Queenstown Sport Centre reopens on Aug 8 with upgraded facilities
Key features include an enhanced rugby field built to World Rugby standards and a new dry-dive facility for national athletes.
The upgraded Queenstown Sport Centre is designed to serve both the community and high-performance athletes. (Photo: SportSG)
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SINGAPORE: The newly revamped Queenstown Sport Centre will officially reopen its doors on Saturday (Aug 8) after a three-year redevelopment.
The upgraded facility is designed to serve both the community and high-performance athletes, with new spaces catering to all levels of sport participation.
Among the key additions is a new annexe building housing an approximately 1,000 sq m open-plan ActiveSG gym and two activity rooms.
The gym features conventional strength-training equipment alongside HUR machines, which use compressed air technology to provide safer and more accessible workouts for seniors, persons with disabilities and those with mobility needs.
“It is important for us to ensure that seniors and persons with disabilities … are able to use the facilities in a conducive way, so programming, spacing needs to be a deliberate thought rather than an afterthought,” said ActiveSG chief Tan Hock Leong.
The sport centre also includes a range of accessibility features, such as a mobile pool hoist at the competition pool for persons with disabilities, accessibility ramps and a central lift linking different parts of the facility.
Changing rooms and washrooms have been refurbished and now include height-adjustable changing beds.
FACILITIES FOR ELITE ATHLETES
Beyond community sport, the centre will continue to support elite athlete development with specialised training facilities.
The rugby field has been upgraded with a specially designed artificial grass system to meet World Rugby standards.
Dedicated team-changing rooms have also been added, while the running track has been resurfaced.
One of the centre’s most significant additions is a new dry-dive facility, built alongside the sport centre’s iconic 4.5-metre diving pool.
The facility provides Team Singapore divers with a safe and controlled environment to practise a high volume of dives without water impact.
HONOURING ITS HERITAGE
Opened in 1970, the venue was Singapore's first neighbourhood sports complex and has hosted National Day parades and sporting events.
“With Queenstown’s strong sporting heritage, we hope to continue providing the community with opportunities to reconnect through sport, while embracing and celebrating our past,” said Mr Tan.
As part of the redevelopment, signature features, including the complex's iconic roof, have been retained and incorporated in the design of the new buildings.
Existing stone-clad planter boxes and the retaining wall near the pool entrance have also been preserved.
Mr Lim Hong Khiang, chief of the Sport Infrastructure Group at Sport Singapore (SportSG), said retaining these familiar elements helps long-time residents maintain a connection with the venue even as it enters a new chapter.
"They see that certain things have been preserved, like the common rooftop design, the stone planters and the murals. These are actually a throwback to the past," he said.
At the same time, he said the upgraded facilities are expected to appeal to newer residents, particularly young families who have moved into nearby Build-to-Order flats.
Looking ahead, SportSG said the centre will continue to celebrate its heritage.
From next year, the centre plans to put up fresh mural paintings and have interactive, senior-friendly multi-purpose heritage halls.
SportSG said it will continue engaging the community in various ways to contribute to the sport centre and foster a sense of ownership.
