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Paddler Yu Mengyu goes through; Amita Berthier (Fencing), Tan Sze En (Gymnastics), Clarence Chew (Table Tennis), and Caroline Chew (Equestrian) bow out Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC 25 July 2021, Tokyo - It was a day of mixed emotions for a battling Team Singapore, with four Singapore athletes witnessing their journeys at this year's Olympiad come to an end. There was good news in Table Tennis however, as Yu Mengyu booked her place in the third round of the Women's Singles. Image credit: SportSG via Fabrice Coffrini/ AFP FENCING Fencer Amita Berthier kicked off the day's action for Team Singapore, and had the unenviable task of overcoming three time Olympian and World No. 5 Kiefer Lee in the Women's Individual Foil, her friend and "idol". Sharing the same coach and coming from the same University of Notre Dame, the two had sparred before but this was to be the biggest stage yet. Berthier fought hard but experience told in the end as the Team Singapore fencer succumbed 4-15 to the Olympic veteran Kiefer Lee, and made her exit from the competition. Image credit: SportSG ROWING In the Women's Singles Sculls Semi-finals E/F 2, Singapore Rower Joan Poh clocked a time of 8:47.77 to finish 3rd out of 4 and book a place in the Finals - E, which will be held on Thursday, 29 July. Finals B to F is for the purpose of ranking classification, and Final A determines the Olympic medalists. Poh's route to semi-finals E/F came after she finished 4th out of 5 in Repechage 1 yesterday, with a timing of 8:40.06. Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC GYMNASTICS Singapore gymnast Tan Sze En made her Olympic debut today in the Women's Artistic Individual All-around Qualification (sub division 1) at the Ariake Gymnastics Centre in Tokyo. Only the second Singaporean gymnast to qualify for an Olympic Games after Lim Heem Wei, Tan Sze En scored 11.833 points for her floor exercise qualification to finish 13th out of 17 in her sub-division. She then needed to bounce back after a shaky start to her balance beam routine where she almost fell on her first flip, but finished with aplomb to put 11.033 points on the board and finish 17th out of 19 in her sub-division. Her results mean she exits Tokyo 2020 with her head held high, but her final standing will be determined after all qualification across sub-divisions have been completed. Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC TABLE TENNIS In the Men's Singles Round 2 Match, Singapore paddler Clarence Chew was unable to replicate his feat from Day 1, losing to world no. 44 Daniel Habesohn of Austria 7-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12 to lose 1-4 overall and bow out of the 2020 Olympics. Ranked 186th in the world, Clarence Chew has already surpassed all expectations and has gained invaluable experience from his stint in Tokyo against opponents who are much higher ranked globally. Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC In the Women's Singles, Yu Mengyu overcame Portugal's Sheini Joa 11-3,11-2,11-8 and 11-9 to win 4-0 in straight sets and book her place in Round 3 of the competition. She will next face Cheng I Ching of Chinese Taipei in round three of the Women's Singles tomorrow. Image credit: SportSG via Peter Parks/AFP SAILING Singapore windsurfer Amanda Ng began her Tokyo 2020 campaign today in the Women’s Windsurfer RS:X Race 1 to 3, netting a total of 37 points thus far, which places her 20th out of 27 competitors after three races. The competition resumes tomorrow for Races 4 to 6. Image credit: Singapore National Olympic Council In the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser, sailor Ryan Lo made his Olympic debut and is currently ranked 18 out of 35 competitors after the first race. He will set sail again tomorrow for races 2 to 4 in the Men's One Person Dinghy Laser. Image credit: SportSG via Behrouz Mehri/AFP EQUESTRIAN There was disappointment for Team Singapore equestrian athlete Caroline Chew this afternoon as her horse suffers a freak injury that saw her disqualified from competition. In the Equestrian - Dressage Individual Grand Prix Group D qualifier, Chew's horse Tribiani was found to be bleeding at the mouth, spelling the end of Chew's time in Tokyo and bringing an abrupt end to Singapore's maiden equestrian campaign at the Olympics. This comes in line with the rules that states a horse will be eliminated if it shows fresh blood. Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC SWIMMING In swimming, Singapore swimmer Quah Zheng Wen clocked 53.94 sec in the Men's 100m Backstroke Heats to finish third in his heat, and 22nd out of 41 competitors overall, narrowly missing out on a spot in the semi-finals. Quah's timing of 53.94 sec is close to his personal best and the national record of 53.79s that set at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines. He will be back in action again tomorrow for the Men's 200m Butterfly Heats. #SportPlusSG #Tokyo2020 #OlympicGames #TeamSingapore

