Well, depends to whom you give the glory for the medal.
Singapore worked for 48 years, STTA have been working for
don't know how many years, then come this Silver medal. and the
players, come here one year and get silver medal in olympics, they
must be good, but even they don't take the whole credit for
themselves.
Yes, some of the players are new in our team, but they have
taken the decision to fulfil the dream even to the extent of
migrating to the country who accept their dream. They have gone a
long way in fulfilling their dream. Many players work their whole
life but win nothing, guess they had wasted their time lah... this
is not sporting spirit.
Tiger Woods started playing golf at 2 yrs old, Michael Phelps
started swimming at 7...what they went through, lost time for
social life, studies, vigourous training, overcoming injuries....if
they don't make it, you won't know they exist. Now you know
there is a Li Jia Wei, Feng Tian Wei, Wang Yue Gu, and Tan Hao
Liang, at least in Singapore.
Somebody wrote in the papers today, "In olympic, big countries
look for results, small countries value their participation;
The real Olympic spirit values involvement more than winning
medals; in life, how you live your life matters more than what
you achieve." and being involved is more than just going there,
join in the opening and closing ceremony .
The singapore table tennis team, the STTA have shown Singaporean
that we have the facilities, we have the world standard training,
world class coaches and everything you need to be a world
class table tennis players, are singaporean inspired, motivated,
enough to do your own part for the game, especially those true blue
Singaporean, born in Singapore? If somebody can do
it with just one year as Singaporean, what more can you
do, having born and grow up in Singapore?
If these people can't, then they can argue against FT,
call it fake medals, blah blah blah, until their face turned
green, nobody will remember who they are, true blue
singaporean with green face, hahaha.
In the mean time, the three paddlers will be
remembered, together with Tan Hao Liang, as Singapore's
olympic medalists, in the new history of Singapore,
and Singaporean, born here or otherwise, will continue to
rejoice with them.
you write much but says little.
1. "singapore worked for 48yrs to get a olympic medal". you
claim to be living in singapore all these while? singapore, until
is last 8 years or so, literally `bo hiu' sports. the "sports
for all" motto says it all.
2. "Many players work
their whole life but win nothing, guess they had wasted their time
lah... this is not sporting spirit." with this
kind of comment, i take it that you don't do sports at all.
that much is revealed about you.
3. players train their whole life. you write it well.
singapore got them over, at least the 2 of them, and in less than
12 months, claim credit for its success. that goes against
what you said. this is a (BIG) loophole in the rules. the
international table tennis association should at least impose a
12months stay period for eligibility. singapore did well to spot
this loophole.
4. correction, tan howe liang is remembered only once every
4 years.
rogue trader, jordan belfort once wrote something to this
effect, " when i first cross the line (committed the crime), i was
a little vary of it. but after a while, i was so far out from the
line that my instinct tells me to heck it and go all the way". btw,
jordon got caught; wrote an amazingly funny, tell
all book called the "wolf of wall street". singapore is in a
similar predicament. it cross the line (though not
illegally) by getting all foreigners, 2 of which are literally
newly minted citizens to help her win an olympic silver. after a
while, these sports policy maker will think that it is not so bad
at all, since glories is what is the end state. when the mojority
of singapore sports then start to rain in the medals, all but using
foreigners, then singapore will be numbed to all
these `quick fixes'. personally, i won't celebrate such
success.
