India too good for Singapore

[krantikt]

India too good for Singapore



Rakesh Rao







JAIPUR: If India needed a serious workout on the eve of its do-or-die battles in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup Asian qualifiers, the men from Singapore and the women from Hong Kong provided it in ample measure on Wednesday.

Backed by a noisy crowd at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here, the Indian men coasted to a 4-1 victory and warmed up for Thursday's qualifying battle against Hong Kong. Among the ladies, Saina Nehwal and the pair of G. Jwala and Shruti Kurian made an impression in India's 2-3 loss to favourite Hong Kong. Later, India raced away to an expected 5-0 victory over Pakistan.

Chetan Anand, Arvind Bhat and National champion Anup Sridhar may not impressed on this day but proved equally effective in winning their singles after dropping the opening games against lesser-ranked rivals to establish a winning 3-0 lead.

In fact, the eventual 4-1 margin does not reflect the close nature of the contest. Barring the first doubles, all other matches could have gone either way. But all credit for Chetan for hanging in there against Hendrick Lee Yen Yui, ranked 13 placed below at 39, and pulling away from the latter part of the second game. Bhat never looked comfortable against Aaron Tan Wei Kiat but rallied from 5-9 in the decider to lead 19-16. After giving away two points, Bhat kept his nerves to win the next two.

Anup, too, struggled against Indonesian-import Hendra Wijaya, whose deception and alacrity stood out through the contest. For the better part of the game, Anup failed to exploit the left-hander's suspect backhand. But Anup surely played the big points better after recovering from big deficits in the second and third games.

The results: Thomas Cup: Group `A': Malaysia bt Nepal 5-0; Pakistan bt Iran 3-2; Group `B': Thailand bt Vietnam 5-0. Group `C': India beat Singapore 4-1 (Chetan Anand bt Kendrick Lee Yen Hui 12-21, 21-16, 21-11; Arvind Bhat bt Aaron Tan Wei Kiat 17-21, 21-12, 21-18; Anup Sridhar bt Hendra Wijaya 14-21, 21-19, 21-17; Rupesh Kumar & Sanave Thomas bt Alvin Fu Zhi Hui & Khoo Kian Tech 21-12, 21-11; V. Diju & Jaseel P. Ismail lost to Hendra Wijaya & Saputra Hendry Kurniawan 15-21, 21-13, 21-23); Hong Kong bt Singapore 3-2. Group `D': Chinese Taipei bt Sri Lanka 5-0.

Uber Cup: Group `Y': Korea bt Chinese Taipei 3-2; Korea bt Indonesia 5-0; Malaysia bt Iran 5-0. Group `Z': Hong Kong beat India 3-2 (Wang Chen bt Aparna Popat 21-10, 21-5; Yip Pui Yin bt Trupti Murgunde 21-18, 21-15; Wong Sin Yee lost to Saina Nehwal 6-21, 4-21; Louisa Koon Wai Chee and Li Wing Mui lost to G. Jwala and Shruti Kurian 24-22, 19-21, 9-21; Yip Piu Yin and Wang Chen bt B.R. Meenakshi and Aparna Balan 21-10, 21-12); India beat Pakistan 5-0 (Aparna Popat bt Sara Khan 21-8, 21-7; Saina Nehwal bt Aisha Akram 21-6, 21-5; Aditi Mutatkar bt Asma Butt 21-17, 21-5; B.R. Meenakshi & Aparna Balan bt Farzana Saleem & Saima Manzoor 21-8, 21-9; G. Jwala & Shruti Kurian bt Asma Butt & Uzma Butt 21-5, 21-8); Thailand bt Pakistan 5-0; Hong Kong bt Singapore 3-2; Chinese Taipei bt Iran 5-0.

[wl2172]

Wow, India is improving. Singapore relies too much on Ronald...

[Loh]

India too good for Singapore

Rakesh Rao

Chetan Anand, Arvind Bhat and National champion Anup Sridhar may not impressed on this day but proved equally effective in winning their singles after dropping the opening games against lesser-ranked rivals to establish a winning 3-0 lead.

In fact, the eventual 4-1 margin does not reflect the close nature of the contest. Barring the first doubles, all other matches could have gone either way.

I think the caption "India too good for Singapore" is misleading if you had read on.

Actually, without the service of injured Ronald Susilo, our Singapore boys put up a relatively gallant fight although the odds were against them as they are lower-ranked than their Indian counterparts. It gave local boy, Aaron Tan, a chance to savour the experience of competiing in such a prestigious tournament overseas as second singles. In fact, including first singles player, Kendrick Lee, there were all in 4 local boys out of a total 6 who represented the country.

