That is one sentence that sums all of my thoughts of the bronze Olympic medal.
Why? As an individual table-tennis player, Feng Tianwei deserved every praise and 'hurray' for her skills and prowess. It is no mean feat to get an Olympic medal albeit a bronze. Well done! You deserved the SGD250,000 given to you.
As a player representing the Singapore team, I will NOT credit you anything. Zilch, kosong. If she were to say the SDG250,000 meant nothing as it is a national pride and returned the prize money, I'll call her true-blue Singaporean. It's not the money reward but she was 'bought' from the beginning. In fact she'll be in the China B-team or C-team and will never make it in her home country.
But then who will be dumb enough to reject quarter of a million? Surely not me - I'll keep every single cent.
Back to the topic, you may ask if I am belittling her efforts or making hard for her. Or perhaps I was wee bit too harsh.
In no way. I have already said she deserved every single cent to her as an INDIVIDUAL player but not a player representing Singapore.
C'mon readers, where is the pride? I don't really care if other countries import players or not. This is Singapore - where Tan Howe Liang and Fandi Ahmad made it inspite of the odds. Even my netball 'auntie' Ivy Singh Lim deserves every respect if she represented Singapore.
Truth be told, I literally cheered for Derek Wong (badminton) during his matches. Serious, ask missus. And I am deeply grateful for Jasmine Ser (shooter), Gary Yeo (sprinter), sailing team, etc for their Olympic contributions to this tiny nation.
Heck, I was cheering for Malaysian Lee CW (badminton) during his final match against Chinese Lin Dan! My prediction - Lee CW is gonna be No. 1 soon if he keeps up his form. Fantastic play!
I admire a true-blue sportsman/woman who is a home-grown talent and has made it big in name internally.
Does Roger Federer ring a bell? He hails from Switzerland, a country with a meagerly 7.9 million population size. What about Bjorn Rune Borg? A Sweddish by blood whose country is a mere 9.4 million in size. These are defintely not 'Goliath' countries of sports people but definitely 'Davids' in world tennis.
I am proud when they represented their countries in Olympics. Not some imported players with the propaganda and hoo-har of the media crowing about them hailing from Singapore and winning a medal. Hey, I still have to reward her with SGD250,000. Tax-payers' money, mind you. It's not as if the government had the cheek to ask if I wanted to reward her.
If you 'lofty ministers and elites' were to take a step back, you'll probably find the true-blue Singaporean spirit and loyalty to Singapore when we band up against your FT polices. Stop telling us to integrate with these imports, rather you should be telling them to integrate with us. If not, they can jolly-well crawl back to their origin countries.
With all the ra-ra speeches by ministers including my PM on integration, they can shaft the medal up theirs.
No offense, sirs.
22 comments:
I shared the same view. Every time when I see a home-grown winner weeps at the victory ceremony, my eyes become teary also. I was screaming/cheering our very own Gary Yeo in front of my TV when he was running for our Country and even though he did not win anything for us, I am grateful to him for training hard to do us/our country proud. But when I saw FTW at the victory ceremony representing Singapore, I do not feel any joy but just weird.
Stop being a hypocrite. You either proud of her or you don't. Don't try to sound balance when you are not!
She is in Olympic because of Singapore and she IS representing Singapore, period.
@sanzhi-laohu,
I am not proud of her. Period. There you go. I've said it. Gee... did I even sound balanced in my blog?
She is NOT representing Singapore. She is representing HERSELF.
If you want her to represent Singapore, she will not want to take a single cent from the Singapore she is fondly calling home. But she'll be a moron if she doesn't take the money. Who wouldn't?
Come to think of it, it's pretty pride-less when you say she is in Olympic because of Singapore. That shows she is 2nd or 3rd class player and in it just for the money. Do you ever think she'll come to Singapore if the government does not show her the money? That aside, the Singapore government is a dumb-koff to pay any person just to get a medal. No pride.
Hey each of us is entitled to our opinions. I'm not belittling her efforts or her skills. Just don't gloat that she is representing Singapore.
That much I will say - she doesn't represent me.
Chill,
Kaffein
PS. In all these, I have friends and colleagues from China. I meant no offense to anyone of them. In fact they know my stance in this pursue of Olympic medals and respect me for it.
You have proved my points. It's all about money she made. If she made no money, she is representing Singapore!
What kind of logic is this? Are you still living in the 1950s? Every sports person is paid one way or another, even athletes from very poor African countries. It's a matter of degree.
