SINGAPORE — Embracing the theme “Reducing and Reusing through Sport,” Sport Singapore and Singapore Sports Hub, the local event organisers for the ongoing FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, has put in place a suite of sustainability initiatives that prioritises eco-friendly options and drive outreach efforts to raise environmental awareness.
This year’s event is being held at the OCBC Square, Singapore Sports Hub and athletes from the 24 participating countries are encouraged to take public transport to the competition and training venue. All athletes, event officials and volunteers are issued a FIBA 3×3-branded EZ Link card loaded with credit for their travels.
The advocacy for the environment does not end there as the organiser will be raising awareness of the benefits of sustainable living sustainably via public outreach initiatives, such as a sustainability e-pledge wall in support of Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 “Sustainable Living” pillar. Members of the public are able to pledge their water bottle to events, take the public transport to events and also to reduce waste by upcycling old sport equipment. Volunteers from Team Nila’s ‘Active Farmers’ interest group will showcase old sport equipment upcycled into functional everyday items. Waste reduction and recycling are intrinsically a part of all operations where recyclable materials will be used, amongst other go-green efforts.
The Singapore Green Plan 2030 was launched in February 2021 and it seeks to ‘galvanise a whole-of-nation movement and advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable development.’ It has five pillars, namely – city in nature, energy reset, sustainable living, green economy and resilient future.
“FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup continues to serve as a model for sustainable sporting events in Singapore. Aligned to the theme of ‘Reducing and Reusing through Sport,’ we hope that the efforts we’ve taken to minimise our carbon footprint, reduce waste and increase outreach efforts, inspires individuals and organisations to live, work and play sustainably”, said Marcus Tan, chairman of the organising committee and chief, sport development group of Sport Singapore.
Water dispensers will be made available across the competition grounds to allow athletes and spectators to refill their water bottles. Food at the athlete’s food village will also be served in biodegradable containers to complement waste recycling efforts. Where possible, signage and branding used at Singapore Sports Hub will be digitised, reducing the number of printed materials needed. Physical signs and branding will not feature dates so that the materials can be reused for future events.
Singapore is hosting the 2023 FIBA 3X3 Asia Asia Cup from Mar 20 to Apr 2. Tickets for the tournament, priced at $5 and limited day passes are available for purchase on the Singapore Sports Hub website in early Feb. Fans can expect a total of 80 games, with 40 in the qualification draw and the rest of the matches in the main draw.
The Singapore women’s team started their campaign on Mar 31, and they lost both their Pool B matches. They had a closely fought match going down 12-16 to Chinese Taipei in their first match, and then were defeated 5-15 by Japan. The men’s team will be taking on Chinese Taipei and Mongolia in their Pool A matches on Apr 1.