And except for the 1st Doubles, all the other 4 matches went into rubber games and as acknowledged by the writer, they could have gone either way.
This exposure for our local boys could only enhance their standing and prepare for the country's target of making it to the TC finals in 2012. More local players are willing to train and play full time now and this augurs well for the future. :)

[Tommy Susanto]

singapore is not going to make headlines with or without ronald. With that devastating injury, he could miss one or half a step which is crucial for a defensive player. After his olympic victory over LD, LD replied with 3 back-to-back-to-back straight sets victory over ronald(starting from Singapore Open 05). Are you still dreaming? And so much for the home-brewed talent-kendrick lee:D

[taufik-ist]

singapore is not going to make headlines with or without ronald. With that devastating injury, he could miss one or half a step which is crucial for a defensive player. After his olympic victory over LD, LD replied with 3 back-to-back-to-back straight sets victory over ronald(starting from Singapore Open 05). Are you still dreaming? And so much for the home-brewed talent-kendrick lee:D

second 'indonesia' thomas cup qualify to the final :D

[Tommy Susanto]

second 'indonesia' thomas cup qualify to the final :D:D :D :D :D :D second indonesia is good hahaha but cannot qualify. Therefore it is indeed "too good for singapore":p

[Loh]

singapore is not going to make headlines with or without ronald. With that devastating injury, he could miss one or half a step which is crucial for a defensive player. After his olympic victory over LD, LD replied with 3 back-to-back-to-back straight sets victory over ronald(starting from Singapore Open 05). Are you still dreaming? And so much for the home-brewed talent-kendrick lee:D

Now if you have no dreams, if you don't believe in yourself, you can forget about winning! :D

Anyway, winning and losing is all part of the game. Even the best players do lose sometimes as in the case of LD losing to RS in the Olympics. In that event, unfortunately LD's dreams to become the Olympic champion were completely shattered at the very start!

So Kendrick Lee must not stop dreaming for you'll never know one's dreams can come true. And Singapore's dream of making it to the Thomas Cup finals in 2012 may also come true. We just have to believe in ourselves!

We had a similar target for the Uber Cup but we already made it this year! So our Uber Cup dream came 6 years earlier than envisaged. ;) Ironically, our girls proved too good for India, winning 5-0, to avenge the defeat our TC boys suffered at the hands of India. :rolleyes:

And if I read another post correctly, Malaysia's dream of beating Indonesia in this Thomas Cup preliminaries just came true. All of Malaysia's singles players beat all three top Indonesian singles players, Even Taufik also lost to LCW. And 4th ranked Malaysian, Beng Hong beat Simon Santoso as well.

So man, don't dismiss dreams as inconsequential!

[Sammy]

This exposure for our local boys could only enhance their standing and prepare for the country's target of making it to the TC finals in 2012. More local players are willing to train and play full time now and this augurs well for the future. :)

And if the local players doesn't perform there'll be more import players standing by in 2012 so do have dreams --> the dreams to win. :D hahaha.....
I wonder how many imported players are in Spore Uber team?

[Loh]

And if the local players doesn't perform there'll be more import players standing by in 2012 so do have dreams --> the dreams to win. :D hahaha.....
I wonder how many imported players are in Spore Uber team?

Sufficient enough to give us that important impetus to move forward. ;)

Actually Singapore's strategy to import foreign talents is beginning to reap rich dividends. Ronald Susilo's win at the Japan Open 2004 and his defeat of well respected players such as Lin Dan has rekindled the spark in local badminton and young people here are more interested in sports than ever before. Hitherto, studies outweighed all else. In fact, just at the end of last year, after their 'O' levels exam, a number of local boys decided to turn professional, including Derek Wong and Aaron Tan, who featured in this Thomas Cup preliminaries at second singles. This is certainly a good sign.

Our imported girls proved to be more successful. It had to be, because many of them were brought in when they were relatively young, at about 13 or 14 years old, and they were given professional training and international exposure to be developed into better players. They include Li Li, Frances Liu Ai Fan for the first batch and subsequent ones like Xing Aiying, Sari (Indonesia) and older ones like Jiang and Li. Some have dropped out. Now, we still have a bigger group of young imports, mainly girls, being groomed to represent Singapore in the future.

Frankly there is no shame in importing and developing foreign talents for Singapore. Modern Singapore is made up of citizens whose forefathers originated from foreign lands. We have been importing talents for a long time now to grow our economy and to remain successful. Given a relatively small domestic population of about 3 million, we have to import another million to continue to grow and remain relevant to the world, which is our market. How then can Singapore transform itself from a third-world to a first-world economy in a relatively short time when many of its neighbours in South East Asia are still struggling to achieve first-world status? :)

Singapore's strategy benefits both ways, not only to Singapore but also to the foreign imports. Best of all, if such imports finally become our own citizens and remain to help us to become better in all aspects of our endeavours. ;)

The day may come when more overseas Chinese shuttlers who have become citizens of other countries can beat their counterparts in China.

