Hard Tackle

Hear why he decided to step up, and what the scene needs to do to measure up to others in the region. Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. A 4-1 loss to Malaysia at the national level, a 7-0 thumping at the hands of their Malaysian counterparts at the SEA Games. These are just two o...

Local race driver Yuey Tan previews the race and reveals what it takes to be in motorsport. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. It’s that time of the year where the sound of engines roaring, the sight of race cars zooming past the Marina Bay Circuit and the smell of burnt tyres are in full flow as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix...

Should fans welcome it or be concerned? And why? Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. A new dawn for football in the Gulf kingdom kicked off in August 2023, as the league took its first bold steps towards becoming a force to be reckoned with in world football. Football is currently...

How high-level women's MMA and the respect for women in sport is growing globally. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. Regarded by many as the greatest female strawweight mixed martial arts athlete of all time, Joanna Jedrzejczyk has given fans a number of memorable moments inside the octagon.  The former long-time UFC Women’s Straw...

Hear why the European eco-system is more relatable to Singaporeans than the local scene. Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. The Festival of Football is in town as Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich play pre-season friendlies at Singapore’s National Stad...

Victoria School's floorball team shares how to help student-athletes achieve on and off the court. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. It is not quite the Olympics or the Fifa World Cup but the National School Games (NSG) in Singapore captures the imagination and frenzy all the same. Whatever the sport, whether it is football, rugby...

Are football's super-rich owners killing the game? We discuss if fans should care. Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. Manchester United fans around the world are mostly ecstatic that the Glazers may finally sell the club. The American family’s ownership of the club has been marred...

Our expert guests recap the season and look at what Man City's rivals can do to depose them.  Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. The 2022/2023 English Premier League (EPL) campaign concluded with Manchester City successfully defending their crown. Arsenal had a lot to shout about during the season but ultimately came up short.  But...

Shanti reflects on her own personal identity and purpose, regardless of whether she's a sprint queen or not. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. Sprint queen Shanti Pereira was back in Singapore after her achievements in Cambodia at the 2023 SEA Games and she has finally had time to reflect back on her history- making feats in 2023....

Hear from medallists Teh May Yong and Noah Lim too, in this podcast. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. The region’s biggest sporting event kicked off on May 5th in Cambodia and the biennial event - which runs till May 17th - has already brought the Republic some unforgettable moments, including Shanti Pereira’s successful 200m tit...

Join our discussion to hear if the biennial event is still relevant in 2023? Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. The region’s biggest sporting event will get underway in Cambodia as athletes from South-east Asia battle for top honours at the May 5-17 SEA Games. Singaporeans will be...

Why change in mindset and culture is needed from players, coaches, administrators, and even parents and schools. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. The Unleash The Roar! (UTR) project was announced in 2021 with various long-term initiatives to uplift Singapore football, and help rally the nation behind a shared dream of achieving s...

Can Singapore's only Olympic champion ever make a comeback? Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. For the first time since his 2011 debut, Joseph Schooling will not represent Singapore at the Cambodia SEA Games in May. After withdrawing from the swim team headed for Cambodia, the Rep...

Discover the journey of a five-time LPGA Tour winner. Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. The HSBC Women’s World Championship was back in Singapore at the start of the month where most of the world’s top 20 golfers – and all of last season’s Major champions – battled for honours in the March 2-5 event. In this episode, ST Sports rep...

Find out why the local talent pipeline has failed for now. Synopsis: Every fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times dives into a sports topic and tackles the hard questions with its guests on Hard Tackle. In the first episode of a brand new spin-off series called Hard Tackle, ST Sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan is joined by former Singapore national team centreback R Sasikumar and Singapo...

Will reaching this summit change how tchoukball is received in Singapore? Synopsis: The Straits Times looks at talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month. In this episode, ST Sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan chats with Tchoukball Association of Singapore president Delane Lim and women’s team captain Irene Tan. On Jan 1, the Singapore women’s tchoukball team made history by overta...

How does this event set up the year of tennis ahead? Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second and fourth Wednesday of the month. In this episode, Sazali Abdul Aziz chats with ST assistant sports editor Rohit Brijnath, who is on the ground at Melbourne Park covering the Australian Open. Rohit discusses the tournament’s withdrawals and shocks - including Rafa Nada...

Ben Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, chats with us in Singapore. Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second and fourth Wednesday of the month.  In this episode, ST’s assistant sports editor Rohit Brijnath chats with Ben Ainslie, a legendary sailor with five successive Olympic medals from 1996 to 2012, four of them gold. He has been world ch...

Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second and fourth week of the month.  In this episode, ST’s Sazali Abdul Aziz chats with sports desk colleagues David Lee and Deepanraj Ganesan as they dissect Singapore’s group stage exit at the recent Asean Football Federation Championship - their fourth in five editions - and what the Lions have to do to pick up the pieces fr...

Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second and fourth week of the month. Fans from across Asean will shift their attention from events in Qatar to South-east Asia's premier football tournament when the 2022 AFF Championship gets underway from Dec 20 till Jan 16, 2023. The biennial football competition is organised by the Asean Football Federation (AFF). Six-time c...

Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second and fourth week of the month. In this episode, ST’s sports correspondent Sazali Abdul Aziz, reporting from the ground at the World Cup in Doha, chats with ST football columnist John Brewin, based in London. They review Lionel Messi and Argentina’s incredible final win over France, their highlights of the tournament, and t...

Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second and fourth week of the month. Seismic shocks, upsets, last-minute winners and former champions crashing out. In terms of the football on show, the World Cup in Qatar has already been one of the most memorable and incredible tournaments in its 92-year history - and it's not done yet. In this episode, Straits Times sports c...

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport. Assistant sports editor Jonathan Wong sits down with Lilian Thuram, former World Cup winner-turned-human rights activist and author. Thuram is regarded as one of the finest defenders of his generation and Les Bleus' most capped player. He chats about his latest book, White Thinking, whi...

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport. With the World Cup kicking off on Nov 20, ST Sports Talk looks at what you can expect in Qatar. Sports correspondent Sazali Abdul Aziz - who will be on the ground covering the tournament - chats with features editor for ST Video, Jonathan Roberts, and sports reporter Deepanraj Ganesan a...

Synopsis: Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport. ST Sports Talk welcomes sporting royalty in this episode in the form of four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, widely regarded as one of the greatest cyclists of all time. Speaking to Sazali Abdul Aziz and Kimberly Kwek from his residence in Monaco, Froome talks about his road to...