SINGAPORE, Dec 7 — The organisers of an obstacle-course race apologised on Tuesday (Dec 6) in the midst of a backlash from intending participants over an almost three-year delay in holding the event. They are fuming after paying up to S$150 (RM486) for tickets, which have not been refunded.
Organisers said that they will work towards hosting the Spartan Race in Singapore in the third quarter of 2023. The event was founded in the United States in 2010 and is held in various countries around the globe. It was first held here in 2015, and the last time the event ran here was in 2019.
The competition, which was supposed to have been held on Sentosa Island in March 2020, was initially postponed to November that year in light of the Covid-19 restrictions that were imposed at that time.
However, in November 2020, with the pandemic still raging on and group size limits were still in place, the race was postponed again.
After that, the organisers did not provide any updates on the possible new date for the event until Tuesday, more than two years later.
Participants who spoke to TODAY said that there were no refunds offered, only deferments to a later race, and that attempts to reach out to the race organisers, Asia Spartan Race, did not give them answers as to when the next race will be.
They were also frustrated that other venues overseas such as Malaysia and Hong Kong have been able to hold their own Spartan Races this year, but Singapore has yet to do so despite Covid-19 restrictions easing months ago.
Checks by TODAY on the event organisers' social media channels showed that dozens of would-be participants were leaving scathing comments demanding an update on when the race will be held, or if they would be getting their money back.
Participants told TODAY that they had spent as much as S$150 each to join the race.
Logistical challenges, no refund policy
Asia Spartan Race took to its Facebook Page, Spartan Race Singapore, to say on Tuesday that it is "working hard with the relevant authorities and stakeholders" to hold the next race in Singapore in the third quarter of next year.
The post was published a day after TODAY reached out to Asia Spartan Race with queries on Monday.
It wrote: "We know that an apology is only words, but from the bottom of our hearts, we sincerely apologise for the long wait. We are working towards standing up our next race for you in Q3 (the third quarter) of 2023."
Another update will be provided early next year, it said.
"We know many of you have credits from the postponed race and are anxious to get back out on course," it added. "There are a number of obstacles that our team has run into that we are actively working to overcome."
It was referring to organisational obstacles, which included Singapore's small land area with "limited venue options".
"In order to deliver the best event that we can for you, we continue to search for a venue that has both the required space and proper land terrain to deliver a safe and rewarding customer experience for our Spartan community."
The 2019 iteration of the Spartan Race was held at Turf City here.
There were also many logistical challenges and restrictions on top of finding the correct venue, the post stated.
Responding to questions from TODAY, Mr Elvin Lim, director of Asia Spartan Race, said that other than securing the venue, the obstacles themselves — which may include barbed wire and walls — will have to be transported to Singapore, since they are usually shipped around the world for other races overseas.
"Currently, the third quarter (of 2023) is the window discussed with global (organisers) due to the availability of the obstacles," Mr Lim said. "We don’t want to miss the window, so we will push hard (to hold the race)."
He added that based on the terms and conditions of the event, there will be no refunds offered to participants, only deferments. "All participants have to acknowledge the terms and conditions during the registration process."
Asked why goodwill refunds were not provided, Mr Lim replied: "We have always been committed to kickstarting the race again after the pandemic... As Spartan Singapore, we’re just following the policy from (the global branch) of Spartan Race."
He also said that Sentosa would be the "first option" as a venue to hold the race but no agreement has yet been reached, and that the organisers are open to other venues.
'I felt cheated'
Participants interviewed by TODAY said that the lengthy postponement of the race and the lack of communication from the organisers over a period of close to three years had left them frustrated.
University student See Kai Jun, 23, said: "There was no update at all, but other countries were having their own (Spartan) events.
"(The organisers) should have given some update on whether the Singapore one is happening or not. That's something very simple."
He added that he had signed up with his father, and the duo had paid S$120 each to enter the race.
"My father says he feels too old now, and may not do the race even if it comes back."
Another participant, a Bruneian who gave his name as just Iskandar, said that the uncertainty is even more frustrating for him because he has to make plans to fly from Brunei to Singapore if he wants to take part in the race.
The 37-year-old banker had paid about S$150 for the race, and said he found it hard to believe that the organisers could not firm up a date for the event, given that it has been almost three years since the originally scheduled date for the event.
He also said that he had reached out to the organisers since last year and to ask about the possibility of refunds or an update for the next race.
"At first, they replied me (promising more updates in the future) and I felt great, but after that, they started to ignore me and I felt cheated."
TODAY reached out to Sentosa Development Corporation, but it was unable to reply to queries. TODAY understands that it is in discussion with the organisers about holding the event in future. — TODAY