Dreams can come true. :D

[Sammy]

Sufficient enough to give us that important impetus to move forward. ;)

Actually Singapore's strategy to import foreign talents is beginning to reap rich dividends. Ronald Susilo's win at the Japan Open 2004 and his defeat of well respected players such as Lin Dan has rekindled the spark in local badminton and young people here are more interested in sports than ever before. Hitherto, studies outweighed all else. In fact, just at the end of last year, after their 'O' levels exam, a number of local boys decided to turn professional, including Derek Wong and Aaron Tan, who featured in this Thomas Cup preliminaries at second singles. This is certainly a good sign.

Our imported girls proved to be more successful. It had to be, because many of them were brought in when they were relatively young, at about 13 or 14 years old, and they were given professional training and international exposure to be developed into better players. They include Li Li, Frances Liu Ai Fan for the first batch and subsequent ones like Xing Aiying, Sari (Indonesia) and older ones like Jiang and Li. Some have dropped out. Now, we still have a bigger group of young imports, mainly girls, being groomed to represent Singapore in the future.

Frankly there is no shame in importing and developing foreign talents for Singapore. Modern Singapore is made up of citizens whose forefathers originated from foreign lands. We have been importing talents for a long time now to grow our economy and to remain successful. Given a relatively small domestic population of about 3 million, we have to import another million to continue to grow and remain relevant to the world, which is our market. How then can Singapore transform itself from a third-world to a first-world economy in a relatively short time when many of its neighbours in South East Asia are still struggling to achieve first-world status? :)

Singapore's strategy benefits both ways, not only to Singapore but also to the foreign imports. Best of all, if such imports finally become our own citizens and remain to help us to become better in all aspects of our endeavours. ;)

The day may come when more overseas Chinese shuttlers who have become citizens of other countries can beat their counterparts in China.

Dreams can come true. :D


Yeah..yeah.. true... true...next time you'll see Spore importing players from Brazil then Spore will win FIFA World Cup eventually and Sporean can be really proud of it. The rest of South East Asia countries can follow Spore foot step. What a good move. Have dreams to win at anyway. :D

[Loh]

Yeah..yeah.. true... true...next time you'll see Spore importing players from Brazil then Spore will win FIFA World Cup eventually and Sporean can be really proud of it. The rest of South East Asia countries can follow Spore foot step. What a good move. Have dreams to win at anyway. :D

That is up to our Football Association to decide, but many countries are learning from Brazil. There is nothing wrong with learning from the best and that is one way of improving oneself. Now that the world is globalized, one can hire the best coaches from anywhere to improve one's standards and to make a mark in the international scene. Even England has a foreign national coach, not an English coach. English clubs are full of foreign imports, both players and coaches and England is now able to match the best in the world. This year's World Cup will be very interesting to guage how far England has improved.! You should ask world champions, France, how they feel about their national soccer team.

I don't think we can decide for other South East Asian countries. Each of them has its own resources, limitations, strategies and plans. They need not mimic other countries and their own leaders will decide what is best for themselves. The final results will tell whether they have succeeded or failed. But just dreaming without the attendant action plans to turn dreams into reality is futile.

You miss the point about foreign imports. There is no guarantee that they can always deliver. A country imports because it either lacks the numbers who are good enough to compete at the world stage or they need such talents as role-models to help their own players develop. The spin-off effect is key and it may come a time when imports are unnecessary as the local base has expanded sufficiently.

Learning from the masters, getting others to help us improve and do better is nothing to mock at. :rolleyes:

[uluh dayak]

Yeah..yeah.. true... true...next time you'll see Spore importing players from Brazil then Spore will win FIFA World Cup eventually and Sporean can be really proud of it. The rest of South East Asia countries can follow Spore foot step. What a good move. Have dreams to win at anyway. :D

i think it doesn't matter if s'pore is importing player, even if she gather up all top players from all around the world. the thing is that it shows a lot of passion on the sport from the singaporeans. it will do only good for badminton.
i myself is an indonesian(i don't like it when people use "indon" term) will always support my country. as long as it is a legal move to do, i will go all the way and endorse it.
in fact, i would suggest that we import female player from china as soon as possible. it will always be inspiring to have someone better around. they will make good examples, good sparring patrners, and hopefully will fill up the empty space in our regeneration of female players. and as time goes by, they will grow attachment to the country they represent and be happy to be called one.

