Oops but Sports Hub does it again

By Kannan Raj

These days, it has become unthinkable for the Singapore Sports Hub to get past an event without facing an online assault the day after for one failure or another.

On Saturday 3 September, the Sports Hub played host to superstar Jay Chou as part of his “The Invincible” tour.

But unfortunately, the Singapore Sports Hub was hardly invincible. In fact, more than 1300 petitioners on Gopetition have demanded their money back because of an invisible sound system. In its place were dustbins, as an online graphic which is floating around seems to suggest.

Started by a Goh Ying Sheng, the complaint states that audience who were not seated in line with the speakers or levelled with the stage only heard muffled sounds and a strong base throughout.

“We request Multimedia Entertainment, Organised of Jay Chou “The Invincible” 2016 concert Singapore leg to make refunds to affected audience and Singapore Sports Hub to give answers for repeated poor standards of concerts held at the National Stadium.”

“None of what Jay Chou was singing or talking could be heard sharply and clearly.”

According to the petition the same exact scenario happened two years ago.

Read: Jay chou’s concert met with complaints from fans about the venue provider (2014)

Apparently, feedback was given back then to the management of the Singapore Sports Hub. No improvements were seen since then and according to the petition the Singapore Sports Hub gave the same template response upon receiving feedback again.

reply sportshub
“We as consumers should not just keep quiet about this. Obviously, feedback was given but fallen on deaf ears. We paid for it, expecting quality but it was way below quality. Even 7th month Getai has better standard'” added the petition.”

Goh also wrote on the Singapore Sports Hub on the petition. “Hi, I think it’s time we stand up for ourselves because the Sports Hub won’t, the media won’t, the organiser won’t. We are consumers, we have the rights to receive quality products that we paid for. We should voice it out together, and get things right.”

In 2014, when Jay Chou had his concert at the Sports Hub, there was also a problem of a leaking roof.

The complaints also sound very similar to public complaints made after the Sing50 concert held at the National Stadium in August 2015. A faction of fans also made the same complaints after the Madonna concert earlier this year.

It is also quite clear that Taylor Swift also chose to have two days in the Singapore Indoor Stadium instead of one day at the National Stadium for the same fear of not being able to ensure that the speakers and audio facilities would match her vocal performance.

Is there anything which the management of the Singapore Sports Hub led by its CEO Manu Sawhney can get right these days?

The petition post-Jay Chou concert comes just days after what seemed like a mass exodus of senior management and mid-level personnel from the embarrassing project.

Only last month, it was made known that a computer glitch caused the non-appearance of the national flag during the pledge taking ceremony during the National Day parade.

With so many teething problems despite being in operations for more than two years, it has left many wondering could there be a new low for the project?