The Olympic medals cash award is opened to all representing Singapore, not just FTW and team. So don't begrudge her of making that money. She worked hard for it.
@sanzhi-laohu,
You wrote> You have proved my points. It's all about money she made. If she made no money, she is representing Singapore!
Kaffein> Your point is that you ARE correct. Did I ever say otherwise? Be it she was offered money or not, she does NOT represent singaore, or me to be precise. She's not going to represent me. Period.
Why? Purely she didn't come here on her own accord. She didn't come because she wants to call Singapore home. She came here purely because she is paid well. All of these are good. The Singapore government wants a medal and is willing to pay for one, she fits the bill and a contract is signed.
If Malaysia pays better, she will be a Malaysian. If Thailand pays better, she will be a Thai. See my point? Do you call that representing a country?
You wrote> What kind of logic is this? Are you still living in the 1950s? Every sports person is paid one way or another, even athletes from very poor African countries. It's a matter of degree.
Kaffein> Did I say paying an athlete is wrong? Since when and prove it to me. I have no qualms to pay for top athletes.
That said, the Singapore Olympic team is not a football club with the likes of Manchester United where the best players are paid top dollar. This is the Olympics. Do you even know what Olympics represent, my friend? By all means if a country grooms the athletes and gives them money incentives, I don't really care if the government gives them half the country.
You wrote> The Olympic medals cash award is opened to all representing Singapore, not just FTW and team. So don't begrudge her of making that money. She worked hard for it.
Kaffein> I'm going to reward those who can speak Spanish with SGD100,000. It is open to all Singaporean people.
You call that fair? Go figure.
That aside, listen to your comments, word for word. And then read my blog article. Did I begrudge her? All I said is that she deserves every single cent of what she is earning SGD250,000 et all. She provides a service, the SG government pays. All good and ends good.
She's a fantastic player. She is a nice person. But she's still playing for herself. My grouse is when the media starts crowing about how she represents Singapore. Huh, since when?
In my blog, did I ever belittle her effort? I think the unhappiness is against the government for importing players and paying them. Why don't the government give this amount of cash to each and every NS man serving Singaore. We put our lives in danger for the country. Now that is something. But the govenment has filtered to table-tennis, knowing that China is good at producing such players.
Still feel good about it? Think giving each NS man SGD250,000. I bet even a death in NS doesn't cost this much.
Anyway since when has Olympics become all about paying money for medals?
Gee, dude or lady. Take a breather and re-read my article. I have nothing against her. In fact she's a smart one to get the SGD250,000. Heck I'll even do a triathalon to get the money.
Chill down, dude (or lady).
Kaffein
Triathlon is not in the olympic program. Try something else, anything. When you are good enough to be in the Olympic, I will cheer myself hoarse for you to win that gold medal, just like the way I cheered on Feng TW.
Go for gold. A gold medal is worth much more than S$250K. If I am not wrong, it's a million bucks!
Dear Kaffein,
You asked me to re-read your blog post, so I did.
Kaffein:
Why? As an individual table-tennis player, Feng Tianwei deserved every praise and 'hurray' for her skills and prowess. It is no mean feat to get an Olympic medal albeit a bronze. Well done! You deserved the SGD250,000 given to you.
Sanzhi-Laohu:
Here you tried to sound rational and objective, but whatever else you wrote after this paragraph showed that you are not sincere in praising her and her deserving of the S$250,000 !
Kaffein:
As a player representing the Singapore team, I will NOT credit you anything. Zilch, kosong. If she were to say the SDG250,000 meant nothing as it is a national pride and returned the prize money, I'll call her true-blue Singaporean.
Sanzhi-Laohu:
This is the money-logic of yours that I found incredulous. If we reward her no prize money you can accept her as a true-blue Singaporean!!!!! If Gary Yeo or Jasmine Ser happened to win a medal, what should they do in order for you to take them as true-blue Singaporeans???? Must they also return the money???? Or they could just keep whatever prize money they were rewarded for????
Kaffein:
Back to the topic, you may ask if I am belittling her efforts or making hard for her. Or perhaps I was wee bit too harsh.
In no way. I have already said she deserved every single cent to her as an INDIVIDUAL player but not a player representing Singapore.
Sanzhi-Laohu:
This is your attempt at feeling good for yourself. So be it.
Kaffein:
C'mon readers, where is the pride? I don't really care if other countries import players or not. This is Singapore - where Tan Howe Liang and Fandi Ahmad made it inspite of the odds. Even my netball 'auntie' Ivy Singh Lim deserves every respect if she represented Singapore.