[Sammy]

That is up to our Football Association to decide, but many countries are learning from Brazil. There is nothing wrong with learning from the best and that is one way of improving oneself. Now that the world is globalized, one can hire the best coaches from anywhere to improve one's standards and to make a mark in the international scene. Even England has a foreign national coach, not an English coach. English clubs are full of foreign imports, both players and coaches and England is now able to match the best in the world. This year's World Cup will be very interesting to guage how far England has improved.! You should ask world champions, France, how they feel about their national soccer team.

I don't think we can decide for other South East Asian countries. Each of them has its own resources, limitations, strategies and plans. They need not mimic other countries and their own leaders will decide what is best for themselves. The final results will tell whether they have succeeded or failed. But just dreaming without the attendant action plans to turn dreams into reality is futile.

You miss the point about foreign imports. There is no guarantee that they can always deliver. A country imports because it either lacks the numbers who are good enough to compete at the world stage or they need such talents as role-models to help their own players develop. The spin-off effect is key and it may come a time when imports are unnecessary as the local base has expanded sufficiently.

Learning from the masters, getting others to help us improve and do better is nothing to mock at. :rolleyes:

I think you guys are confused between playing for clubs and country. I can write the whole thesis about this but Im not going to do it here.

[Loh]

i think it doesn't matter if s'pore is importing player, even if she gather up all top players from all around the world. the thing is that it shows a lot of passion on the sport from the singaporeans. it will do only good for badminton.
i myself is an indonesian(i don't like it when people use "indon" term) will always support my country. as long as it is a legal move to do, i will go all the way and endorse it.
in fact, i would suggest that we import female player from china as soon as possible. it will always be inspiring to have someone better around. they will make good examples, good sparring patrners, and hopefully will fill up the empty space in our regeneration of female players. and as time goes by, they will grow attachment to the country they represent and be happy to be called one.

Thank you for your understanding. ;) Yes, I think our SBA has the passion and commitment to develop and improve the game here and it is producing results. Mind you, we also import from Indonesia, both for coaches and players.

One of the girls in our successful Uber Cup team is Sari Shinta Mulya. Sari was 15 and the U-15 Champion from central Java when she turned professional with us in July 2003. Together with Xing Aiying, who joined Sari at about the same time when Xing was 13 from Jiangsu, China, they made a good doubles pair and won the decisive tie against India in the recent Uber Cup preliminaries by defeating Saina Nehwal/Aparna Balan 21-14, 21-15. Now if Sari did not join Singapore, will she have a chance to play in the Uber Cup for Indonesia? Will she have the opportunity to travel to quite a number of overseas tournaments and see the world? In Singapore she was coached by experienced Chinese coaches, apart from our Indonesian coaches and I'm sure she is learning English. Sari is developing herself into a better player and I'm sure we'll see more contributions from her in the future.

Here's a picture that I took of Sari receiving her silver medal prize at the SEA Games in Manila. If you recall, even Indonesia lost to Singapore in the women's team event.

[Loh]

I think you guys are confused between playing for clubs and country. I can write the whole thesis about this but Im not going to do it here.

We're not confused but I think you're looking at things too narrowly.

[Sammy]

We're not confused but I think you're looking at things too narrowly.

Ok Ok.... lets go with the dreams to win with imports. How does that sound? 3 and a half Chinese team in this coming Uber cup final the other half Indonesian. :D

[shawn30_k]

well i also dont see england making too much headlines except for nathan.i dont see clark or blair making it that big too.besides the mens event need exceptional talent and luck.singapore has already put up a brave fight without susilo.the burden for being 1st singles is huge for kendricks to carry.and besides we were giving people like aaron more experience.india is fast improving no doubt about that.credit to them but they have not faced the strongest singapore mens team yet.our target is the 2012 thomas cup so we will see by then.
singapore is not going to make headlines with or without ronald. With that devastating injury, he could miss one or half a step which is crucial for a defensive player. After his olympic victory over LD, LD replied with 3 back-to-back-to-back straight sets victory over ronald(starting from Singapore Open 05). Are you still dreaming? And so much for the home-brewed talent-kendrick lee:D

[shawn30_k]

and stop calling us second indonesia la.its rude ok.we groom this talents ourselves in their crucial years.we are only just picking up leftover talents from other countries and making them our own since our poool of talent is smaller.
second 'indonesia' thomas cup qualify to the final :D

[x50926x]

and stop calling us second indonesia la.its rude ok.we groom this talents ourselves in their crucial years.we are only just picking up leftover talents from other countries and making them our own since our poool of talent is smaller.

Yeah, it's really hurting and rude. The shuttlers have already made Singapore their home. They like being called and are used to being called Singaporeans. Calling them Chinese or Indonesians are in some way offensive to them as well.

