The news came as a brand campaign - ‘Let’s play’ - launches to encourage Singaporeans to adopt sportier lifestyles and build a more holistic sporting culture.
Sharon Soh, strategy director at MEC Singapore, said: “Our approach was to seek actionable consumer insights and create ideas that engaged the target audience in the most relevant manner.
“A good example was the outdoor installation at Raffles Place - an idea that we presented during the tender - to set up a soccer pitch in the middle of a lawn area and invite the target audience to play soccer.”
The local sports scene will see marquee events including the Singapore F1 Night Race and Youth Olympics Games take place between this year and 2010, and the Government is keen to position the country as a centre for sports in Asia in the next three to five years.
Other initiatives include collaborating with the private sector and other government agencies to improve the infrastructure for sports venues.
A $1.2 billion Sports Hub featuring a 55,000-capacity stadium, an aquatic and water sports centre and 41,000 square metres of commercial space are currently in the pipeline, and construction is expected to be completed by 2011.
City-state's sports body pushes "play"
SINGAPORE - The Singapore Sports Council has awarded its S$3 million (US$2.2 million) media account to MEC as the Government body looks to position the city-state as a regional sports hub.