Truth be told, I literally cheered for Derek Wong (badminton) during his matches. Serious, ask missus. And I am deeply grateful for Jasmine Ser (shooter), Gary Yeo (sprinter), sailing team, etc for their Olympic contributions to this tiny nation.
Sanzhi-Laohu:
Other than you dont like imported sports talent that you have already clearly expressed before, I dont really know what you are trying to drive at here. Are you suggesting that those who cheered for FTW did not cheer for or respect the other Singapore sportsperson? Truth be told, there are people who are more open-minded and have accepted FTW as one of us. To us she walks among the Jasmine Ser, Gary Yeo...
Kaffein:
Heck, I was cheering for Malaysian Lee CW (badminton) during his final match against Chinese Lin Dan! My prediction - Lee CW is gonna be No. 1 soon if he keeps up his form. Fantastic play!
I admire a true-blue sportsman/woman who is a home-grown talent and has made it big in name internally.
Sanzhi-Laohu:
Here again you showed your bias against Chinese from PRC. Ain't Lin Dan a 'true blue' sportsman who is a home grown China talent representing China in your definition? Why do you have to proudly claim that you were cheering a Malaysian Chinese against a PRC Chinese? Lin Dan did nothing bad against you! If you said you cheered on Lee CW because he is a Malaysian, and Singapore and Malaysia are closely linked I would understand, but your tone and your paragraph of your admiration of home-grown talent betrayed your downright bias, big time!
Kaffein:
Does Roger Federer ring a bell? He hails from Switzerland, a country with a meagerly 7.9 million population size. What about Bjorn Rune Borg? A Sweddish by blood whose country is a mere 9.4 million in size. These are defintely not 'Goliath' countries of sports people but definitely 'Davids' in world tennis.
Sanzhi-Laohu:
What has this got to do with FTW. It is the failure of our government to groom our sportspeople. But honestly, myself not excluded, it's also the Singapore parents' fault. Which parents in Singapore will send their kids to intensive training from a very young age in order to pursue a career in sports and hopefully win an Olympic medal? Which parents do not prefer and insist that their kids spend their formative years chasing the papers?
I will not comment on your other laments about the government in your remaining paragraphs. I too have my grouses with many ill-conceived policies of the current government, but that will be for another day.
My view of this episode is that since we have given the citizenship to Feng TW, it is imperative that we treat her as a fellow Singaporean and accord her the respect for achieving glory for Singapore! How and why she comes to be a Singaporean is at no fault of her. It is the current Government implemented policy, wrong as it may be, we can't and must not take it out on her.
Don't praise her and say nice things such as deserving on one hand, and then on the other hand vociferously said she is a 'mercenary' , not home-grown, not true-blue, 'better return the money' ....
I respect straight talking, not hypocrisy !
@sanzhi-laohu,
Kaffein> I have already tried to prove my point in my 2nd paragraph but somehow your eyes are clouded with a film of 'this writer is a jackass'.
My point - Feng TW can never be a true-blue Singaporean because she never called Singapore home in the first place. She was simply 'bought over'.
Even if she returns all the prize money (which she will never do), she is still not a true-blue Singaporean. So my advice is to keep the money. Get it?
You wrote> This is your attempt at feeling good for yourself. So be it.
Kaffein> I'm already feeling good, thank you. I don't need to justify myself as I am not in the spotlight. Please don't worship me and make me the centre of attraction in this blog.
You wrote> Other than you dont like imported sports talent that you have already clearly expressed before...
Kaffein> Did I write that I do not like imported sports talent? Clearly you are mistaken. For one, I do like Abbas Saad. He was an imported talent in the Singapore football team and now a citizen. I'll even cheer for him if he plays for Singapore.
You wrote> Here again you showed your bias against Chinese from PRC...
Kaffein> Hey chill down. I didn't even liked the Indonesian badminton players who represented Singapore previously just as much as the PRC table-tennis players.
I have nothing against FTs per se. I will like to see home-grown Singaporeans representing Singapore. Do you understand?
I cheered Lee CW because I liked him and he is 'home-grown'. Not because he is Malaysian. I clapped when Lin Dan played well. Heck I cheered for Lin Dan when he played against Israel. It's not because he is Chinese.
I used Lee CW's name because he is 'home-grown' not imported. Gee... you assume too much.
You wrote> It is the failure of our government to groom our sportspeople...
