Leanne Bats, head of digital innovation at Sport Waikato, visited Singapore to explore how the city-state is shaping the future of sport and recreation, with a particular focus on esports, active gaming, digital engagement and hybrid movement models. Supported by a grant from the Foundation’s Sports Leaders Fund, her 10-day visit aimed to understand how younger generations are being engaged through technology and what lessons could be applied in New Zealand. While she initially travelled for insights into esports and innovation, she ultimately found that Singapore’s greatest strength lies in how deliberately it has embedded movement, play and access to green space into everyday life.
Her visit began with a firsthand experience of esports at BLAST IV, a major Dota 2 tournament that showcased the scale, energy and professionalism of competitive gaming. With its theatre-style atmosphere, strong broadcast production and millions of hours watched, the event demonstrated that esports can deliver the same intensity, excitement and audience engagement as traditional live sport. For Bats, it was clear evidence that esports is already a legitimate and powerful part of the future sports landscape, especially for younger generations.
She also visited innovative recreation spaces such as SuperPark, an indoor adventure playground where movement is built into game-based activities, and Sparkd, a “brain gym” that combines physical exercise with cognitive challenges like reaction, memory and dual-tasking. Both spaces illustrated how play, instant feedback and gamified design can make physical activity more engaging and enjoyable without feeling like formal exercise. At Sparkd, Bats also discussed with founder Anna Milani how technology can create more personalised and responsive movement experiences, including the future possibility of compact “nano gyms” that use real-time assessment and guidance.
Beyond these examples of digital activation, Bats observed how Singapore uses technology in public settings to make movement more attractive and fun. From a Pokémon Go-themed shopping mall activation to a digital trail in the Botanic Gardens that turns a family walk into a series of small quests, she saw how digital tools can transform physical effort into enjoyable experiences. These examples reinforced the idea that technology can be most effective when it supports and enhances movement, rather than replacing it.
However, the most significant insight from her trip was the broader urban system that makes physical activity feel natural and unavoidable. In Singapore, walking, cycling and outdoor movement are built into daily routines by design. The Park Connector Network, a citywide system of green corridors, links homes, schools, MRT stations, waterfronts, gardens and neighbourhood centres, making active travel both practical and appealing. Features such as shaded pathways, wide walkways, covered links and child-friendly crossings ensure that people can move comfortably through the city in all kinds of conditions.
Along these routes, parks and public spaces are positioned as welcoming places to pause, rest and spend time. Seating, water access, workout equipment and thoughtfully placed public art all contribute to a sense of wellbeing and encourage people to stay outdoors longer. Bats noted that even the winding design of pathways plays a role, inviting exploration rather than simply moving people from one point to another. This creates opportunities for play, relaxation and small moments of connection, showing how city design can quietly increase physical activity and reduce stress at a community scale.
She also attended the Urban Sport and Fitness Festival, where climbing, CrossFit, HYROX and other lifestyle sports were staged across connected locations throughout the city. The event reflected the same design philosophy seen elsewhere in Singapore: combining movement, fun, accessibility and public energy. By placing events within an interconnected urban environment, the city enables participation and spectator engagement in ways that feel dynamic and inclusive.
Bats concluded that Singapore’s long-term vision has been central to this success. Through planning models such as “Garden City,” “City in a Garden” and “City in Nature,” Singapore has consistently treated access to greenery, outdoor spaces and movement-friendly infrastructure as essential public health assets. Over time, this has made everyday physical activity feel like a normal part of life rather than something that must be scheduled or formally organised.
Reflecting on New Zealand, Bats noted that while the country is proud of its strong sporting culture and organised competition pathways, communities report that walking is their most common form of activity. Her key takeaway is that the definition of sport should be broadened to include walking, cycling, public play and movement encouraged by good design. She believes New Zealand has an opportunity to build on these lessons and potentially lead in the next stage of sport innovation by combining strong physical activity culture with more advanced digital integration in the future.