And really, when Netherlands qualify, everyone doesn't seem to care that they are half-indonesian and half-chinese [since their main players are yao jie and audina].
Nobody commented anything like what you said. But when Singapore qualifies with the help of EX-chinese players, these hurtful comments start popping up.

Weird eh. :rolleyes:

[Loh]

Ok Ok.... lets go with the dreams to win with imports. How does that sound? 3 and a half Chinese team in this coming Uber cup final the other half Indonesian. :D

Yes, with our mixed bag, we can still beat Indonesia's best in such a prestigious team tournament as the Uber Cup. Isn't that an achievement? Dreams do come true, isn't it?

We can only select the girls who are not wanted by their own national associations. They were considered 'rejects' by their own countries whose population is so enormous that they have the luxury to pick and choose. Yet our girls proved that with proper training, hard and smart work and timely exposure, we can still prevail against traditionally strong countries. No internal politics to deprive our girls of a chance to compete overseas. They put in a lot of hard work and they deserved to be rewarded.

Keep it up, Singapore girls! Do your best and make your dreams come true! :)

[hcyong]

I am not against imports, but I have this comment about Singapore.

It just seems to me that importing foreign players is an industry in Singapore, and not just in badminton. As far as I can see, other countries don't import players industriously like Singapore. Usually, the players are the ones to seek another country to play for. (Mostly surplus Chinese players seeking European sponsorship. Mia and Ronald also fall under this category.)

What Singapore does differ from what others do. Singapore openly seeks out young talents from other countries and bring them back to Singapore. For these talents, their worth to the country is as good as their performance. The condition becomes sort of like the badminton "factory" in China. Obviously, not everyone will succeed. What will happen to those who fall by the wayside? If they were back in their own country, it's not so bad, but in Singapore, most of them can hardly speak decent English.

The reason I mention this is that there were cases such as these. For example, the Wijaya brothers. At one time, they were almost sacked by the badminton association for lack of fitness. A lot of pleading finally gave them another chance. The message this seems to convey to me is: you are here to play badminton well, if you slack you are cut off and you may be better off back in your own country. There were also other examples in other sports like athletics.

Ronald came mostly at his own accord. He was in Singapore to study, he was already familiar with the lifestyle, SBA approached him and he was agreeable. But this is the exception rather than the norm. One feels that generally Singapore players are factory products (like the general impression of China) but the weirdest thing, the raw material are mostly foreign. That itself is not such a bad thing. But what happens to those finished products that fall below the excellence threshold? It is a fine line between national hero and foreign pariah.

[baldybodhi]

Yes, with our mixed bag, we can still beat Indonesia's best in such a prestigious team tournament as the Uber Cup. Isn't that an achievement? Dreams do come true, isn't it?

We can only select the girls who are not wanted by their own national associations. They were considered 'rejects' by their own countries whose population is so enormous that they have the luxury to pick and choose. Yet our girls proved that with proper training, hard and smart work and timely exposure, we can still prevail against traditionally strong countries. No internal politics to deprive our girls of a chance to compete overseas. They put in a lot of hard work and they deserved to be rewarded.

Keep it up, Singapore girls! Do your best and make your dreams come true! :)

well, hello??!!...rejects?..
They're not reject but resign from their own country b'coz they're out of standard qualification become national player..
Sinta Mulya Sari?..do you know the last ranking before she left our country?..
And also Xie Aiying...don't you know?..:confused:
And i'm absolutely sure..if they're player as individually, they can't make it...
i don't think so..
Maybe Indo not in the good performance..(Uber)
I think all the country get through it all
Don't you know..
Teams like USA, Japan, even Australia was 'the king' of badminton in 1959?
And Now..they get a really big trouble for their player..
Same like us now..That's usual case..
We can't find another Susi Susanti b'cos PBSI take centralization and can't see the other player from many province..:rolleyes:

[Loh]

I am not against imports, but I have this comment about Singapore.

It just seems to me that importing foreign players is an industry in Singapore, and not just in badminton. As far as I can see, other countries don't import players industriously like Singapore. Usually, the players are the ones to seek another country to play for. (Mostly surplus Chinese players seeking European sponsorship. Mia and Ronald also fall under this category.)

What Singapore does differ from what others do. Singapore openly seeks out young talents from other countries and bring them back to Singapore. For these talents, their worth to the country is as good as their performance. The condition becomes sort of like the badminton "factory" in China. Obviously, not everyone will succeed. What will happen to those who fall by the wayside? If they were back in their own country, it's not so bad, but in Singapore, most of them can hardly speak decent English.

