4-D is the most popular gambling pastime in Singapore, with 53% of Singaporeans participating in the lottery, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. In the survey conducted between December 2004 and February 2005, ...
Ang Peng Siong (b. 27 October 1962, Singapore - ), a competitive swimmer from 1977 to 1993, was ranked world's No.1 in 1982 when he clocked a time of 22.69s in the 50m freestyle at the US Nationals. That record which he set for the 50m freestyle remains the national ...
The Singapore Antarctica Expedition was organized with two main objectives, to climb the highest mountain on that continent and to reach the South Pole. Both objectives were met on 1 Jan 2000 at the dawn of the new millennium. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, the ...
The ArtScience Museum is a key permanent attraction of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort located at 10 Bayfront Avenue. The largest private museum in Singapore, it focuses on the connections between art and science through hi-tech exhibits that push disciplinary ...
The Asian Youth Games is a regional multi-sports event. The first edition of the series was held in 2009 with Singapore as the host country. The games were held from 29 June to 7 July over various venues across the island. It was participated by 43 National Olympics ...
Badminton was brought to Singapore by the British colonial rulers in the early 19th century. Singapore, as part of the Malayan team brought glory by winning its first attempt in the Thomas Cup in 1949 and remained champions for almost a decade.
Bedok Reservoir, located north of Bedok New Town, was one of two reservoirs built by the Public Utilities Board (PUB) as part of its Sungei Seletar/Bedok Water Scheme. Construction work on the scheme began in 1983 and was completed in 1986 at a cost of S$277 million. ...
The New Paper Big Walk began in 1991 with 7,000 participants. By 1999 the number of participants reached 76,000 and this feat was included in the Guinness Book of Records. When the Big Walk celebrated its 10th anniversary on 21 May 2000, the number of participants ...
Caledonian Hotel was listed as one of the principal hotels in early 20th century Singapore. It was also described as being the only British hotel in Singapore at that time. However, like many of the early hotels, it did not survive for many years.
Capitol Theatre, later known as Capitol Cinema, located at the junction of Stamford Road and North Bridge Road, is of neo-classical architecture. It was completed in 1930 and served as a theatre until the 1940s when the Shaw Organisation turned it into a cinema. ...
Capteh is a traditional game that requires great dexterity and balance in keeping a feathered shuttlecock in the air for as long as possible by kicking it up with the heel of the foot. A popular game among children in Singapore, it is also well known internati ...
The Ceylon Sports Club (CSC) came into being in 1928, reconstituted from the Lanka Union founded by some Ceylonese students in 1920. The clubhouse was dynamited during World War II but was rebuilt after the war. Over the years, several renovations have been carried ...
Change Alley, alley way, located in the Downtown Core of the Central Region. The original narrow spot stretched from Raffles Place to Collyer Quay. Unlike its namesake in London where stockbrokers congregated, Change Alley was world famous for its money-changers ...
Chap ji kee (12 units in Hokkien) is an illegal lottery that was widespread in Singapore until the 1970s. The popularity of the lottery spawned a system of promoters and their agents, bet collectors, accountants, cashiers and couriers that numbered in the thousands ...
The Chinese Swimming Club, at Amber Road, was founded in 1905 by a group of six Chinese swimming enthusiasts. Today, the club is a landmark institution for training in swimming in Singapore.
Clarke Quay, river embankment, part of the Singapore River area, located in the Central Region. Clarke Quay stretches from Read Bridge at North Boat Quay to Ord Road/Ord Bridge and right towards River Valley Road. It was named after Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew ...
Congkak is a popular game of logic with variations played throughout Asia, Africa and even the Americas. Known elsewhere as mancala, the version commonly played in the Malay archipelago requires two players to share a wooden board with at least seven holes marking ...
Daisy Tan Quee Hong, née Lim (b.12 February 1926, Singapore - d. 27 January 2004, Singapore) helped establish the Singapore Women’s Netball Association (now Netball Singapore) and led it for twenty-five years. She also co-founded and led the Asian Netball Federation. ...
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) was established on 1 October 1973 to take over the functions of the National Sports Promotion Board (NSPB) and the National Stadium Corporation (NSC). The mission of the Council is to foster a healthy nation by
The Lim Chu Kang district is located at the north of Singapore and is bounded by the Johor Straits, the Kranji Reservoir and the Western Water Catchment of Singapore. It is about 18 km2 and is a largely rural district comprising mainly of farms, farm-stay chalets ...