Yu Mengyu, Lin Ye and Feng Tian Wei defeated France in the Round of 16 Table Tennis Women's Team Event to set up a date with favourites China in quarter-finals Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC 2 August 2021, Tokyo, Japan - Singapore will face in favourites China in the Table Tennis Women's Team event after the trio of Yu Mengyu, Lin Ye and Feng Tian Wei overcame France in the Round of 16 today. Sprinter Shanti Pereira made her Olympic bow today at the Tokyo Olympics in the women's 200M sprints, while in Sailing Kimberly Lim and Cecilia Low's medal race was postponed till tomorrow due to insufficient wind and weather conditions. Image credit: Tan Chuan-Jin, SNOC (used with permission) Athletics Singapore sprinter Shanti Pereira recorded a time of 23.96s to set a new season best today in the Women's 200m heats in the Tokyo 2020 athletics event. Shanti is the reigning national record holder for both the Women's 100m and 200m sprint events, and her mark of 23.60s was set en route to her gold medal win at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore. She did not qualify for the semi-finals of her race today. Due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, most sports events have been cancelled in Singapore over the past 18 months, and Shanti's last race was a specially arranged performance trial last November in which she ran alone. Image credit: SportSG via Jung Yeon-je, AFP Table Tennis Yu Meng Yu, Lin Ye and Feng Tian Wei will have their work cut out for them in the quarter finals of the Women's Team event after they defeated France in straight sets in the Round of 16 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium today. Lin Ye and Yu Mengyu teamed up to win the first set in their doubles match 3-0, before Feng Tianwei suffered an initial scare but did the job over Prithika Pavade to win 3-2 and extend Singapore’s lead. SportSG via Jung Yeon-je/AFP Yu Mengyu ensured a straight sets victory for Singapore in the second singles match when she overcame Yuan Jia Nan 3 matches to 1. Singapore, who are seeded sixth, will come up against favourites China tomorrow, who already have two gold medals from table tennis at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and swept Austria aside in the Round of 16 Women's Team evet. Image credit: SportSG via Jung Yeon-je/AFP #SportPlusSG #Tokyo2020 #OlympicGames #TeamSingapore

Singapore's first qualifier for Tokyo 2020 is the last athlete to wrap up Singapore's participation in this year's Olympiad Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC 6 August 2021, Tokyo, Japan - Singapore diver Jonathan Chan has bowed out of the Men's 10m platform diving competition, scoring 311.15 points across six dives, and placing 26th out of a field of 29 divers at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre. With only the top 18 divers qualifying for the next round (semi-final), Chan's maiden involvement in the competition was brought to an end, but it was not all bad news for Chan nor for Team Singapore. Image credit: SportSG via AFP The 24 year-old student from Singapore University of Technology and Design shared with Yahoo News Singapore that he was relieved that it was over as it had been a long journey, with the postponement of the Games adding to the fatigue and also taking a toll on his studies. "The COVID-19 circuit breaker I didn't mind, because it allowed me to rest and recharge, since I couldn't dive off the platforms every day. But the Olympic postponement really ate into my study semesters, so I had to juggle between schoolwork and training for the Olympics. So I'm really looking forward to a long break from diving after this." Image credit: Kong Chong Yew, SNOC Chan, who was the first Team Singapore athlete to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is also the last Singapore athlete to compete at these Games. Speaking with Channel News Asia, Chan shared that he was satisfied with his overall performance. He said: “The first five dives obviously could have gone better, but it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary” “What my coach always says is that if competitions are like training, it is good enough … So if it's within expectation, which it was, I think I'm quite satisfied with it.” Chan's teammate Freida Lim competed 2 days earlier on Day 12 of the Games, and finished on 215.90 points, placing 30th overall. Lim also did not advance to the Semi-Finals. #SportPlusSG #Tokyo2020 #OlympicGames #TeamSingapore

