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SINGAPORE - Aqilah Andin, vice-captain of the national netball team, has spent the bulk of her career keeping goal for both club and country. But from next month, the 24-year-old defender will get a chance to test out her skills as an attacking player with the launch of Netball Singapore's 3v3 league. The competition will run from Feb 23 to May 21, ahead of the Netball Super League (NSL), the annual seven-a-side club competition which has been postponed till May 15. NS is one of several leading national sports associations that have begun pivoting to small-sided formats with team sport at a standstill because of the Covid-induced, group-of-eight rule. Hockey and volleyball were the first to start the ball rolling. The Singapore Hockey Federation launched its Under-19 3v3 League on Jan 30, with an eye on also introducing leagues for men and women. The same weekend, the Volleyball Association of Singapore (VAS) held a closed-door beach volleyball tournament. The VAS Kickstart ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: Team sports adopting small-sided formats as they seek to get players back to competition

Boxing – Boxing Programme Feature Programme Promoting the World Heavyweight Championship between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali Mandatory Credit:Action Images/File Photo Many events stake a claim to be considered among the sporting clashes of the century and few live up to the hype but any shortlist of contenders for the greatest of all time must include the first fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. To be worthy of this recognition such battles must withstand the test of time and refuse to fade from memory or meaning. They are not fleeting displays of magnificence but monolithic moments that are part of the sporting historical record remembered for more than a winner and loser. For boxing that moment came at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971 when unbeaten heavyweights Ali and Frazier fought in what remains, just as it was advertised that night 50 years ago, the “Fight of the Century.” “It was a magical night that I will never ever forget,” recalled legendary ... » Learn More about Ali, Frazier ‘Fight of the Century’ still packs a punch 50 years on

This photo taken on October 26, 2019 shows Shenzhen FC head coach Roberto Donadoni gesturing during the Chinese Super League (CSL) football match between Shenzhen FC and Wuhan Zall FC in Shenzhen in China’s southern Guangdong province. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT Roberto Donadoni should be in the thick of China’s football season but his thoughts are consumed by the suffering that the coronavirus has brought to his hometown in northern Italy. Nearly 14,000 people have died in Italy since the pandemic struck, more than any other country, and the region where the AC Milan legend is from has been hit hardest. “I’m from Bergamo, one of the places in a very difficult situation now. My family are from there, it’s very, very tough,” the 56-year-old former Italy international, now coach of Shenzhen FC, told AFP by telephone from southern China. “Every day I spoke with my mum, my brother, my sister. It’s possible for me to see my family on Facetime or Skype or WeChat, but it’s ... » Learn More about China-based Donadoni fears for family in Italian coronavirus hotspot

SINGAPORE - Defender Miki Ng usually spends her time on court blocking and guarding her opponents, but on the first day of Netball Singapore's 3v3 National League on Tuesday (Feb 23), she found herself having to take on the additional task of attacking. With just three players on each team in the modified tournament, which is held at the Kallang Netball Centre, each player has to fulfil multiple roles unlike in the regular seven-a-side format where there are specific tasks for each position. Despite the additional workload, Ng, 20, was thrilled to be back competing after a year-long hiatus. The Mission Mannas player said: "It was quite a big transition... In this kind of game, you really have to know how to attack and drive. "We've been waiting so long for a competition and we finally have a goal in mind to train towards. Training was quite intense and we keep pushing ourselves to be better, but there was seemingly no benchmark for us to show what we've learnt." Last season's ... » Learn More about Netball: Modified 3v3 league a challenge but players happy to be back on court

SINGAPORE - Weeknights at The Cage used to be overflowing with adrenaline and goals as futsal players flocked to Kallang to get their football fix. These days however, Rajesh Mulani is often greeted with silence as he stares at the six empty pitches. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the facility would usually be fully booked with up to 20 different groups there during the 7pm-11pm peak period. Co-owner Mulani now sees an average of three groups each night and said his business has been badly affected despite help from the Government's Jobs Support Scheme, which co-pays salaries to help firms retain workers. He estimated The Cage, which has pitches in Kallang, Turf City and MacPherson, is operating at 20 per cent utilisation while revenue has fallen by 80 per cent. His running cost across all three venues, excluding rent which is being negotiated with the Singapore Land Authority, is between $70,000 and $80,000. "The deal-breaker is the 'group of five' limitation because we're ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: Futsal facilities in Singapore hit hard during pandemic