Kaffein> Exactly! So government, fix it up. You don't need to, in your drive to get a medal, import players from other countries. Keep investing in good policies that bring that sport to a competitive level that is rewarding and fulfilling. Simple?
It's just like the current issue to increase fertility and birthrate. What does the government do? Import people. Do you not see it's fundamentally wrong?
You wrote> My view of this episode is that since we have given the citizenship to Feng TW...
Kaffein> All good and dandy here. I have accorded her for her skills as an individual player and her being Singaporean.
But she can never represent Singapore (in my eyes) because she didn't choose Singapore to live in from the beginning. It's not as if she desired to live in Singapore.
Wait before you jump to any conclusion, I'm all for it. If the government wants to be stupid to give away money, I'll take the money.
And since when did I take it up on her? *scratches head*
Dude, you keep rehashing the same points that I should accept her because the government accepts her.
Pfftt... there are a lot of crap that I do not agree with the government.
Just leave it at that.
@sanzhi-laohu,
Personally I see you definitely don't understand most of what is written. This has become a tit-for-tat with some of your comments leveled against me. Eg, like calling my writing a hypocrisy. If you respect straight talk, well for one, this Blogger is free, and you are free to have your own 'straight-talk' blog. Two, you can even read other 'straight-talk' blogs. I'd recommend mrbrown.com. He's a straight-talker.
I do find it very difficult to get it across to you without you cherry-picking on the same points and rehashing the same objective that I should accept her as a Singaporean citizen and she represents Singapore.
Gee... is that so hard to say from you?
You've concluded that I should not praise Feng TW and then to 'bash' her in my later paragraphs. But if I am writing what I see and felt she played well as an individual sportsperson, for that I am a hypocrite? Whatever gave you the idea?!!
Am I to sum up that I cannot commend her just because I don't see her as a true-blue Singapore? Gee... you sure have some weird definitions of hypocrite. I'm saying as it is it and for that I am wrong?!!
Learn some local lingo, mate. Wake up your idea.
Kaffein
Dear Kaffein,
Lingo is not important, Logic is !
I came to your blog because it was published in Singazine. I thought it will be a worthy article providing a different insight on feng tian wei. I should have known better by just reading the header of your article. Turn out to be just another mindless mud-slinging write-out hurling abuse at this poor girl who have tried her best to win a medal for Singapore at the world's biggest stage for sports..
This is the first time and will be the last time I am here. So please take comfort.
I started a blog with the intent of posting some writings there. I told myself that I would post only if I could maintain a balanced view of things. I don't want to treat my blog like a toilet bowl to take all the crap I throw at it, although this can serve as a safety valve and emotional outlet for all those negative feelings one has about anything on earth. If i think i could not be absolutely objective, I wont post. So far I have posted none.
Nobody expects you to follow my criteria but you may want to take a deep breath next time before you post anything. Think through again, make sure it makes sense.
Yes, I do read Mr. brown's blog as well. I may not like everything he wrote but fair to say that he did make sense most of the time.
Let me recommend you another blog post on Feng Tianwei.
http://thehearttruths.com/2012/08/07/feng-tianwei-sorry-on-behalf-of-my-fellow-singaporeans/
@sanzhi-laohu,
You are welcome to come and post. I won't delete any of your comments nor have I have done for other readers (except for mindless vulgarities).
Nothing personal against you or Feng TW. We just differ in the how we see the imported players. To each his/her own mindset. I don't intend to change you, and vice versa.
However this is one thing I need to get off my chest - you keep accusing me of mud-slinging, and hurling abuse and writing biased words against her.
Seriously, are you on crack? Did I in anyway condemn her character and person; nor did I mention her to be cheap and 'sold herself out'? Did I accuse her of throwing away games or the like?
Sheesh, you've got some nerves on these wild accusations. Advice to you - remove your tinted film layer of 'trash blog writers who don't like FTs' covering your eyes and see clearly what I have written.
Whatever I've posted, they have gone through deep thinking processes. Believe you me, it has enough sense for people to refer my site in their blogs. I have had people writing to post adverts here.
So please do yourself a favour, don't assume anything about me to put on a condescending tone in your comments. You might be more readily accepted.
Cheers,
Kaffein
There is a case from what I see for/against this FTW medal.
But it's not her fault, she was made an offer she couldn't refuse and she took it.
Does she feel Singaporean or is proud to be Singaporean? Well the jury is still out on that, and time will provide the answer.
But where there is doubt about FTW, there can be no doubt about the whole Table Tennis team, the whole team is from China, how can anyone say with 100% pride this is a Singapore team?
