WEEKLY ROUND-UP: Sports happenings in Singapore (19-25 Dec)

SINGAPORE — Here is a round-up of sports events and developments in Singapore in the past week (19 to 25 December):

Lion City Sailors appoint new head coach as CEO departs

Singapore Premier League (SPL) side Lion City Sailors have announced Risto Vidakovic as their new head coach, replacing interim coach Luka Lalic.

The 53-year-old Vidakovic has previously worked in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. He led Ceres-Negros to winning three straight Philippines Football League titles from 2017 to 2019, and also guided them to become ASEAN zone champions in the 2017 Asian Football Confederation Cup.

The Serbian was also a league winner in the Maldives with Maziya in a memorable unbeaten 2020/21 campaign. Before signing up with the Sailors, Vidakovic was coach of Melaka United, a club he left through mutual consent in April this year.

While Vidakovic will officially start on his role in January, the Sailors' chief executive officer Chew Chun-Liang will leave at the end of the year after two years at the helm.

His departure is the latest in a number of personnel changes at the club, after they failed to defend their SPL title after claiming the title in 2021. Last month, six players and several backroom staff were let go.

Reddentes Sports secures rights to 2024 Paralympic Games

Singapore-based sports media agency Reddentes Sports was confirmed on Wednesday (21 December) as the rights holder for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games in eight markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines and Vietnam.

It is also the exclusive distributor of the Games' broadcast rights to five other countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Mongolia.

Reddentes Sports will be working with the International Paralympic Committee to enhance the level of coverage in these territories. Other than broadcasting the Games live from Paris, it will also highlight the journey of para-athletes in the region.

Fantasy football on AFF Mistubishi Electric Cup

The fantasy football game for the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup will run from Tuesday (19 December) to 16 January.

ONSIDE Fantasy Football is the first of its kind in the Southeast Asian sporting landscape and will see the prestigious ASEAN football championship come to life in the Web3 space. The digital collectibles minted and distributed via the ONSIDE collection platform will be used to enhance the gameplay in Low6’s UltimateFan franchise.

With points being earned from the real-life performances, players will compete on a global contest leaderboard as well against friends, family and colleagues in Invitational Private Leagues. The recently announced NFT collection can be applied to a player’s squad to boost their points score.

Meanwhile, the AFF Cup has also announced TikTok as its official supporter, after it was previously being involved as a marketing collaborator.

Over 30 sports creators will have access to matches, players and coaches during the event and will share non-match coverage on TikTok and their own platforms.

Have a sports event to tell our users? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com. In your email, do provide as many details as possible, including videos and photos.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.