Yoga will be one of the main sports on Singapore’s first pop-up urban beach which is being laid out in the Marina Bay Financial Centre, reports the Press Trust of India ( PTI ).

“The stand-up yoga and stand-up paddling will be conducted in the 15m knee-deep pool of the man-made beach. It will be a part of the South-East Asia (SEA) Games being held next month,” said Karen McGregor, senior vice-president of marketing and communications at DBS, a leading Singapore bank.

Tapping on the growing trend of urban beaches across the world, DBS aims to transform Singapore’s new financial district and to bring more people down to the bay to watch the 28th SEA Games races.

Traditional dragon boat and sailing races will also be held during the regional Games being hosted by Singapore in June this year.

The task of creating a man-made beach in the heart of one of the world’s leading financial centres will be no mean feat as the organisers spread out 28,000kg of sand over 300 man-hours, said McGregor.

The aim is to create a ‘true’ beach environment in the Marina Bay, home of international businesses and financial institutions.

A wide range of social sporting activities will be organised on the beach, which is based on a popular concept for transforming urban landscapes in international cities such as Paris, Berlin, Prague, Brussels and Toronto.

This is the first time that the urban beach will be set up in Singapore, she said.

- Bernama