10 Team Singapore athletes to compete across six sports at the Tokyo Paralympics Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council The Tokyo 2020 Olympics may be coming to an end, but not all of our Team Singapore athletes have finished competing in Tokyo just yet. With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics just weeks away (24 August to 5 September 2021), it's time to meet our Team Singapore Paralympians! 1. ARCHERY - SYAHIDAH ALIM Image credit: Syahidah Alim Facebook Athlete Nur Syahidah Alim Date of Birth 14 August 1985 Event Para Archery - Individual Compound Women Nur Syahidah Alim became the first Singaporean in history to be crowned world champion in para-archery when she clinched a gold medal at the 2019 World Archery Para Championships. She was also ranked as the world number one paralympic archer for the individual compound women open rankings in October in 2019. Syahidah Alim was named Sportswoman of the Year at the 2020 Singapore Disability Sports Awards. 2. ATHLETICS - MUHAMMAD DIROY Image credit: SportSG Athlete Muhammad Diroy Noordin Date of Birth 25 February 1992 Event Shot Put F40 Muhammad Diroy is one of the most recognisable Team Singapore para athletes. Tokyo 2020 would be his second Paralympic Games after he made his competitive bow at the Rio Games in 2016, where he came in 9th for the Men's Shot Put F40, and 11th for the Men's Javelin Throw F41. Diroy has also represented Singapore at the World Para Athletics Championships over the years, and was named as Sportsman of the Year in 2019 for the Singapore Disability Sports Awards after claiming a silver and bronze at the Nottwil World Para Athletics Grand Prix in the men's javelin and shot put multiclass events. At the 2017 Asean Para Games, he was fourth in the F40 men's shot put. 3. CYCLING - STEVE TEE Image credit: Dyan Tjhia Athlete Steve Tee Wee Leong Date of Birth 29 July 1981 Event Tandem Para Cycling A fan of both football and cycling, Steve Tee has also represented Singapore in both sports. He captained the Singapore team at the 8th ASEAN Para Games for the 5-a-side football competition for the visually impaired in 2015, and thereafter switched over to para-cycling from 2017. His efforts paid off when he made a four-medal haul in 2019, clinching bronze at the 2019 Asian Track Championships, 2019 Malaysia Para Cycling Cup II, and 2019 Asian Track Championships, as well as Gold at the 2019 Thai Intl Para-cycling Cup. Note: For tandem para-cycling, a visually impaired athlete, called the stoker, is paired with a sighted counterpart, who is called the pilot. Steve’s pilot is former national cyclist Ang Kee Meng (info taken from SDSC). 4. EQUESTRIAN - GEMMA ROSE FOO Image credit: SportSG Athlete Gemma Rose Jen Foo Date of Birth Not Available, 25 years-old Event Para Equestrian - Dressage Gemma Rose Foo made her debut at the 2012 London Paralympic Games at the tender age of 16, where she came in 12th with her horse Avalon for the Freestyle Grade Ia event, 11th for Dressage - Team, and 13th for the Championship Grade Ia event. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics would be Foo's third Paralympic Games after she also competed at the Rio 2016 Games. She once lauded fellow Para Equestrian athlete and Singapore Sports Hall of Famer Laurentia Tan as her role model. Introduced to horses when she was 8 years-old as part of her physical therapy, Gemma was born prematurely at 24 weeks, and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. She believes that beyond helping her look past her disability and giving her a career in equestrian sport, horse riding has changed her life forever. 5. EQUESTRIAN - LAURENTIA TAN Image credit: Laurentia Tan Athlete Laurentia Tan Yen Yi, BBM PBM Date of Birth 24 April 1979 Event Para Equestrian - Dressage Laurentia Tan is a seasoned Paralympian, having already 3 bronze medals and a silver to her name - two bronzes from the 2008 Summer Paralympics - Individual Freestyle Test (class Ia) and Individual Championship Test (class Ia), and one from the 2012 London Paralympic Games Individual Championship Test (class Ia). Her silver medal came in the Individual Freestyle Test (class Ia). She was inducted into the Singapore Sports Hall of Fame in 2017 for her sporting achievements. Tan developed cerebral palsy and profound deafness after birth, and took up horse riding at age of five years as a form of physiotherapy. 6. EQUESTRIAN - MAXMILLIAN TAN Image credit: SportSG Athlete Maxmillian Chern Tan Date of Birth Born 1987 Event Para Equestrian - Dressage The Tokyo 2020 Games is Maxmillian Tan's third Paralypic Games. He made his Games bow at the 2012 London Games, where he took part in the Dressage Championship Grade Ib, Team and Freestyle Grade Ib events. He then competed in the Dressage - Championship Grade Ib and Team events in Rio 2016. Max suffered a congenital cerebral palsy grade Ib, therefore, he began riding as a form of therapy since he was 7-year-old RDA (The Riding for the Disabled Association) to help with his muscle tone and balance. 