Farrer Park Sports Complex was opened in 1956 as the Farrer Park Athletic Centre. The old Singapore Turf Club pavilion at the site was redeveloped into Sports House between 1969 and 1971. The offices of the National Sports Promotion Board (NSPB) and a number of ...
Surviving the Sky, Singapore's and Asia's first multi-national reality event, took place from 16 to 22 March 2004. The event was held in conjunction with Singapore Cable Car's (SCC) 30th anniversary. Participants had to endure living in cable car suspended 90 m ...
The first vertical marathon in Singapore was held on 3 May 1987. 130 men and 50 women took part in the race up 1,336 steps to reach the top of the 73 storey Westin Stamford, the world's tallest hotel at the time. Winners of the inaugural event, Kenneth Kang and ...
Five stones is played by 2 or more players, using 5 small triangular cloth bags filled with rice, sand or saga seeds. The object is to complete a set of eight steps. The winner is the one completing a set the most number of tries. The game is similar to "jacks" ...
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club was formerly located in a clubhouse along Beach Road, close to the junction with Middle Road. Built between 1951 and 1952, the building housed several recreational clubs for military personnel ...
The former Singapore Badminton Hall, located at 100 Guillemard Road, was built specially to defend the Thomas Cup first won in 1949 by the Malayan team. Although the Badminton Hall was not completed in time for the 1952 games, it hosted subsequent Thomas Cup matches. ...
The former Sun Yat Sen Villa (also known as Bin Chan House or Wan Qing Yuan) at 12 Tai Gin Road, off Balestier Road, is named after the prominent Chinese nationalist Sun Yat Sen. It was once the Southeast Asian headquarters for Sun’s revolutionary activities which ...
Singapore’s inaugural Formula One race, called 2008 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix was held on 28 September 2008 at the Marina Bay. It was the first and only race to be held at night in Formula One’s history, and the first Formula One street race in As ...
Fort Canning Hill a.k.a. Bukit Larangan (meaning "Forbidden Hill") and later Government Hill, is 156 ft high, and located at the junction of Canning Rise and Fort Canning Road. It has been a local landmark since Singapore's earliest recorded history. In the 14th ...
Fort Siloso, located on the northwestern tip of Sentosa Island, was built in the early 1880s to aid in protecting the port. It was part of Singapore's coastal defence along with Fort Serapong and Fort Connaught in Blakang Mati, as Sentosa was then called. The guns ...
Frederick Benjamin de Souza (b.13 April 1918, Singapore - d. 10 July 1964, Singapore) was one of Singapore's most successful marksmen, who won gold medals in the South East Asian Peninsular Games and the Asian Games of 1961 and 1962. It was hoped that he would ...
Recent surveys found that Singaporeans wagered a healthy sum on less flamboyant gaming such as lottery and mahjong. The two upcoming integrated resorts in Marina and Sentosa that offer casinos are expected to dazzle the gambling scene in Singapore.
Gambling activities in colonial Singapore attracted different opinions from the colonial administrators; Raffles abhorred and set out to ban gambling while Farquhar and Crawfurd saw gambling as critical for generating revenue. Although the colony outlawed gambling ...
Gasing, or top spinning, is a traditional game popular among Malays in the olden days. In rural areas, gasing contests were held during the rice-ripening season. Kampung folks believed that the spinning tops would help bring good harvest.
One of three amusement parks built in Singapore before the WWII and around which Singapore’s nightlife revolved from the '20s to the '60s. The other two were New World and Great World. Gay World was a popular entertainment joint before the advent of television ...
One of the three "Worlds" which lighted up Singapore's nightlife in the '50s and '60s. Although it closed in 1964, cinemas and restaurants continued to run at the park until 1978. Today the site is occupied by the Great World City Shopping Centre. The complex's ...
The Grove Hotel was the first hotel to be built in the countryside in Tanjong Katong unlike most of the hotels in early Singapore which were established in the town area or its vicinity. Tanjong Katong then was often referred to as the "Brighton" of Singapore. ...
Helix Bridge is the longest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. Opened in April 2010, the bridge has a distinctive double helix structure modelled on the structure of DNA. It overlooks Marina Bay, forming a curve next to the vehicular Bayfront Bridge and a youth art ...
