Greater Opportunities For The Community To Play Sports On Ice

Greater Opportunities For The Community To Play Sports On Ice

SkateStar Programme to Introduce Ice Skating to the Heartlands

Singapore, 2 April 2012 - The Rink, Singapore's first Olympic-size ice rink located at the country's newest mall JCube in Jurong East, opened its doors to the public today with plenty in store for the community at large.

2. The 60m by 30m rink is designed to host activities such as recreational skating, figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey. Together with its 460-seat gallery, spectators will be treated to rink-side action during ice hockey matches and skating performances.

3. "During our Vision 2030 exploration of how sport could best serve Singapore, people asked for more places to play sport closer to where they lived and worked," said Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Sports Council (SSC). "A skating rink in the centre of a shopping mall next to a major transit hub in the middle of the heartlands is an excellent example of how sport can be made an integral part of daily life. The rink will provide easy access for people of all ages to play sport."

4. Ms Callie Yah, General Manager of JCube, said, "We are excited to bring ice sports closer to all Singaporeans with The Rink at JCube. Not only can fans of ice sports experience Singapore's first Olympic-size ice rink, they can also enjoy activities on The Rink from the spectator stand or at the rink-side dining outlets." The Rink is managed by CapitaMalls Asia's subsidiary, CapitaLand Retail Management Pte Ltd.

5. To encourage the community to step out on the ice and experience winter sports, SSC has been working closely with The Rink's management, as well as the winter sports fraternity to roll out a national programme that teaches all to skate in a safe and fun environment.

6. The Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA), in collaboration with the Singapore Ice Hockey Association (SIHA), has developed the national Learn-To-Skate programme, also known as SkateStar, to equip participants ranging from toddlers to seniors with foundational ice skating skills, before exposing them to the basics of various sports on ice. The programme, which is endorsed by SSC and administered by CapitaMalls Asia's subsidiary, is scheduled to be rolled out by May.

7. "The Olympic-size rink will reach out to the whole community from the high level skater to the beginner. By offering SkateStar at the rink, it will definitely help to generate interest in ice skating among the community and encourage more ice skating enthusiasts to pursue winter sports such as figure and speed skating on a competitive level. This will in turn boost the expansion of our existing talent pool of skaters, which bodes well for the future development of winter sports in Singapore," said Ms Sonja Chong, President, SISA.

8. SSC approved the rink as a non-profit sports facility for community play and recreation. Under the Community/Sports Facilities Scheme (CSFS), which encourages the integration of community or sports facilities in private commercial developments for mutual benefit, the rink will best serve the interest of the general public based on its non-profit operating model. All revenue generated will be re-invested into the operational and programming aspects of the facility.

9. Apart from catering to the community, the rink will also play an important role in supporting the activities of SISA and SIHA. The two National Sports Associations (NSAs) will be able to conduct training sessions for their athletes as well as organise community events and leagues to grow sports participation in Singapore. Both NSAs also have plans to host regional competitions at The Rink, providing Singaporean skaters with opportunities to challenge themselves against their peers from Asia.

10. "The Olympic-size rink, which meets international standards, allows the community to experience playing winter sports such as ice hockey on our tropical island. It also represents a very important step towards Singapore's participation in the Winter Olympics in the future," said Mr James Kodrowski, President, SIHA.

11. Being an all-inclusive rink, Special Olympics Singapore will also be training at The Rink. Expressing her delight at this arrangement, Dr Teo-Koh Sock Miang, President, Special Olympics Singapore, said, "Special Olympics Singapore is excited that our athletes with intellectual disabilities will be able to train and learn to skate on the JCube ice rink. We certainly hope to demonstrate that special athletes are just as capable of learning to skate, and skate well too when given proper instruction and encouragement. We believe that having the opportunity to train on the rink and coached by qualified coaches will help our skaters perform well at the coming World Winter Games in South Korea. They will enjoy being on the rink just like everyone else."

12. In conjunction with its soft opening, the first 50 guests at The Rink will get to skate for free from 2 to 5 April . In addition, fans of winter sports can look forward to Winter Carnival, which will be held at The Rink on 6 and 7 April. A slew of activities which await the community during the Carnival include ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating performances, ice skating workshops, and a disco-themed skating session.

13. To make ice sports accessible to all, members of the public can enjoy skating at The Rink at an affordable price of $21.50, which includes two hours on the ice rink as well as rental of skates and provision of gloves and socks. Those with their own skates need pay only $14 for two hours of rink action.

14. The Rink is open to the public from 10.30am to 9.30pm from Mondays to Thursdays, and from 10.30am to 11.45pm from Fridays to Sundays and on public holidays.

[1] In 2003, the Urban Redevelopment Authority introduced the Civil & Community Institution (C&CI) scheme and guidelines for the integration of community facilities in private commercial developments. Under this scheme, the proposed uses must be compatible with commercial development and intended for public and community usage and not profit driven. The scheme was subsequently revised on 2005 and 2008 to include selected public sports uses ("Community/Sports Facilities Scheme").

[2] Free skating for the first 50 guests is from 2.15pm - 5.00pm on 2 April. From 3-5 April, free skating is from 12.45pm - 2.45pm. Guests can bring their own socks and gloves, or purchase them at The Rink.