7. POWERLIFTING - NUR AINI Image credit: Team Singapore Facebook Athlete Nur Aini Mohamad Yasli Date of Birth Born 1992 Event Powerlifting Spotted by Singaporean Para powerlifter Kalai Vanen at a gym, before then being invited to attend a selection trial for the 2018 Asian Para Games, Nur Aini is Singapore's first powerlifter at a Paralympic Games. She was also Singapore's first female para-powerlifter to compete at the ASEAN Para Games (2017) and Asian Para Games (2018). Competing in Tokyo is a life-long dream come true for Nur Aini, as she grew up watching Theresa Goh compete at the Paralympic Games. A multi-talented athlete, Nur Aini swam in Primary School and took up Archery in secondary school before joining the dragon boat team in University. She then made the switch to para-powerlifting after. 8. SWIMMING - SOPHIE SOON Athlete Sophie Jin Wen Soon Date of Birth Born 1997 Event Swimming S12, SB12, SM12 Sophie Soon is not just athletically talented, but also artistically inclined. She enjoys music and playing the violin in her free time. Starting swimming at the age of eight, Soon did not initially like the sport, but would eventually make a return after receiving personal guidance from a coach. She was diagnosed with cone rod dystrophy when she was 5 years-old, which leads to the loss of central and colour vision, and relies mostly on her peripheral vision. She made her debut at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games at age 18 when Singapore hosted the Games. 9. SWIMMING - TOH WEI SOONG Image credit: SportSG Athlete Toh Wei Soong Date of Birth Born 1998 Event Swimming S7, S8 Toh Wei Soong is a bronze medallist in the S7 50M Freestyle at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and also a two-time gold medallist at the 2018 Asian Para Games for the S7 50m Freestyle and the S7 100M Freestyle events. His other achievements include 2015 ASEAN Para Games Men’s 100M Freestyle S8 Gold, Men’s 100M Backstroke S8 Gold, Men’s 50M Freestyle S8 Gold, and 2017 ASEAN Para Games, Men’s 50M Freestyle S7 and Men’s 100M Freestyle S7 Gold. At age 2, Toh was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a condition caused by the inflammation of the spinal cord, which affected his lower nervous system. 10. SWIMMING - YIP PIN XIU Image credit: SportSG Athlete Yip Pin Xiu Date of Birth 10 January 1992 Event Swimming S2 Yip Pin Xiu is a three-time Paralympic gold medallist and a one-time IPC gold medallist, with two world records in the 50m backstroke S2 and the 100m backstroke S2. Yip won a gold medal in the 50 metres backstroke and a silver medal in the 50 metres freestyle at the 2008 Paralympic Games, setting world records in both events. She followed that up with another double gold medal haul at the 2016 Summer Paralympics for the 100 metres S2 backstroke, setting a world record, and another for her 50 m split. She then took Gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta for 50m backstroke S4, as well as a double bronze in 50m freestyle S4 and 100m freestyle S4. Yip is a Meritous Service Medal winner and in 2018 became a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore. #SportPlusSG #Tokyo2020 #ParalympicGames #TeamSingapore

Launched in April this year, 'Keeping Score' is a social media campaign led by 'Soccer Girl Goals' to raise the topic of discrimination and gender inequality in sport File photo: SportPlus.SG Launched in April 2021, Keeping Score is one of Singapore's first anti-discrimination campaign for women in sport, which looks to equip them with the necessary knowledge and confidence to speak up and stand up to discrimination against women in sport . The campaign was launched via Soccer Girl Goals ' social media platforms: Instagram , Facebook and Twitter , and looks to educate the public through entertaining bite-sized content, and inspirational personal stories from prominent local female athletes. With the aim of building a community of women in sport to support one another, Keeping Score has reached over 100,000 to date via its Instagram platform, and the numbers are still growing. File photo: SportPlus.SG Reaching Out The campaign has also partnered with La Liga , EXPY the Lab , Edens Chips , Greenguards and Lugiami , connecting with over 30 local and international athletes across various sports in order to spread the word. “The biggest problem is that this (gender discrimination) has been normalised. Most people don’t realize that certain acts are