Two more foreign-born players quit SBA, loyalty?
-
SINGAPORE: Nine months ago, Singapore's No 1 female shuttler Li Li sent shockwaves through the local badminton fraternity when she quit the sport, citing fatigue.
The 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medallist (women’s singles) was a member of Project 0812, a S$7-million government initiative to help athletes achieve medal success at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and/or the 2012 London Games.
Since Li Li quit earlier this year, Singapore’s female shuttlers have failed to perform on the international stage.
At the Beijing Games in August, Xing Aiying crashed out of the women’s singles after losing 2-0 to Belarus’ Olga Konon in the round of 64, while Jiang Yanmei and Li Yujia were beaten 2-0 by Korea’s Lee Hyo Jung and Lee Kyung Won in their women’s doubles quarter-final.
Now, the women’s squad have taken another hit.
TODAY understands that shuttlers Zhang Beiwen and Gu Juan left the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) in April and July, respectively.
The two players, who are both 18 years old, were part of the 10-member youth team — consisting of five boys and five girls — who beat Malaysia to win an historic bronze for Singapore at the 2007 World Junior Championships in New Zealand last October.
Gu was also a member of the silver-medal winning women’s team at last December’s SEA Games in Korat, Thailand.
Where to from here?
According to sources, Gu has returned to China to further her studies, while Zhang’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Graduates of the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme, the two players had received their citizenship in May last year, but quit the sport after disagreements with the women’s singles chief coach, Wang Junjie.
“The athletes felt the coach was only concentrating on Li Li and Aiying, and felt neglected,” an SBA source told Today.
The women’s team will defend their silver medal at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos next year, and reaching the SBA’s target of a finals spot in the 2012 Uber Cup could prove a challenge for the shuttlers.
“I think there will be a vacuum in the succession of players,” added the source.
“They will not be doing as well as the 2007 SEA Games... and unless SBA are able to bring in champions, there is no way they can succeed in both the women’s team and individual events.”
SBA president and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan neither confirmed nor denied the departure of Gu and Zhang when contacted yesterday.
“It suffices to say that SBA attaches great importance to players’ training and development, and building up a pipeline for succession,” said Lee.
“Whenever we are able to recruit strong players to the national team, our team get strengthened. Whenever we lose them or are not able to groom the younger ones in time to take over, our team would not be at the peak.
“Our immediate objective is to prepare for the 2012 Olympics, while taking seriously the SEA Games next year and other key tournaments between now and then to mature our team.”
Despite media reports that Li Li, 25, could return to the SBA at the end of the year, the association could not confirm the news when contacted, stating that it was not SBA’s policy to discuss individual players’ training and selection. - TODAY/sh -
well do we have to say more than the cheapo citizens dishing out by govt ministries. loyalty of migrants?
fatigue? i bet most singaporeans that migrate oversea must be very tired also. tired of what? keep guessing.
-
They can only be loyal to their sport, nt Singapore. Too many Singaporeans and forumites here have become lost in the celebration of winning medals.....asking to give these PRCs a chance to prove their loyalty. My ass pls.
The only Majulah Singapura in Beijing I was ever proud of was the paralympian's gold.
-
Originally posted by Rock^Star:
They can only be loyal to their sport, nt Singapore. Too many Singaporeans and forumites here have become lost in the celebration of winning medals.....asking to give these PRCs a chance to prove their loyalty. My ass pls.
The only Majulah Singapura in Beijing I was ever proud of was the paralympian's gold.
1. it's mainly S-11. loyalty my black ass too!
2. well, that's becos the anthem was never played in the summer olympics. -
I speaking as a Singaporean, really dun care if singapore win or participated in any sporting event.. Its is of no relevance to me, my spouse, my children, my dog or my mother in law. I dunno why the hype when Singapore won their first olympic gold in xx years... Singapore ping pon gold medal is bought using money, tons of money...
I strongly object what the government is doing now, pouring millions of our money to groom these foreigners.. What for? play ping pong? Please. Use the money for the good of Singaporeans can? -
One thing that PAP regime really failed at is nation building and creating national identity.
That is one reason why so many people migrate.
Get an ang moh educated person like Lee Kuan Yew to run a place where majority is ethnic chinese.
This is what you get.
Lim Chin Siong all the way for me.
-
Originally posted by reyes:
Graduates of the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme, the two players had received their citizenship in May last year, but quit the sport after disagreements with the women’s singles chief coach, Wang Junjie.
basket.. only here for the free citizenship??
-
Originally posted by lem0nade:
basket.. only here for the free citizenship??
free citizenship? dun think they even care about the citizenship
look at our "beloved" li jia wei, after scouping enough millions in singapore, go back to beijing to marry..
singapore citizen? my ass
-
Originally posted by jeramy:
free citizenship? dun think they even care about the citizenship
look at our "beloved" li jia wei, after scouping enough millions in singapore, go back to beijing to marry..
singapore citizen? my ass
Well said and she did it right after she collected her bundle of Olympic cash.
