UIPM 2019 Global Laser Run City Tour: Elite athletes use Singapore as springboard for SEA Games

The 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines are approaching and athletes from five nations used Singapore’s third UIPM Global Laser Run City Tour on August 4 to sharpen their skills.

Hosted by the Singapore Modern Pentathlon Association (SIMPA), the GLRCT was held in conjunction with local governmental authority ActiveSG to celebrate Singapore’s 54th birthday and bicentennial year. 

Almost 150 athletes registered for the event after an intensive period of promotional activity.

To cater to those new to the sport, laser shooting workshops were conducted weekly leading up to race day. Many grew more interested over the weeks and reached out to SIMPA for regular shooting practice even after the event.  

There were nine age categories for men and women and an elite category, which attracted attendance from athletes from Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand. It was the perfect chance for local and regional athletes to prepare for the SEA Games.

SIMPA also introduced a new race category called the ‘kaki run’—a mixed relay race where couples, parents and their children, siblings and friends could sign up to compete in the race as a team. This category aimed to build camaraderie within the UIPM Sports community, a theme in line with Singapore’s National Day celebrations. 

A spokesperson for the local organising committee said: “The event was very well received by the public and the enthusiastic supporters brought with them lots of positive vibes on the day.

“Thanks to prior experience, SIMPA was able to hold the event smoothly, and we are determined to make it bigger and better every year.

“The plan for next year is to start publicity for the event as early as January 2020 so that all participants can be better prepared and a better show can be put on come July or August.”

The GLRCT was created in 2017 to provide an entry point to UIPM Sports for people of all ages in urban communities around the world.

Another 100 cities have been selected in 2019 as hosts of the GLRCT or the Biathle/Triathle National Tour. The full calendar can be viewed at the UIPM website, where you can also find more information on UIPM’s various multi-discipline sports.

In September, the UIPM Laser Run World Championships will be incorporated into the Pentathlon World Championships for the first time in Budapest (HUN), where Laser Run is also on the programme for the 1st World Urban Games.

In December, Laser Run and Triathle will both feature for the first time in the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.

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