actually discriminatory in nature. Hence, female athletes do not really speak out against discrimination because they are worried about the backlash and don’t want to be seen as aggressive,” Brander Na , Content Lead of Keeping Score said. Rallying the Community To rally the community together and help to inspire the female sporting community, Keeping Score has engaged various prominent women in sports such as rugby coach, Wang Shao-ing , Singapore national team hockey player, Gene Leck and Singapore’s first female FIFA Player’s agent and Founder of Futbolita , Ash Hashim , to share their experiences with discrimination and how they dealt with it. You can watch their full reactions to sexist and discriminatory remarks with videos courtesy of Keeping Score in our transcript article here . Image credit: SportSG via Mann Renzaf Building Awareness on Inequality “Initiatives like Keeping Score are very important right now for women in sports because it builds awareness on the inequality and discrimination we face. This actually happens very often and people just don’t realise it, or if they do, they don’t know how to respond to it. Mutual respect in women's sports is still overlooked, and we must take steps to address this.” Ash Hashim , Founder of Futbolita , said. To tackle this, Keeping Score has started a “Types of Discrimination” series to raise awareness on what constitutes discrimination, as well as a “How To Respond” series to provide recommendations on how to handle or respond to discrimination. This is done by arming the readers with facts, frameworks and real life examples. For more details on the series, you can find out more from Soccer Girl Goals' website . #SportPlusSG #WomenInSport #KeepingScore #GenderEquality #SoccerGirlGoals

Local gym Grityard partners with Gardens by the Bay to deliver first HIIT workout at Dale Chihuly: Glass in Bloom Exhibition File photo: Grityard Gym If you are looking for a legitimate way to catch a glimpse of some NDP fireworks at the postponed NDP 2021 show on 21 August 2021, we may have just the thing for you! While fireworks in the heartlands that were slated to happen on 8 and 9 August have been cancelled due to Phase 2 Heightened Alert measures, and the National Day Parade evening show postponed till 21 August, fans of fitness and fireworks may still be able to get the best of both worlds without over crowding the streets, thanks to a special collaboration between Gardens by the Bay and Grityard Gym. File photo: Grityard Gym HIIT by the Bay is an hour long high intensity sunset workout that will take place on both Saturday, 21 August and Sunday, 22 August from 5pm - 6pm at Dale Chihuly: Glass in Bloom Exhibition, Gardens by the Bay. And while there has already been a number of outdoor workouts done with Yoga Studios at Dale Chihuly: Glass in Bloom, this would be the first high intensity interval training (HIIT) class that is held at the scenic Singapore landmark. File photo: Grityard Gym Priced at $40 per session, the ticket fee includes entry into the Dale Chihuly: Glass in Bloom exhibition, as well as a full body workout that will feature footwork drills, hill sprinters and banded overhead presses that promote high calorie burn - perfect for you to work off those extra calories before indulging in a good meal over the weekend! More details and registration is available at Grityard's registration page here. File photo: Grityard Gym #SportPlusSG #HIITCardio #Grityard #GardensByTheBay #ChihulySG #NDP2021

Singapore swimmer defends 2016 Paralympic title, cyclist Steve Tee clocks new personal best Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Team Singapore swimmer Yip Pin Xiu has won Singapore's first gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in the women's 100m backstroke S2 event. In so doing, the Singapore Sports Hall of Famer successfully defended her title from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, earning her fourth Paralympic gold medal in the process. Yip, who is a double world champion, touched home with a time of 2:16.61 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre and will next compete in the 50m backstroke S2 event on Thu, 2 September 2021. She had earlier come in first out of a field of 9 in her heats for the 100m backstroke S2 event today, with a timing of 2:14:46. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Yip's swimming teammate Sophie Soon made her Paralympic bow earlier today and competed in the Women's 100m Butterfly S13 Heats. She finished strong and came in with a timing of 1:28.61 but it was not enough to earn her a spot in the Finals, as she finished 18th. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Elsewhere Cyclist Steve Tee and his pilot Ang Kee Meng put in a good showing in the Men's B 4000m Individual Pursuit Qualifying round to come in 9th with a timing of 4:40.453. Although they did not qualify for the medal race, the timing meant that they did clock a new Personal Best record. #SportPlusSG #TeamSingapore #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics

Team Singapore delivers strong showing on Days 2 and 3 at the Tokyo Paralympics Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Round of action for Team Singapore at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Days 2 and 3. Powerlifting Team Singapore powerlifter Nur Aini Mohamad Yasli made her Paralympics bow on Thursday, 26 August when she competed in the Women's 45kg Finals. With a personal best of 81kg, she was targeting a new record at Tokyo but losing her balance on her first lift meant a medal was out of reach by the time she reached her second and her third lifts. Even then, she finished 6th out of 9th position in a field of competitors and the 29 year-old was satisfied with her performance, which was to demonstrate the right technique. Nur Aini makes history as the first powerlifter from Singapore to compete at the quadrennial Games. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Archery In archery, Team Singapore archer Nur Syahidah Alim competed in the Women's Individual Compound Open Ranking Round on Friday at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field, where she recorded a score of 682pts to place 7th out of a field of 24 competitors. Syahidah is a 2019 world champion and former world number 1. She is currently ranked as world No 2, and is hopeful of landing a medal at this year's Games. Syahidah advances to the 1/8 Eliminations, which will take place on Monday, 30 August. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Equestrian In equestrian, seasoned Team Singapore Equestrienne Laurentia Tan scored 73.964% to finish 5th out of 18 competitors. She advances to the Individual Freestyle Test Grade I, which will be held on Monday, 30 August. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Meanwhile, her teammate Gemma Rose Foo competed in the Individual Freestyle Test Grade 1 Finals, scoring 62.750% to finish 17th out of 18 competitors. She did not advance to the Individual Freestyle Test Grade I Finals. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council Elsewhere Maximillian Tan, who was competing in the Dressage Individual Championship Test Grade II Finals, placed 11th out of a field of 12 competitors, scoring 61.588%. He too did not advance to the Individual Freestyle Test Grade II Finals. #SportPlusSG #TeamSingapore #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics

Team Singapore's Flag Bearer to the Paralympic Games rewrites previous National Record twice at Tokyo Paralympics Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council, Sport Singapore Singapore Shot Put athlete Muhammad Diroy Noordin has rewritten his own national record in the men's shot put F40, while competing at the Tokyo Paralympics' Men's Shot Put F40 Finals. Team Singapore's flag bearer of the Opening Ceremony recorded a throw of 9.92m in his sixth and final throw, which meant that he finished 8th out of a field of 9 competitors, in what is his second appearance at the Paralympics. Image credit: Singapore National Paralympic Council, Sport Singapore His throws at this event eclipsed his previous national mark of 9.78m which was set by him at the Singapore Athletics Performance Trial 2 in June 2021. While Diroy said in an interview with The Straits Times that he was disappointed not to get a medal nor surpass the 10 metre mark with his efforts, his performance is still singificantly better than his last outing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where he threw 7.29m. At the Rio 2016 Games, Diroy also took part in the Javelin event, and was a last minute addition to the Games contingent. #SportPlusSG #TeamSingapore #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics

Former Republic Polytechnic Student and 2017 FAS Player of the Year (Women's Premier League) makes history Image credit: Football Association of Singapore 3 September 2021, Singapore - Singapore national women's footballer Siti Rosnani Azman has signed a one season contract with Japan's International Athletic Club (IAC) Kobe Leonessa . In so doing, she becomes the first Singaporean woman to play football professionally in Japan, and will feature in the new Women Empowerment (WE) League - Japan's first professional women's football league. Image credit: @WomensFootballInSG / Instagram 24 year-old Rosnani had previously travelled to Australia to represent semi-professional club side South West Queensland Thunder , and made 31 appearances for the club before her plans were brought to a