Hopscotch is a traditional children’s game in which one or more players hops over a series of squares drawn on the ground. A puck or game piece is thrown progressively across the squares and players have to hop their way across the hopscotch framework according ...
A tropical oasis in the heart of Orchard Road, the Istana Park was officially opened on 6 September 1996. It is bounded by Orchard Road, Penang Road and Buyong Road. The 1.3 ha Istana Park is a landmark situated directly opposite the Istana, Singapore's presidential ...
Jalan Besar Stadium is a well-known Singapore landmark located at Tyrwhitt Road in the Kallang area. Officially opened on 26 December 1929, the stadium is considered the birthplace of football in Singapore. The stadium hosted the popular Malayan Cup football tournament ...
Jane Lee Zhen Zhen (b. 1984 - ) is the first woman from Southeast Asia and 37th woman in history to have scaled the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America). ...
One of the oldest races in Malaya, the Johore Grand Prix was first held in 1940. The next race took place only between August and October 1949. When the Malaysian Grand Prix (which took place at the Batu Tiga circuit near Kuala Lumpur) was introduced, the Johore ...
Jurong was a mangrove swamp before it was developed into an industrial estate in 1961. Residential and recreational amenties were built in the next two decades to attract workers and to facilitate the expansion of the estate. Jurong has since developed into a self-sufficient ...
Jurong BirdPark, Asia Pacific's largest bird park and home to more than 8,000 birds of 600 species from around the world, was opened on 3 January 1971. The S$3.5 million park draws in both locals and foreign visitors to a learning experience about the life and ...
Kent Ridge Park is a 47-hectare public park located in southwest Singapore, on Vigilante Drive off South Buona Vista Road. Situated between the Singapore Science Park and the National University of Singapore, the park honours the Duchess and Duke of Kent. Bukit ...
Kite makers made kites for sale. Kite flying was a hobby, passion and play for many Singaporeans in the early years. Kite making was more popular with the Malay, Chinese and Indians.
Kuti kuti is a traditional children’s game in which two opposing players take turns to deftly flip colourful plastic tokens on top of those of their opponent. If a player’s token lands on top of an opponent’s token, the player then claims the opponent’s token as ...
Labrador Park/Fort Pasir Panjang, former defence battery, nature park and designated reserve area, in the Bukit Merah area, located in the Central Region. Known as Fort Pasir Panjang during colonial times, it was one of 11 coastal artillery forts built by the British ...
The Ladies Lawn Tennis Club in Singapore was established in 1884. The club became quite popular soon after it was formed, but membership was falling steadily by the 1920s. It was eventually closed in 1932 and the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) took over ...
The Lion City Cup is a youth football tournament for boys. First held in 1977, the Cup has been credited with inspiring the creation of the FIFA U-16 World Championship (now FIFA U-17 World Cup). The Lion City Cup has featured national youth teams from Asia as ...
The Malaysia Cup is one of Asia’s longest-running football competitions. Established in 1921, it was known as the Malaya Cup from 1921 to 1967, after the donation of a trophy from the British Royal Navy ship H. M. S. Malaya. The tournament was renamed the Malaysia ...
Merchant Road connects New Bridge Road and Clemenceau Avenue. At Merchant Road's junction with Keng Cheow Street, it bifurcates into 4 one-way roads. Two roads lead into highways, while the other two connect Clemenceau Avenue and Eu Tong Sen Street.
Singapore hosted its first Miss Universe pageant on 27 May 1987. The extravaganza was staged in Hall 4 of the former World Trade Centre (now known as HarbourFront Centre), and televised to 600 million viewers from 55 countries. Organised at a cost of S$7 million ...
Mount Emily swimming pool was the first public pool in Singapore. It was also the first pool in Singapore that used fresh water instead of seawater. It was located along Upper Wilkie Road, where Mount Emily Park is today. Converted from a municipal reservoir, the ...
The first Singaporean mountaineering expedition, which scaled Mount Everest on 25 May 1998, at appproximately 8.30am Singapore time. The summit was reached by two team members, Edwin Siew and Khoo Swee Chiow, with four Nepalese Sherpas on their second attempt, ...
Mount Faber, hill, is located in the Bukit Merah area of the Central Region. Telok Blangah Hill was the original name for Mount Faber, and it was renamed Mount Faber in July 1845, in honour of Captain Charles Edward Faber, Madras Engineers, who built a narrow winding ...