The reason I mention this is that there were cases such as these. For example, the Wijaya brothers. At one time, they were almost sacked by the badminton association for lack of fitness. A lot of pleading finally gave them another chance. The message this seems to convey to me is: you are here to play badminton well, if you slack you are cut off and you may be better off back in your own country. There were also other examples in other sports like athletics.

Ronald came mostly at his own accord. He was in Singapore to study, he was already familiar with the lifestyle, SBA approached him and he was agreeable. But this is the exception rather than the norm. One feels that generally Singapore players are factory products (like the general impression of China) but the weirdest thing, the raw material are mostly foreign. That itself is not such a bad thing. But what happens to those finished products that fall below the excellence threshold? It is a fine line between national hero and foreign pariah.

Yes, I agree that Singapore may be doing things differently. I'm not sure how other countries approach their recruitment drive. The important thing is that Singapore must do it right, ie, getting the right material and developing it into a finished product worthy of international standards within a reasonable time.

But Singapore does not produce them in such great numbers as a 'factory' would. In the first place, we are dealing with human beings who have feelings and emotions, among other limitations and we just can't treat them all alike and channel them into an automated factory line.

Those who do not fit in after some time and those who fail the test, will unfortunately have to drop out. This will include young players who may not be able to acclimatise to local conditions and older players who remain physically unfit and those who did not show improvement even after being trained. Of course some would have completed their contracts which were not renewed. We are talking about professional players who are supposed to know what they are getting into.

The SBA is proactive in the sense that it actively seeks out the talents through talent scouts in the countries that they are interested. This selection method is necessary since we have such a small base of badminton talents who are more concerned with their studies, although we now have a sports school to offer a different programme to suit the trainees.

Local school talents will be given appropriate training in conjunction with their full time studies. So there are various school groups receiving training at different stages. Of the imports, many will be young teenagers as the SBA may feel it better and easier to develop them, but some will be adult players to ensure that we can carry out our plans without undue delay and interruption. As stated the deadline for our major target - the Thomas and Uber Cups, is 2012. So the plans are such that we can mould the players in good time to fit the various situations and demands.

It seems a bit hard on the young imports to have to 'work' in a different country and be separated from their parents. But I think the SBA is doing all it can to make their stay here as comfortable as possible. Many of these teenagers would have completed their primary school education at home and I understand they are taught English here. The terms and conditions of their training must have been made clear to the trainees and their parents. It may be the thought of a better future for their children and the fact that an allowance is given that the parents finally decided to let them go. In any case, I believe there is a trial period to allow the children to settle in. Often they would have children of the same age group and nationality to accompany them. And the coach can also assist. That is perhaps why the SBA is sticking to players from China and Indonesia as it is much easier for them to assimilate into the local multi-racial culture with Chinese and Malay as two of the main cultures.

Indeed performance is essential to see through the plans. That is why the SBA is spending much time, effort and resources to develop and raise the standard of badminton here. Players who can perform will be rewarded with overseas competitons and cash incentives. In this regard, 16-year old Xing Aiying can be regarded as very successful as she is unlikely to enjoy such rewards if she had remained in China. So are the other girls in the recent successful Uber Cup preliminaries. And even the mixed doubles combination of Henri Wijaya and Li Youjia has raised international eyebrows.

The dismissal and subsequent re-employment of the Wijaya brothers have done them a lot of good. They are professionals and being unfit was bad as it would adversely affect their performance. The sacking shooked them up and they trained hard to regain their physical fitness and requested to go back to the SBA. It was clear that they enjoy a better life, at least financially speaking, playing for Singapore than staying at home in Indonesia.

On the question of retirement, the SBA has also looked into this and has set up a million-dollar fund to help national players who have served Singapore well. This can be used for further studies, starting-up a business, etc. The younger ones can also gain access into scholarship funds to help them in their studies. Obviously, those who have contributed more should get more from the fund.

I'm sure more will be done to help the players if they can project Singapore further on the world badminton stage. :)

[Loh]

well, hello??!!...rejects?..
They're not reject but resign from their own country b'coz they're out of standard qualification become national player..
Sinta Mulya Sari?..do you know the last ranking before she left our country?..
And also Xie Aiying...don't you know?..:confused:
And i'm absolutely sure..if they're player as individually, they can't make it...
i don't think so..
Maybe Indo not in the good performance..(Uber)
I think all the country get through it all
Don't you know..
Teams like USA, Japan, even Australia was 'the king' of badminton in 1959?
And Now..they get a really big trouble for their player..
Same like us now..That's usual case..
We can't find another Susi Susanti b'cos PBSI take centralization and can't see the other player from many province..:rolleyes:

Yes, sometimes when you have too many to choose from, you tend to relax because if one of them fails, there are many others standing in line to replace him or her. Finding another Susi or Rudy Hartono is one-in-a-million chance! ;)

In Singapore's case, we just don't have these numbers and therefore we have to crack our heads to stay competitive. :D

[taufik-ist]

Yes, with our mixed bag, we can still beat Indonesia's best in such a prestigious team tournament as the Uber Cup. Isn't that an achievement? Dreams do come true, isn't it?