premature end as the COVID-19 pandemic halted the National Women's Premier League in 2020. The Republic Polytechnic graduate becomes only the second Singaporean woman to play football professionally after Lim Shiya , who represented Perth Glory FC in Australia's first division from 2008 to 2009. Image credit: Republican Post She told the official FAS website: "I am very honoured and thankful for this rare opportunity to train and compete in Japan. I believe this experience will push me outside of my comfort zone to grow as both a player and an individual.” Rosnani's signing for the Japanese club was facilitated by the Football Association of Singapore as well as Albirex Niigata Singapore ’s Mr Shu Namba and Ms Suzanna Foo, who connected her with the director of INAC Kobe. Stephen Ng, head coach of the Singapore Lionesses, was proud of Rosnani's achievements, sharing: "I have seen her play and know that she is a key, reliable defender for the Lionesses. It is a great feat for Rosnani to play in Japan and I am thrilled to see her efforts recognised." #SportPlusSG #TeamSingapore #Football #WomenInSport

Biennial ASEAN football show piece to be held in a centralised location amidst health and safety concerns Image via Sport Singapore 29 September 2021, Singapore - Singapore will play host to the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup, which is scheduled to take place from 5 December 2021 - 1 January 2022. The Asean Football Federation (AFF) took the decision to host the latest edition of the tournament in a centralised venue instead of its usual home and away format so that the competition could be held in the safest manner - prioritising the health and safety of all the teams, players, coaches, staff and fans. Having considered several compelling bids from member associations, the AFF confirmed Singapore as the venue for this year's tournament at a virtual meeting yesterday. Image via SPORTFIVE There will be no change to the main competition format - with each team playing four fixtures in a round robin system at the Group stage and the semi-finals and finals played across two-legs. In a virtual draw conducted last week, host nation Singapore have been drawn in Group A and will be coming up against five-time champions Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar and the winner of a pre-qualification match between Brunei and Timor Leste; while 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup champions Vietnam have been drawn together with Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos in Group B. #SportPlusSG #Football #SingaporeFootball #AFFSuzukiCup

Singapore Lions avoid defending champions Vietnam, but will face tough tests in Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines Image via AFF Suzuki Cup 21 September 2021, Kuala Lumpur - Singapore has been drawn in Group A of this year's AFF Suzuki Cup football tournament with 5-time champions Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, and the winner of a pre-qualification match between Brunei and Timor Leste. Singapore are 4-time champions of the ASEAN football showpiece, but have not lifted the trophy since 2012, when they overcame Thailand 3-2 on aggregate. Image via AFF Suzuki Cup The Lions first won the trophy in 1998 when defender R Sasikumar scored the only goal in dramatic fashion off his shoulder in the final against hosts Vietnam in front of a partizan home crowd. They then went on to win two more back to back editions in 2004 and 2007 under the tutelage of Raddy Avramovic, before the 2012 victory. Image via AFF Suzuki Cup Since then, the Republic has not progressed beyond the group stage for the 2014, 2016 and 2018 editions which was widely seen as a period of decline for Singapore football across all age groups. The 2020 edition has been delayed for a year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and is now scheduled to take place this December. Image via AFF Suzuki Cup website 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup champions Vietnam have been drawn together with Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos in Group B today at the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Official Draw. For the first time in AFF Suzuki Cup history, the draw took place virtually taking into consideration the health and safety reasons in view of the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Image via AFF Suzuki Cup The official tournament draw was conducted this afternoon, in front of an audience made up primarily of AFF member associations, sponsors and fans, and AFF Vice Presidents – Dato’ Sri Francisco Kalbuadi Lay and Mr Lim Kia Tong, who conducted the draw. Full fixtures to be released soon. #SportPlusSG #Football #SingaporeFootball #AFFSuzukiCup