Nankin Street, a one-way street in Chinatown, connects South Bridge Road to China Street. Named after the city of Nanking in China, it was associated with Samsui women who lived here and tinsmiths who set up shop on this street during the 19th century.
The National Stadium of Singapore was officially opened on 21 July 1973 by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. For over three decades, it was used for many major sporting, cultural, entertainment and social events, such as the 1983 and 1993 Southeast Asian (SEA) ...
New World Park was the first of three amusement parks (or the three "worlds") that wooed Singapore night crowds from the 1920s to the 1960s. Set up in 1923 and located at Jalan Besar, it closed down in 1987. Today, the site where the park sat is being developed ...
The old Sea View Hotel was founded during the hotel boom years of the early 1900s. Unlike most of the early hotels that were established in the town or its vicinity, Sea View Hotel, like the Grove Hotel, was built in the countryside in Tanjong Katong. Established ...
Orchard Road, street, located in the Central Region. It runs 2.5 km from Tanglin Road/Orange Grove Road to Dhoby Ghaut. Orchard Road supposedly got its name from the orchards and plantations that existed in the area until the turn of the 20th century. Today it ...
Pasir Ris is located in the east of Singapore. It was originally a low-lying, undeveloped area with kampongs and villages. The beach was a popular resort for water skiing, parties and picnics in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. Today, the new landmarks in the ...
Pulau Ubin, (Pulo Obin) island, located in the north-eastern coast of Singapore, with Selat Johore to the north and Serangoon Harbour to the south. Its name is derived from its original Malay name, Pulau Batu Jubin meaning "Island of Granite Stones". Granite quarries ...
An integrated resort (IR) is the term used by the Singapore government for a casino-based resort. Following intense public debate, the government decided to develop two IRs in Marina South and Sentosa in 2005. Three different consortia submitted their proposals ...
Singapore's first reverse bungee jump ride literally got off the ground at Clarke Quay on 19 November 2003. Unlike the conventional bungee jump, where thrill seekers leap off a bridge while tied to a bungee cord, riders of the reverse bungee jump are catapulted ...
Sentosa, island, is the largest of Singapore's southern Islands. It functioned as an island fortress and a military base in colonial times, and with the Japanese occupation during World War II, it became a prisoner-of-war camp. Today, the island is a nature and ...
The Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) was established on 1 September 1972 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI). The mission of the SDC was to oversee the development, management and promotion of Sentosa island.
The Serangoon Gardens Country Club (SGCC) was established in 1955 as a sports club for residents of the estate. Many of its original members were British servicemen and their families who left Singapore in the 1970s, and the club was redeveloped into a country ...
Singapore hosted the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010. During the event, an estimated 3,600 athletes, between 14 to 18 years old, competed in 26 sports. The event involved National Olympic Committees from 205 countries and 20,000 local ...
The Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) was established in 1929 and is the official body for local matters relating to the sport. The Association was instrumental in developing key players for the Thomas Cup, the premier international badminton tournament. Under ...
Singapore Cricket Club, a sports club is located at the heart of the city's civic centre along Connaught Drive and overlooking the Padang. It was established in 1852 and has evolved over the years from being an elite colonial sports club to a multi-racial club ...
Singapore held its inaugural Grand Prix in mid-September 1961 and it was called the Orient Year Grand Prix. It was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1962. After Singapore gained independence in 1965, Singapore held its own Grand Prix from 1966 called the Singapore ...
The first Singapore Grand Prix took place from 16 to 17 September 1961. It was held in support of the government-sponsored “Visit Singapore –The Orient year” tourism campaign (The Straits Times, 9 May 1960, p. 2; The Singapore Free Press, 23 Nov 1960,
The Singapore Indoor Stadium, also known in its abbreviated form, SIS, was officially opened on New Year’s Eve, 1989, by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Situated along the scenic Kallang River area, it served as part of the government’s urban re-generation project ...
The first of its kind in the world, the Singapore Night Safari was opened on 26 May 1994. It attracts more than a million visitors a year.
The Singapore Polo Club was formed in 1899, following earlier unsuccessful attempts to start such a club in Singapore. Play began at the Singapore Sporting Club but moved to Balestier in 1914 when the Polo Club set up its own premises there. It moved to its current ...