LONDON (AFP) - Global sport is facing the "mother of all wake-up calls" as it emerges from the coronavirus lockdown, with uncertainty over what the landscape for participants and sponsors will look like. Former head of Olympic marketing Michael Payne believes that although "it will be very painful pulling through it", sport will nevertheless emerge "healthier and stronger". While a leading advertising industry figure warns it will be "nip and tuck" for the organisers of the rearranged Euro 2021 football championship and the Tokyo Olympics, former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has told AFP the ordinary fan will just be glad to have the diversion of live sport again. Apart from a few exceptions - the sideshows of football in Belarus or horse racing in Hong Kong and Australia - sport has been at a standstill since mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe, claiming more than 370,000 lives. Only now is it edging back to action. Payne, who was widely credited ... » Learn More about Coronavirus: What future for sport and sponsors after the lockdown?

SINGAPORE - Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) hockey player Tanya Lee was mentally prepared for another quiet season this year after her sport was left out of the National School Games (NSG) calendar. The pandemic had already led to the cancellation of the NSG last year and Tanya was looking at a second straight missed opportunity to compete in the Schools National A Division Championships. But she and her fellow student athletes have earned a reprieve thanks to the newly-launched Under-19 3v3 Hockey League organised by the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF). It began on Saturday (Jan 30) with 28 teams (16 girls and 12 boys). Tanya's Oldham B team beat Oldham D 9-6, with the 18-year-old scoring seven goals, at Sengkang Hockey Stadium. While pleased to be back on the pitch and with the win, she said the sense of camaraderie was unusual. "Usually, we get to train together as a whole team and we prepare for matches together and go for team dinners together. These are the ... » Learn More about Hockey: New 3v3 league offers reprieve after NSG halt

SINGAPORE - Hockey player Hannah van Regteren has been itching for action since her last competition – the Singapore Hockey Federation (SHF) Women’s Indoor League – ended prematurely last February because of the Covid-19 pandemic. After nearly a year, her wait will be over on Saturday with the launch of the SHF’s Under-19 3v3 League at Sengkang Hockey Stadium. The 17-year-old, who plays for the Singapore Cricket Club (SCC) said: “We can still train but playing in a competition is different and I’ve really missed it. It’s hard to get back into the fitness routine but I’m very nervous and excited to get back into the rhythm and to win.” With team sports in Singapore still largely restricted to group sessions with a maximum of eight participants , the SHF has had to come up with a creative format to keep its athletes engaged. Besides the U-19 competition, a men's and women's league is also slated to start in March at the same time as an indoor one, SHF president Mathavan Devadas ... » Learn More about With team sports still limited to groups of eight, Singapore hockey launches 3v3 competitions

LONDON: I do not know Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive, very well. She worked for my administration when I was governor there. Diligent and well regarded – and Catholic, like many others in the then-colony’s civil service – she had been educated at Hong Kong University and at Cambridge. When I left in 1997, after sovereignty over the city was returned to China, she was rising through the ranks of the Treasury. In most administrations, the cleverest usually seem to gravitate to the economic departments, looking after the cash. I do not recall ever hearing a bad word about her. READ: Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s steely leader meets her match, a commentary Yet today, Lam finds herself lonely and beleaguered, although it is unclear whether she should take all the blame for what has happened to her. In any case, she must now display real leadership to ease the heightening tensions in the city. Lam must have known what she was in for when she became chief ... » Learn More about Commentary: What Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam should do next

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has vowed that every Filipino will be given access to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines with consideration to the order of priority of sectors as determined by authorities and health experts. The chairman of the Senate Health committee said the vaccination program was based on science, not politics, especially when it comes to providing access to those who need them. “There’s no problem, you know, [these vaccines are] for all Filipinos, whether you’re a critic or you love us,” he said during a radio interview on February 28. Go added that the government treats everyone equally regardless of his or her political views. He urged critics to work with the government so the country could immediately recover from the pandemic. He added that it was alright to criticize the government so long as these alleged detractors do not spread misinformation or fake news. The same advice was given by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on ... » Learn More about No politics in access to vaccines – Bong Go