Singapore hosts its inaugural Urban Sports + Fitness Festival including ‘Hyrox Young Stars’

Singapore’s inaugural Urban Sports + Fitness Festival (SGUSFF) concluded last week at the Singapore Fitness + Wellness Expo, held at the Singapore Expo Hall, amid an array of activities including urban sport tryouts,  a showcase by renowned South Korean dancer and choreographer Bada Lee and Hyrox Singapore which included HYROX Young Stars – a first for Asia.

Singapore’s first-ever SGUSFF was launched by Guest-of-Honour  Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth on 24th August and brought together over 15 partners from the urban sports and fitness sectors to curate the inaugural experience.

Held across two weekends from 23rd August to 1st September across six locations islandwide, over 70,000 participants joined in the festivities that brought sporting partners and athletes together to showcase exciting sports such as street dance, fitness racing, parkour, and bouldering.

This first-of-its-kind festival served as a platform to rally communities in support of the growing local urban sports and fitness scenes, with the aim of boosting engagement and sports participation in Singapore's communities by capitalising on the growing popularity of urban sports and fitness competitions among teens and young adults.

World-class boulderers Yuji Hirayama, Futaba Ito, and Kim Jain joined the bouldering event on 24th August with an exclusive demonstration to bouldering enthusiasts and participants of the fitness charity movement – Operation Broken Wing.

HYROX Singapore was held 31st August – 1st September 2024 as part of the Singapore Fitness + Wellness Expo. 

On the second weekend, SGUSFF featured HYROX Young Stars – a first in Asia. The fitness challenge attracted 250 participants and saw boys and girls between 8 and 15 years old take on a curated circuit comprising Ski Erg, shuttle run, weight pull, and others. The Singapore EXPO event is led by professional coaches and was the second edition of the HYROX Young Stars challenge having debuted at London Olympia in May 2024.

Another key highlight from the second weekend was DanceXhibit, organised by Recognize! Studios. There were dance workshops and performances by various studios and dance crews across Southeast Asia. Bada Lee, a well-known choreographer from South Korea who participated in the popular Korean reality dance show, Street Woman Fighter 2, wrapped up SGUSFF with a stunning showcase attended by fans and dance enthusiasts. Dancing alongside Bada Lee were 30 talented dance enthusiasts across the region, with the youngest being 11 years old.

Hyrox Singapore saw Ruby and Priscilla - two incredible Women Doubles 60-69 age racers. These two inspiring athletes challenged themselves together and successfully completed their first HYROX event side by side.

Images from top: Hyrox Singapore Young Stars; Bada Lee performing alongside her team formed from the Intensives at DanceXhibit. Credit SportSG; Bouldering competition from left: Yuji Hirayama, Futaba Ito, Edwin Tong (Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law), Kon Yin Tong (Chairman, Sport Singapore),  Kenneth Ng (Founder, Project Send); Hyrox Singapore Ruby and Priscilla Women Doubles 60-69 age racers; Hyrox Singapore competition