Latest news with #Rosti
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
SEA Games gold on their minds as S'pore Floorball Association appoints Pasi Rosti as men's coach
Pasi Rosti, the new coach of the Singapore men's floorball team, during a training session at Our Tampines Hub on June 27. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – Underlining their ambition to bring back the SEA Games gold, the Singapore Floorball Association (SFA) has appointed Finnish coach Pasi Rosti to take charge of the men's team. While the men emerged champions when floorball made its Games debut on home soil in 2015, they had to settle for a silver and a bronze in 2019 and 2023 respectively, the only other times when the sport was included in the biennial meet. The 45-year-old Rosti, who has experience coaching teams in Finland and Germany, said he is honoured and excited to help take Singapore floorball to the next level. The team had just won the Asia Oceania Floorball Confederation (AOFC) Cup earlier in June, but Rosti wants to raise the bar even higher as he seeks to restore the Republic to the top of the podium at the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand. To do that, the team need to be even better because the level of opponents will be higher, he added. 'The bigger thing is that the demand is going to change, because right now they are good floorball players, but they need to be elite players,' said Rosti. 'So that's something that we try to build, and that means that the expectation level is going to be a lot higher than what it's been so far.' Even though his appointment, which was announced on June 16, comes less than six months to the biennial Games, he remains unfazed having already spent time in the SFA coaching set-up since 2024. He was the women's team assistant coach in March, during their victorious AOFC qualifying campaign in Singapore for the Dec 6-14 world championships in the Czech Republic. He would also be familiar with some of the young players in the men's team as he was with the youth side that went to the boys' Under-19 world championships in Switzerland in April. He said that competition, in which the Singapore boys finished 14th out of 16, was also a good experience, 'because they are the next generation that's going to be involved in the senior level in the near future'. The change in personnel comes after former coach Sonia Chia guided world No. 17 Singapore to the AOFC Cup with a last-gasp 8-7 win over 13th-ranked Thailand in the final in China earlier in June. SFA president Ben Ow said: 'The key focus point of this season is the SEA Games and Sonia has definitely done well, and in fact, bringing back the (SEA Games) title is something that she's definitely capable of. 'But to enhance the plan, we were sure that certain skill sets need to be brought in, therefore we decided to bring in Pasi. 'Sonia will still be part of the set-up, we're just finding where she can help to groom the next batch of talent.' Singapore men's floorball training session at Our Tampines Hub on June 27. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR Men's captain Thaddeus Tan said that the change came as a surprise to the team, as it was Chia who announced it in the dressing room after their AOFC triumph. The 26-year-old said: 'The room fell silent and we didn't really know how to respond because, at least to me personally, it seemed quite unexpected. 'I honestly don't really know what to make of the timing of the switch, but I'm pretty sure the association has their own plans and what Pasi brings is that he has European floorball experience. 'He's able to help us develop and hopefully take us one step ahead in preparation for the upcoming SEA Games.' On the timing of the change, Ow added: 'After every campaign, there will be an evaluation. And Sonia had been taking the team for the AOFC for some time, so I think that was the only plausible time to bring in before the selection (trials) for the SEA Games. 'Definitely, I think the players will be a bit shocked. But there is no best timing.' Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Metro
09-05-2025
- Business
- Metro
New direct train could link UK to Switzerland in five hours
British travellers are one step closer to getting a direct train to Switzerland — with significantly slashed journey times. Most passengers travelling by rail between St Pancras and Geneva change trains and stations in Paris, leading to a total journey time of around seven-and-a-half hours. This could be reduced to five hours if services ran direct. And, once in Geneva, tourists can hop on and off the city's extensive transport network without paying a penny. Anyone staying in approved accommodation, whether that be a hotel, youth hostel, or campsite, is entitled to the city's Transport Card for free travel for the duration of their stay. The UK and Switzerland have now reached an agreement in a bid to resolve obstacles to the rail link, including border controls and Channel Tunnel safety regulations, the Department for Transport (DfT) said. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander held talks on the issue with Swiss transport minister Albert Rosti at London's St Pancras station on Thursday. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. Ms Alexander hailed the signing of the agreement as 'an important day' but acknowledged there is 'a lot of detail to work through' before services begin. Asked for a timeline, she said said: 'It's not going to be within the next 12 months, but if we can make this happen I think it will be a fantastic thing for our two countries.' Mr Rosti predicted that progress on the route will not be 'as fast as I would like', but insisted it is 'really likely' that services will launch in five to 10 years. He said the link would be competitive to air travel. Flights from Heathrow to Geneva take one hour and 40 minutes, but factoring in security queues and commuting time to and from airports, a direct train could be faster all told. Rail travel is enjoying a renaissance, with more people swapping flights for the romance of slow, scenic and sustainable journeys on land. Metro has rounded up the most beautiful train routes to travel in 2025. Whether you're looking for an under-the-radar adventure or a luxurious sleeper train, there's something for everyone. Read the full list of destinations here or get inspired by the highlights below: Cannes to Menton, France – A coastal journey along the French Riviera. The Bernina Express, Switzerland and Italy – A Unesco-listed journey through the Alps that crosses the famous Landwasser Viaduct. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – A route from Paris to Istanbul immortalised in cinema through Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express. Mr Rosti also noted the potential environmental benefits, saying: 'If you can fill one train with 1,000 people, you can reduce the number of flights from Switzerland by five.' A joint working group will be established bringing together government and industry experts from the UK and Switzerland to examine how to overcome commercial and technical barriers to launching train services. It will hold its first meeting in the coming months, according to the DfT. Robert Sinclair, chief executive of London St Pancras Highspeed, which owns St Pancras station and the high-speed line to the Channel Tunnel, said: 'This exciting announcement brings us one step closer to direct high-speed services between London and Switzerland, building on the preliminary work already undertaken to ensure that station access and routes are in place to make this a reality.' Eurostar boss Gwendoline Cazenave said the operator has introduced the ability for passengers to buy tickets for travel between London and several Swiss cities in a single booking, adding: 'This is a first step in a wider plan with our partners to grow connections in the greenest way.' Eurostar holds a monopoly in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, but several organisations are developing plans to launch rival services. In March, Virgin Group announced there were 'no more major hurdles to overcome' before it can begin operating. The company made the positive claim after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirmed that Eurostar's Temple Mills maintenance depot could be used by other train operators. The depot, trains can maintained and stored, is crucial for other operators to be able to compete. The ORR confirmed that 'operational and maintenance arrangements' could be made to make this possible. One month later, a new potential rival emerged: Italy's national state-owned railway company, which could turn the whole game on its head. 'This weekend I went to Paris for 24 hours and did not pay a single penny for my train, there or back. And, I went in business class.' That's the claim made by Lucy Josephs, a 25-year-old influencer who describes herself as your 'type B travel bestie' on TikTok. It sounds too good to be true, but for once in this life, Metro has discovered that it's very much fact — if you sign up as a mystery shopper. Read more about Lucy's budget hack here. Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS Group) says it will launch a new high-speed rail service between London and Paris by 2029 that would compete with Eurostar. The group, which is a co-owner of Avanti West Coast, could extend the route to Marseilles, Lyon and Milan, and is also looking at a possible reopening of Ashford International in Kent. Eurostar stopped calling at the station March 2020 due to Covid. Fares on the rail link between the UK and France have soared since the pandemic, but passengers can soon look forward to a change in the game. There are now six players vying to compete with Eurostar's dominance over the Channel Tunnel — and experts are welcoming the fight. 'Any competition is good competition, a new player would obviously help to bring rail fares down,' Zoe Adjey, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of East London, told Metro. She says it's high time that the UK levels up its rail services, both at home and abroad. More Trending 'When you think back 30 years ago when we first got Eurostar at Waterloo, you should have been able to move to Manchester at the same speed – that never happened,' she notes. 'The rail industry hasn't done what they were supposed to be doing.' Ms Alexander said the government 'wants to see a competitive and thriving international rail market' and is keen to work with London St Pancras Highspeed to 'maximise the opportunities' of the Channel Tunnel. London St Pancras Highspeed has said the line to the tunnel is operating at about 50% capacity. MORE: The buzzy European city crowned the world's most walkable — with £4 beers MORE: The 'Garden of Europe' is 27C in May — and you can fly there for £15 MORE: 'Don't tell everyone': Your favourite lesser-known European cities that aren't Paris or Berlin