-
Why PAP regime like to come up with rubbish policies?
Strange regime, this PAP regime.
-
those ppl are taking us for suckers...
-
Lee Kuan Yew.
He is a strange man with strange ideas.
Ang moh educated is ang moh educated.
Full of strange alien moronic ideas.
-
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
One thing that PAP regime really failed at is nation building and creating national identity.
That is one reason why so many people migrate.
Get an ang moh educated person like Lee Kuan Yew to run a place where majority is ethnic chinese.
This is what you get.
Lim Chin Siong all the way for me.
LKY is white inside, yellow outside.
When he was negotiating with the Malaysia Malay, he claimed he was color blind. When he was negotiatng with the local Chinese, he claimed to be pro confucius.
But he is actually an Anglophile. Once an Anglophile always an Anglophile.
Can you really trust a man who is never been cultivated in his own cultured and never really rooted in his own culture? I know I can't. -
I expect nothing from Lee Kuan Yew.
I only expect that he dies.
-
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
I expect nothing from Lee Kuan Yew.
I only expect that he dies.
If he does not dies and continues to live another 20 years, he will really, really make a mockery of our parliamentary system.
SM
MM and what next?
-
I propose GMMM.
Grand Master Minister Mentor.
The final title is Great Leader of Singapore.
-
somehow link to LKY again...
-
im not sure whether it has to do with LKY.
but maybe balakrishna could be the one who can make the difference.
I rather singapore not won any medal than won with foreign help.
AT least those who rep. singapore must stay in singapore for at least 10 yrs before they can done singapore colors.
my china business associate when talk abt singapore medals only knows the shuttlers are more china. never know them as singaporeans.
that summed up the issue.
-
Like that foreigners won't respect Singapore sports.
-
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
Like that foreigners won't respect Singapore sports.
you care more about them respecting your sports than yourselves? -
Originally posted by Poh Ah Pak:
I propose GMMM.
Grand Master Minister Mentor.
The final title is Great Leader of Singapore.
HighlanderImmortal
GOD
-
We should WELCOME our FTs!
We should HELP THEM integrate to our society and make them comfortable here like their home.
We should allocate bungalows in the heart of Bukit Timah to accomodate these highly valued and important Foreign workers/talents.
We must not TALK TALK only. We must see some WALK THE TALK.
TALK is cheap. Anyone can talk but can you lead by example? Please, walk the talk.
Maybe in Bukit Timah these FTs can access to our creme dela cremer top talents of the world record kind and help them integrate into ours societied by say playing with them in their spare time like play marbles and drinking and invite them to their homes and barbeque or catch spyder. Show them our kampung spirit.
Lets welcome more and more and so much very the more and more FTs!!!!! Open the GATES wide wide until cannot the wider no anymore!!!! We are all positioned nice nice and ready for them! Please enter ! What a Foreign Talent Policy! Uniquely Spore.
-
what to do, they will do it oneday & the day has come. one go take one more arr our money can pay them what?
-
Originally posted by likedatosocan:
We should WELCOME our FTs!
We should HELP THEM integrate to our society and make them comfortable here like their home.
We should allocate bungalows in the heart of Bukit Timah to accomodate these highly valued and important Foreign workers/talents.
We must not TALK TALK only. We must see some WALK THE TALK.
TALK is cheap. Anyone can talk but can you lead by example? Please, walk the talk.
Maybe in Bukit Timah these FTs can access to our creme dela cremer top talents of the world record kind and help them integrate into ours societied by say playing with them in their spare time like play marbles and drinking and invite them to their homes and barbeque or catch spyder. Show them our kampung spirit.
Lets welcome more and more and so much very the more and more FTs!!!!! Open the GATES wide wide until cannot the wider no anymore!!!! We are all positioned nice nice and ready for them! Please enter ! What a Foreign Talent Policy! Uniquely Spore.
there's nothing unique about that... the UK olympic asociation is headed by australians, the english football team by italians and the english rugby team by italians. As for all small nations I can think of very few who employ local talents to head up any serious international sporting efforts.
-
there's nothing unique about that... the UK olympic asociation is headed by australians, the english football team by italians and the english rugby team by italians. As for all small nations I can think of very few who employ local talents to head up any serious international sporting efforts.
we are refering to players not coaches la.
Do you see english footballers represent by italians players.
Zidane is different, he migrate from african to france since we was very young. that why i say, players must stay in singapore for at least 10 yrs before they are allow to don singapore colors. so that we feel they are singaporeans.
feng tianwei was hardly in singapore for less than 2 yr when she was headhunted in Jpn and told to represent singapore.
pls make similar comparison.
heil hitler!!