Singapore Sports Hub to boast tech trappings

Article posted by Coliseum, October 4^th, 2021

Image: AECOM

The Singapore Sports Hub has issued an innovation challenge to accelerate its digital transformation in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

The ‘Frontier Enterprise’ stated that the public-private partnership project managed by SportsHub has also entered a strategic partnership with the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC), which gives the former access to rich resources and forward thinkers in sports technology and innovations from around the world.

The 55,000-capacity Singapore Sports Hub is a fully integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub in Kallang, Singapore. Built in 2014 to host sporting and entertainment events, it replaced the former National Stadium after it was demolished in 2010.

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The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is a statutory board of the Singapore Government under the Ministry of Communications and Information.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Singapore Government, tasked to promote the country’s tourism industry.

Madrid (Spain)-based the Global Sports Innovation Center powered by Microsoft (GSIC) has a primary goal of improving the value chain of the sports industry by leveraging the most advanced technologies, enabling business connections and becoming a worldwide reference for the sports industry, from start-ups to enterprise organizations.

The ‘Frontier Enterprise’ further stated that these collaborations and partnerships are geared towards delivering a richer, more seamless and immersive experience for fans.

As part of Singapore’s Smart Nation drive, the innovation challenge is being hosted on IMDA’s Open Innovation Platform (OIP), and calls for submissions of a working prototype solution that uses 5G network architecture and technological capabilities to deliver contextually-relevant immersive experiences for audiences and visitors to the Singapore Sports Hub.

The winning innovation will be awarded S$30,000 and will have the opportunity to commercialize their solutions at the National Stadium.

As part of the prototype development process, they will also be able to tap on expertise from Singapore Sports Hub and STB, with open access to IMDA’s technology resources and facilities.

Remarked Michael Henry, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Singapore Sports Hub, “Singapore Sports Hub continues to focus on improving the customer experience by leveraging emerging technologies that enhance fan engagement as we steadily transform ourselves into a smart stadium, aligned with Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. Through our strategic partnership with GSIC and the innovation challenge in partnership with IMDA and STB, we hope to accelerate our journey as we safely welcome the return of events and create highly immersive experiences for fans.”

Wong Ming Fai, CTO, STB, informed that the STB has been looking at the use of 5G to push the boundaries for Augmented Reality (AR) and Extended Reality (XR) with 4K-resolution immersive experiences.

Building upon Singapore Sports Hub’s existing and advanced technologies as world-class integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle hub, submissions for the innovation challenge will need to include and integrate several features such as the following:

One is a cloud-based 5G network architecture to create real-time personalized, optimized and contextualized experiences via real-time data transmission;
Another is smart, accurate and real-time data capture via Internet of Things (IoT) devices with cross-analysis capabilities to provide information to organizers and visitors who can make instant informed decisions; and
Also needed is an intuitive, engaging and simple user experience and interface that can be understood and used easily by a majority of the public.

Kiren Kumar, Deputy Chief Executive, IMDA, said technologies such as 5G and AR/VR have the potential to help our iconic businesses such as the Singapore Sports Hub transform their operations and deliver superior customer experiences to thrive in today’s fast-evolving digital economy.

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