Sports Minutes with Zia-ul Raushan

Despite being 38 and supposedly in the twilight of his career, Cristiano Ronaldo shows no signs of letting up topping the 2023 goal scorers' charts, with 40 goals for club and country - taking his career tally to 859! Well we had to go out and get a bonafide goalscorer to get his opinion - and who else but a man who scored 363 goals in a 27 year-career, including 24 for his adopted home of Singapore. And mind you, the first in his national team colours came when he was 37-years young! It’s the one and only, Aleksandar Duric. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Developed to introduce students to F1 in the most engaging way possible – through the creation of a miniature F1 car – F1 in Schools is an educational project like no other. Designed for teachers, informed by engineers, and endorsed by F1, this programme gives students an insight into the fast lanes; and provides a lot of fun on the way there.  We speak to the two members of the XCLerate Racing team from the XCL World Academy, David Fiore Lopez & Lina Kagawa - two 17-year olds who took part in the 2023 F1 in Schools World Final to find out more! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore defeated Guam 3-1 over two legs, to secure progress to the next stage of qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Despite getting over the line, the manner of the victory against continental minnows Guam, who are ranked 201st in the world - has raised more questions about Takayuki Nishigaya's tenure as Lions' head coach. Deepanraj Ganesan, sports reporter with The Straits Times, joins us to discuss and dissect the road to ahead.   READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/lions-make-second-round-of-world-cup-qualifiers-after-3-1-aggregate-win-over-guam Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Singapore Aquatics is set to honour the men and women who have contributed to its achievements with an Aquatics Hall of Fame  - to be launched in 2024. The Hall of Fame’s inauguration will be part of the 85th anniversary celebrations of SAQ, the body for swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming. To find out more we speak to Mark Chay, president of Singapore Aquatics. READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/singapore-aquatics-to-launch-hall-of-fame-in-2024-to-honour-local-greats Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

For these former national women’s team football team players, walking is the new running as they take on a modified version of the beautiful game. We speak to two members of the “4 Ever Young The Legends” team - captain 67-year old Madam Maimun Wahab and 22-year old Ms Nur Hanis Amira, to find out more! READ MORE: https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2023/10/walking-football-singapore/index.html?shell Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Flying the flag for the Lion City in Indonesia, Jacob Mahler is seemingly living up to his much talked about potential. But what are the perks of playing abroad, and how does he deal with the pressure that comes with representing the nation? We speak to Singapore footballer and Madura United defender Jacob Mahler ahead of the Lions' crunch World Cup Qualifier against Guam to find out more. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

When we talk about eSports more often than not we envision being sat on a couch with a controller in hand. What could be so taxing about that? Well, with the burgeoning interest and influx of money into the world of gaming - the pressure to perform is at an all-time high. Beyond gaming, eSports athletes have also become brand ambassadors - which in itself ramps up the pressure. So how do they cope?We speak to Charlie Bailie, Chief Strategy Officer of Ampverse - which is Asia’s largest ecosystem of gaming communities and IP, to find out more! Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

In his first media interview since being elected FAS President, Bernard Tan sat down with The Straits Times to share why he decided to step up, what the scene needs to do to measure up to others in the region and what changes local football fans can look forward to. But are the fans convinced? Well we assembled a panel of members from the fraternity - Deepanraj Ganesan, sports reporter with The Straits Times, Faris, a founding member of Singa Brigade and Jose Raymond, former journalist with SPH Media and currently a public relations and policy strategist at a regional PR firm - to respond to Bernard's interview and discuss the road ahead. Bernard Tan's interview with The Straits Times: https://youtu.be/sWVpW5M2TH0?si=K9ywJSvY9rp0Dm94 Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Arguably one of the most-played console game of all time for football lovers the world over, FIFA is now known as EAFC24 - after ending a long-standing partnership with the game's governing body, and venturing into a brave new world under new name and new guise. But has the change on the cover had a knock-on effect on the gameplay? Jake Su, games editor with Geek Culture, shares his observations. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg

Newcastle's meteoric rise under Eddie Howe continues - as the Magpies thumped PSG 4-1 to cap a memorable night in the Champions League. In stark contrast, ten Hag's troubles continues - as Manchester United lost their 6th match in 10 games this season, falling to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Galatasaray. Tune in as we discuss and dissect both the clubs, and the road ahead. Got a story to tell? Get in touch with us! edanker@sph.com.sg | raushan@sph.com.sg