We can only select the girls who are not wanted by their own national associations. They were considered 'rejects' by their own countries whose population is so enormous that they have the luxury to pick and choose. Yet our girls proved that with proper training, hard and smart work and timely exposure, we can still prevail against traditionally strong countries. No internal politics to deprive our girls of a chance to compete overseas. They put in a lot of hard work and they deserved to be rewarded.

Keep it up, Singapore girls! Do your best and make your dreams come true! :)

money talks... :)

[Loh]

money talks... :)

Yes money is important to enable you to do the things you want to do and to help others achieve what they want to do. But don't let money control you, you must be the master. In other words don't fall into the trap of being too greedy for money it is better "ada wang, biak simpang". :D

But I can tell you, money is hard-earned and one should spend it carefully and not just throw it away aimlessly.

If SBA hadn't worked hard to earn the money, it would not be able to import badminton talents and Singapore will not be able to make it to the Uber Cup finals! Our girls will then miss the opportunity of travelling to Japan, make new friends with other players, experience the Japanese culture first-hand. Success will bring more success and the ultimate beneficiaries will be the Singapore girls. ;)

[EastDevil]

Some basic 1-2-3 for those who are intellectually-challenged:

1) People migrate to wherever the opportunities are since the beginning of the human species. We are natural immigrants and there's nothing shameful about that.

2) As things stand now, it is believed that none of us originated anywhere around here. So nobody is truely local here. Even native indonesians are immigrants some time in the past. So the children of some immigrant criticising other people for welcoming immigrants are naive and childish and mostly disgusting.

3) Home will always be where you settle down in and can always change.

Narrow-mindedness is one of the most obvious trait of an underdeveloped society.

[hcyong]

When Greg Rusedski was victorious, the British press hailed him as a British hero. When he wasn't, he was called a former Canadian. There is a fine line between national hero and foreign pariah. We only see and care about the success stories. It is a sweatshop and few will survive.

[EastDevil]

British media. It says it all. A little off-topic here; journalists are just politicians in disguise, they manipulate and lie because they have that power over the masses.

Back to badminton, I hope people will show more support and respect for people who contribute their talents and capabilities in their adopted countries and also for the countries who open their arms to these people.

[hcyong]

I don't know why I feel this way. When players generally migrate to play for another country, it is fine with me. Normally, the players have already matured and their potential somewhat fulfilled. But when the import of players is wholesale, under a scheme called the "Foreign Talent Scheme", and the players are mostly just young kids, somehow that just feels wrong to me.

[EastDevil]

There's nothing wrong with the scheme, its just the selection criteria that will need to be tuned over time. Furthermore, matured players are very hard to attract and not to mention the level of commitment they would have since they didn't grow up here or spent enough time here. Young talented players, when they migrate here, there are a longer time period in which they can grow more attached to this country.

There will always be some risk that we might get some crap ones among the batch. That's why the selection process is the point of potential failure, not the scheme itself.

But if we look at immigration, fresh graduates can apply for citizenships in other countries if they have the right academic qualifications. Not all of them will turn out to be big successes in their adopted country, but some might. For sportsmen, their talent is their degree.

[Loh]

I don't know why I feel this way. When players generally migrate to play for another country, it is fine with me. Normally, the players have already matured and their potential somewhat fulfilled. But when the import of players is wholesale, under a scheme called the "Foreign Talent Scheme", and the players are mostly just young kids, somehow that just feels wrong to me.

I'm very happy that EastDevil has spoken his mind so well. ;)

And I think hcyong, you shouldn't worry too much about how our Foreign Talent Scheme (FTS) is being implemented. In the first place, Singapore is not "importing players wholesale". The numbers are relatively small but I guess sufficient enough to make those imported kids feel more at home in the company of those of the same age group and culture. Remember too that the parents gave their blessings, presumably after having satisfied themselves that their children are in good hands and not exposed to unwanted dangers and that perhaps they themselves could not offer a better life for their own kids at home. Therefore it should be considered a win-win situation for the parents, kids and the SBA, to enter into such an agreement. In any case, I believe there is a window period for the parents to change their minds if necessary. The question of easier assimilation into Singapore society is also important, especially when these kids become adults and decide to take up Singapore citizenship. :)

Until our own local talents have come of age in bigger numbers than is currently the case, in the sense that they and their parents have decided that taking up full-time sports is another way to securing a normal career with equally good prospects, we need to continue with the FTS. I suppose the FTS is a way to show local talents that a sports career is nothing to be ashamed of and that there is good money to be made if one is talented and committed to his/her sport (Recent MCG gold medalist paddler Zhang who won S$280,000 for her Melbourne table tennis exploits is a good example). The FTS also helps to nurture our local talents into true professionals in the long run.

