Govt tightens the scrum on hub goal

Singapore – The Singapore government is hoping to move closer to its stated goal of turning the country into a sports hub with the addition of a new event, the Rugby World Club Challenge, to its stable.

The two-day event, which involves four professional club rugby teams from England, Australia and France, is being organized by event management company the Amici Group and will be held in Singapore on 28-29 July 2009.

Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said the government wants to increase Singapore’s sports tourism offering.

“We want to encourage more world-class events to Singapore,” he said.

“There will be more focus on sports tourism from 2009. I’m very sure we’ll bid for more world-class sports events. There’s a lot we can do.”

Teo also said Singapore needs to better promote and market its current stable of sports events, such as the F1, the Volvo Ocean Race, the 2010 Youth Olympic Games and the World Hockey juniors.

Sponsors for the RWCC include Singapore Rugby, the Singapore Cricket Club, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore

Phil Greening, director of the Amici Group, said they are on the hunt for more sponsors for the event.

Greening said the clubs involved in the RWCC – England’s Saracens and Gloucester, Australia’s Western Force and France’s – will all be involved in marketing the event, along with the club’s sponsors Emirates and British Airlines, and STB. He also said he is talking to a number of broadcasters about securing a TV highlights package of the RWCC to be shown.

A Junior World Club Challenge will also be held around the RWCC, involving mini and youth rugby teams from Singapore and Malaysia.