National Stadium seats that move: Fans get closer to the action at Singapore Rugby Sevens

SINGAPORE: Fans not only get to enjoy an expanded Singapore Rugby Sevens tournament this year – thousands of them are also getting much closer to the action, thanks to an integrated moving tier system at the National Stadium.

By moving 1,500 tonnes of structure, this system can push 24,000 lower-tier seats 12.7m nearer to the pitch.

Support structures ensure the new setup is stable, while concrete slabs fill the gap in the stands to create another concourse area.

These seats, comprising almost half of the 55,000 seats in the National Stadium, have been hoisted above the track, which is usually used for track and field events.

The Singapore Sevens, which kicked off on Friday (May 3), is taking place over three days instead of the usual two.

It caps off the World Rugby Sevens Series 2023-24 season and will decide the league winners. Organisers added more matches for a new women’s competition this year, with 12 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams vying for titles.

It took slightly over a week of hard work and coordination to gear the stadium up for the tournament, which follows a busy calendar of concerts – including American megastar Taylor Swift’s six sold-out shows – and other sports events.

The week-long period included ensuring the safety and security of those involved in the stadium conversion, said Mr Yazed Osman, group head of events and placemaking at Kallang Alive Sport Management, which manages the Singapore Sports Hub where the National Stadium is located.

The work also required close coordination of manpower, technical resources and machinery.

“There's a lot of challenges, definitely,” Mr Yazed told CNA.

“But we have the expertise and the experience to transform the facility in a seamless manner to coordinate the