Modern Day Singapore May 15, 2016 23:08 +08 Merlion Cup 2016 MERLION CUP RETURNS AFTER A 20-YEAR BREAK The Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) is pleased to announce that it will be organising the Merlion Cup from 21-25 September 2016, reviving this International Basketball Marquee Tournament since it was last held in 1996. The whole Tournament will involve six professional clubs and will be played in a round-robin format. Venue is at our Sports Hub – OCBC Arena. There will be five Overseas Professional Clubs invited to participate and they are from China, Australia, Taiwan and Malaysia. The fifth club has yet to confirm its participation. Singapore will be represented by the Singapore Slingers team which finished a creditable 2nd place in the recently concluded ASEAN Basketball League. Majority of the Slingers players will come from the National Team. Local stalwarts like Wong Wei Long, Wu Qingde and Delvin Koh are likely to feature in the Slingers team participating in this year’s Merlion Cup. MERLION CUP In the 1980s and 1990s, the Merlion Cup was an International Marquee Basketball event in the Singapore’s sporting calendar. Held at the then Gay World Stadium, the Merlion Cup attracted capacity crowds on a daily basis. Singapore basketball fans had fond memories of this Tournament which allowed them to see Asian giants like China, Korea, Japan, Philippines fighting out with non-Asian countries like Australia, Yugoslavia, USSR. The tournament was stopped after the 9th edition of the competition in 1996 due to sponsorship problems. In a lead up to the Merlion Cup, there would be a FIBA 3x3 tournament island- wide commencing in August which is Co-organised with Sports Singapore. BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE Basketball started in Singapore as early as 1925, attracting interest and participation from numerous schools. However, it was only in 1934 when the Singapore Basketball & Volleyball Association was set up, and from then on, a steady development of basketball ensued, culminating in the organisation of a Malaysia and Singapore Basketball Championship that greatly increased the exposure of Singapore to basketball. In 1939, the Chinese Sports Improvement Council replaced the Singapore Basketball & Volleyball Association and became the centre of basketball promotion; the Council can be said as the first instance of BAS. VISION To develop Basketball as the Team Sport of Choice, In Terms of Participation,Public Interest and Profile and Sports Excellence MISSION To develop the Game to a Competitive Elite Team Sport To Rejuvenate Interests and Contribute to the Pride and Economy of Our Nation Contacts Paul Ng Asst Manager [email protected] 91283808 Ong Swee Teck Honorary Secretary Peh JIn Yang Communications & Commerce Manager Lawrence Chee Chairman Of Communications & Commerce, Basketball Association of Singapore Spearheading the Sponsorships and Publicity Machinery of BAS [email protected] 81989381/91854178.