President’s Challenge Night 2024: President Tharman to try scoring goal against Hassan Sunny, Ronan Keating announced as headliner

In June this year, ex-national goalkeeper Hassan Sunny made 11 saves in Singapore’s World Cup qualifier match against Thailand.

How will he fare against President Tharman Shanmugaratnam?

In the upcoming fundraising TV show President’s Challenge Night, formerly known as President’s Star Charity, Guest of Honour President Tharman will attempt to score a penalty kick against Hassan.

In a statement released by Mediacorp today (Sept 10), President Tharman said: “The President’s Challenge Night celebrates the power of joining hands, so that everyone can aspire, rise above the challenges they face, and contribute the best they can.”

The show, hosted by TV presenter Steven Chia and radio DJ Yasminne Cheng, will also feature performances by both international and local stars, with Irish singer Ronan Keating from the group Boyzone headlining the two-hour event.

Local singers Rahimah Rahim and Deborah Choi, accompanied by singing collective Silver Voices, will perform old hits such as How Deep is Your Love, Can’t Help Falling in Love and Stand By Me.

Together with music and theatre company Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, actress Zoe Tay will blend Chinese and Indian Bharatanatyam dance elements in the Chinese classic tale Butterfly Lovers.

For the first time, Mediacorp is also holding a 12-hour relay President’s Challenge Walkathon where two teams will clock over 90km in two routes on Oct 6.

Actors like Rebecca Lim and Pierre Png as well as radio DJs Mike Kasem, Aura Shai and Mohamed Rafi will be in attendance.

The event will be flagged off by President Tharman at The Turning Point Halfway House and the teams will also make stops at selected organisations backed by President’s Challenge 2024 in an effort to increase understanding of Singapore’s social service landscape.

At these stops, they will learn more about the causes championed by these organisations and their work in supporting vulnerable groups.

The walkathon will then conclude at Mediacorp and be featured as a key segment in President’s Challenge Night 2024.

The show will air Oct 6 at 7.30pm on Channel 5, Mewatch, Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube and Mediacorp’s TikTok page.

Give to the President’s Challenge Donation Drive via mediacorp.sg/pc or scan the QR code that will be shown on-screen during President’s Challenge Night 2024.

All proceeds from the President’s Challenge Donation Drive will aid the 65 benefitting organisations backed by President’s Challenge 2024. These include Club Heal, a charity that supports the societal reintegration of individuals with mental health issues; Singapore Disability Sports Council, the national sports body for persons with disabilities which aims to transform lives through sport as a form of rehabilitative therapy and means to realise potentials; and Touch Community Services, a multi-service organisation spanning a spectrum of communal causes.