continues.
The SEA Games opening ceremony drew plenty of cheers at the National Stadium located on the northern outskirts of Phnom Penh. ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
It has taken 60 years and as multi-coloured fireworks filled the sky above the majestic Morodok Techo National Stadium on Friday, Cambodia finally got its moment.
The nation of around 17 million people held a grand, coming-out party with a colourful display of spectacular pyrotechnics, songs and cultural performances, as the SEA Games opening ceremony drew plenty of cheers at the stadium located on the northern outskirts of Phnom Penh. The 2½-hour extravaganza was a significant moment in the history of a country which gained independence in 1953 and was initially supposed to host the Games in 1963 but withdrew due to financial problems and political instability at the time. Following a civil war, the Khmer Rouge’s brutal five-year rule from 1975 to 1979 resulted in the deaths of between 1.5 to two million people.
Team Singapore’s 558 athletes will compete in 30 sports as they look to better the haul of 47 gold, 46 silver and 71 bronze medals from the Hanoi Games in 2022.
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The opening ceremony of the 32nd SEA Games on May 5, 2023. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
Braving the sweltering heat and enticed by the promise of making history, they arrived in droves. In a mood to party, the crowd which poured into the 60,000-seat Morodok Techo National Stadium were treated to a spectacle as the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games were officially declared open in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Friday (May 5).
This is the country's first time hosting the regional event. The 32nd SEA Games will feature 36 sports across a number of cities including capital Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville. Hours before the opening ceremony went underway, throngs waited patiently outside the sleek US$160 million stadium, built and designed by Chinese firms. Tickets to the Games will be provided to all spectators for free, organisers previously announced.
The regional event will be held from May 5 to May 17, followed by the 12th ASEAN Para Games from Jun 3 to Jun 9. Some sports such as indoor hockey, cricket and football are already underway.
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All eyes on these Singapore athletes in Cambodia
Singapore athletes to look out for at the 2023 SEA Games: (from left) men's water polo team, long-distance runner Soh Rui Yong, sprinter Shanti Pereira, swimmer Teong Tzen Wei and paddler Izaac Quek. (FILE PHOTOS: Reuters/Getty Images/SNOC/WTT)
This will be a pretty unique SEA Games, and not just because it is the first time the biennial sports meet will be held in Cambodia.
The country will finally be making its hosting debut, 60 years after it was originally slated to host the 1963 edition but pulled out due to its then-volatile domestic political situation. Now that it has been economically stable in recent decades, Cambodia is sufficiently confident to feature 608 events in 37 sports from 5 to 17 May, and fingers are crossed that it will pull off a successful Games.
But this is also the first time a SEA Games - usually held once every two years - is being held just a year after the previous one, as last year's Hanoi Games was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Will one year be enough to make any difference to the athletes' regional standings?
