SINGAPORE – The Republic will host the 2021 Asian Open Sport Stacking Championships for the second time in December.
The World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA) announced on Friday (July 2) that the event will be staged online, a first for the competition. WSSA Singapore had also hosted the Asian region of the 2021 World Sport Stacking Championships online on April 11.
According to WSSA Singapore, the Asian Open will see some 420 representatives from a record 13 countries, including the host, competing. That is two more than the previous high of 11, which was also set in Singapore, in 2017.
In the competition, contestants are tasked with up-stacking and down-stacking specially designed plastic cups in various prescribed pyramidal patterns.
The events will see stackers race against the clock alone (individual), in pairs (doubles) and in quartets (relays). There will also be a “Stack of Champions” event, where the top three male stackers and the top three female stackers in the individual categories will be given the chance to beat their personal best times they achieved in the competition.
Allan Ong, ambassador of WSSA Singapore and tournament director, said that Singapore’s experience in hosting online events, from the World Championships to the regularly staged JustStack competitions, were factors in Singapore being named the host for the 2021 Asian Open.
The 47-year-old said: “We have experience in catering countries with different language preferences, different time zones.”
While WSSA Singapore is still selecting its candidates, he is confident that the Singaporean stackers’ experience in an online tournament will help them better prepare for this competition, which will take place on Dec 4-5 and Dec 11-12.
He said: “I believe they are better prepared this time around and will do better than the World Championships.”
At the World Championships Asian region event, Singapore’s Rachelle Tan was third in the individual category while Joshua Tan and Shane Yeo finished ninth in the doubles competition.
This is the first Asian Open since 2019 as the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.