The Singapore Recreation Club (SRC) is a social club founded on 23 June 1883. It is the third oldest club in Singapore after the Singapore Turf Club and Singapore Cricket Club (SCC). Founded by 30 members from the Eurasian community, it began as a sports club and ...
The Singapore Sports Awards are a series of annual awards that honour the achievements of Singapore’s sportsmen and sportswomen. Organised by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), the Awards were first given out in 1968 for sporting achievements in 1967. ...
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) was formed on 1 October 1973 with the merger of the National Sports Promotion Board (NSPB) and the National Stadium Corporation (NSC).
The Singapore Sports School (SSS) was officially declared opened on 2 April 2004 with a pioneer batch of 141 students. It operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Community Development (MCDS), in response to a call for students' excellence in both academic ...
The Singapore Swimming Club, established in 1894 at Tanjong Rhu, by a group of Europeans. In 1994, the club celebrated its 100th anniversary with the opening of a new facility at the same site. With a huge membership, it continues to concentrate on its core activity, ...
The Singapore Women’s Everest Team (SWET) was the first all-female expedition from Singapore to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain at 8,850m above sea level. Lee Li Hui was the first member to scale the peak at 3:45 am Nepal time on ...
The Singapore Zoo, located at 80 Mandai Lake Road, is also known as Mandai Zoo or Singapore Zoological Garden. Popular for its Night Safari attraction, the Zoo has a reaped a long list of awards, both local and international.
Michael and Sonya Fong were Singapore's first couple to set out on a world motorcycle trip, which they called "Baby Quek's Big Adventure", on 17 September 1995. They travelled for nearly two years, returning on 14 May 1997. Riding their 1,000 cc BMW motorcycle, ...
St John's Island, southern island, famous for having been a penal settlement but now a holiday resort.
Sungei Buloh Nature Park located at 301 Neo Tiew Crescent, Northwest of Singapore. It was designated a wild bird reserve and nature park for mangrove flora and fauna in 1989. The 87 hectare site is the first of its kind to be established in Singapore, and lies ...
Syed Abdul Kadir (b. 16 February 1948, Potong Pasir, Singapore - ) is one of Singapore's greatest-ever boxers. An injury ended his hopes for an Olympic medal in 1972 but between 1969 and 1976 he won several international medals, including gold in the South East ...
The American Club is a community and social club under the auspices of the American Association of Singapore. Established in September 1948, the club provides recreational and community services. There are some 60 nationalities on the club’s membership list.
The Chinese Garden, located in Jurong, was built in 1975 as part of Jurong Town Corporation (JTC)'s plan to bring greenery to the industrial landscape of Jurong. The garden provides a peaceful refuge to Singaporeans who go there for walks amidst the landscaped ...
The Esplanade, long open stretch of ground/field, originally by the sea, is located in the downtown core of the central region. Sitting on the left bank of the Singapore River, it was originally called "the Plain" or the Padang which is Malay for "field" or "open ...
Up until 1973, Jalan Besar Stadium was considered the only proper stadium in Singapore (Chua, 1998, p. 104). The other stadiums such as the Farrer Park Sports Complex had hard cinder tracks which were unsuitable for athletes to train on. Even then,
The Republic of Singapore Yacht Club is a maritime recreational society and club for yachting enthusiasts. It was established in 1826 and is the oldest recreational or social club of any theme in Singapore. It is also the first yacht club in Asia. It was known ...
The Tiger Balm Gardens a.k.a. Haw Par Villa is an oriental theme park located off Pasir Panjang Road, on the Southwestern side of Singapore. It is famed for depicting traditional Chinese legends, in particular the unforgettable 10 Courts of Hell. A similar garden ...
Underwater World Singapore is an oceanarium located at 80 Siloso Road on the island of Sentosa. Its key features include the Dolphin Lagoon housing endangered pink Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins, as well as an 83m moving walkway enclosed by an observation tunnel ...
Since its introduction in 1920, water polo in Singapore has evolved beyond an exclusive sport accessible only to a select few swimming clubs, to a national sport enjoyed by a significant portion of the population. The sport has also become synonymous with glory ...
Yan Kit Swimming Complex, located along Yan Kit Road, opened in 1952 as the second public swimming pool in Singapore. The pool was closed in 2001 due to dwindling usage and expensive maintenance.