Fair enough the Govt, SNOC, STTA wanna bring in a FTW or Li Jiawei and go for medals, and get these players to boost our local sport. Ok, that we can accept, has some valid points.
But shouldn't the rest of the team be a mix between FTW and some of very own home grown talents?
If we can't produce a team, then don't send one! Just let FTW play in the singles, doesn't mean we must make the team/doubles etc all foreign imported.
If you look at the whole Table Tennis set up, maybe even badminton, the teams are totally foreign dominated if not fully foreign. What does this serve?
Do we or are we so desperate for a medal that we just buy over a whole team?
Why stop here? Ethiopia has a lot of great runners, many of whom can't represent their country, even a legend like Haile can't find a spot. Why not start offering them the carrots? Hey we can be world champions too in running.
If it was just FTW and maybe 1 other FT in our team, the bulk from here, then I will concede this is a made in Singapore story. We lack the X factor and we needed an FTW to come and complement our team. She (whether she feels loyalty or no) is surrounded by Singaporeans, she is part of a Singapore team and she is representing Singapore. The Singapore players can see her as an inspiration, a mentor, a guide but most of all a team-mate.
Can we say the same things about our whole Table Tennis team? A Chinese imported team, filled by them, trained by them and all speaking in the same Chinese style. How can we say they are Singaporeans or can make the ordinary Singaporeans proud, just because it says so in their Ics and passports? Isn't this so artificial and fake?
Is this what we want for all our sporting successes from now on? Must it always be win at all costs?
Eric Henry Liddell,a Scot and devout Christian,born and died in Tianjin China,gold and bronze medallist in the 1924 Paris Olympics ran the 400m and 100m for the Glory of God.Eric Liddell was a competitor for Great Britain.
Some in China claimed he is the first Olympian in China but I am not sure the Chinese people are proud of it.
How to feel proud about a medal won by a foreign import? At least during the Malaysia Cup, most of the players were locals.
Score sanzhi-laohu 1 Kaffein 0
Lets face the facts: We do not have local players of Olympic standard in the table tennis game. So what do you do? You have to recruit natural talent from China like what some Western nations are doing to achieve success. It's common sense!
" If you 'lofty ministers and elites' were to take a step back, you'll probably "...
...fall off your ivory tower 'cause you're standing too close to the edge behind you.
@ Anon10:18,
You wrote> Lets face the facts: We do not have local players of Olympic standard in the table tennis game. So what do you do?
Kaffein>
The difference between you and me is this:
I am facing the facts. You aren't.
Don't send a team. Is that difficult? Or send a team and expose them to international competitive play. Again is very hard to do?
No, every Sports Minister wants something to showcase. It's all about medals and getting the glories for their portfolios. They have lost the plot.
Ask Mah BT on his Goal 2010. Gee... if we can qualify for the World Cup, it's as if we have won it already. We don't need to have a whole team of ex-Nigerians, ex-Chinese, ex-Croatians representing Singapore.
Anon wrote>
You have to recruit natural talent from China like what some Western nations are doing to achieve success. It's common sense!
Kaffein>
The difference again?
You have no pride in your own home-grown talents. If Western families allow their daughters to sleep around, do I need to follow them as a father?
Anyway tell me which Western nations sent a team which is wholly occupied by foreign imports except Singapore? None. Singapore just sold her sportsmanship and values when the whole table-tennis team were ex-PRC players.
You must be kidding me if you call this common sense. You must be on drugs to call it common sense.
Kaffein.
Do you feel pride in seeing us on the medal tally? No I don't. I feel pride when i see our flag flying amongst the nations and in the parade, but the medal tally was manufactured by importing wholesale a tam from another country. From the coaching to the players.
The biggest joke is that the media is even saying Jiawei's birthday is the same as the nation's and we have a gift. Big deal, do you think Jiawei was bothered by the coincidence? Maybe amused but pride?
We are already proud of our country we don't need manufactured medals for a gift, the gift is seeing many young Singaporeans happily parading during the parade, our troops marching and the pledge taking, that is still the best gift.
these fake citizens are legal pirates boarding on our shore just to scrabble us.no matter what they lip chattered their heart stil stick upon their motherland. is this country we call Singapura or Temasek ?why we need to feed monkeys in the jungle while letting our own children starving ?
Come on, native Singaporeans are ruled by oversea-born Singaporeans lah. Do check up how many of our parliamentarians are local born or foreign born.
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