Unlike other countries with a much longer history and tradition in sports, Singapore will have to concoct ways which can help her achieve sporting success more efficiently. It includes short cuts such as importing talents in sufficient numbers which are not required by their own home countries. We need to build up a bigger base so that when Singapore decides to host bigger events like the Commonwealth or Asian Games, it will be more acceptable by our own people as we would then be able to field competitors in greater numbers and in many more events to represent Singapore. As you must have read, Singapore is proceeding with plans to build more sporting venues and facilities, the most prominent of which is the Kallang Sports Complex to change the present facade of the current venue at the National Stadium.

In the near future, Sports, including badminton, will play a more prominent role in the lives of Singaporeans! :)

[BadFever]

Wah, uncle Loh, you are so patriotic man. I really enjoy reading all your postings. Didn't know that Singapore started this FTS thingy. So, is there a LTS (Local Talent Scheme) as well?

[EastDevil]

One thing I am a little disappointed though is how little regards many Singaporeans give to the success of our fellow Singaporeans. It almost seems like they hate to see their own neighbours achieve success. They are prepared to idolize some foreign sportsmen but not our own. I even get the feeling that they might think it is low class to idolize local sportsmen rather than foreign ones. Shouldn't Singaporeans realize that local sportsmen appreciate the support way more than some foreign star? Does anybody really think some foreign sportsmen really care if some fella in Singapore idolizes them? I would not be surprised that some of these foreign sportsmen would be thinking "those yellow skins down in that what's-its-name country are just weird people, but anyway I'll still smile to them since they pay for my new diamond earring!"

Its even more surprising that so many here are willing to support unskilled, untalented youngsters singing/acting on TV than highly-trained local sportsmen.

Of course, the local media are to blame too.

[Loh]

Wah, uncle Loh, you are so patriotic man. I really enjoy reading all your postings. Didn't know that Singapore started this FTS thingy. So, is there a LTS (Local Talent Scheme) as well?

Haha, nice to note that you're following up on what's news.

What can I do as one my age, born and bred in Singapore? I need to clarify things to try to help others not so updated on events in Singapore to understand our problems, our dilemma, our fears as well as our hopes! :D

We do have something akin to the Local Talent Scheme for badminton, a sport here with which I'm more familiar. Our SBA dishes out scholarships to young talents who are still studying in especially the secondary schools. For those good enough and who have completed their 'O' levels (4 years of secondary education, aged about 16), they can become full time national players and given training, allowances and overseas competitions. Aaron Tan who was a member of the MCG badminton contingent, is a case in point.

Those students who are still studying in the normal schools (not the special Sports School) will train outside of school hours, normally in the evenings and maybe before school for some, by SBA appointed coaches in various training programmes, depending on their stage of development and skill level.

As mentioned, we have also recently started the Singapore Sports School (I think into its third year now) which tailors its academic lessons to the needs of the students. Students themselves also qualify for scholarships and can thereafter continue their tertiary studies with universities or institutions linked to the School. (Btw, I've posted quite a good deal on this subject if you care to search and read. ;) )

I think in the long run, we should get most of our national trainees and players from the Sports School. The first intake of students three years ago have still not graduated yet and are therefore not selected for national training yet. I supposed they will have a year more to go. Even then the annual numbers are small for the sports catered to by the SS.

So we really need more time to produce local sportspeople of regional and international standards and that's why our target for the TC Final rounds is 2012. Actually our UC target is similar but our mainly imported girls did us proud by qualifying well ahead of time this year. Meanwhile, our FTS, will continue to meet most of our manpower requirements. :D

[hcyong]

... I would not be surprised that some of these foreign sportsmen would be thinking "those yellow skins down in that what's-its-name country are just weird people, but anyway I'll still smile to them since they pay for my new diamond earring!"
...

The question here is how local (or how foreign) are the foreign talents, and whether they think the same thing as what you state above. Of course, I am generalising.

I also don't think we idolise foreign sportsmen more than local ones. I think what we respect is success. I mean I look at Roger Federer and I totally respect him. It is pretty hard to do the same for the best tennis player in Singapore, whatever his name is (could be another foreign-born player). In the same vein, we also applaud the success of Li Jiawei, Ronald Susilo and co. but for the country, there is something not just right when most if not all of the major successes come from foreign talents (it is almost impossible to shrug off the foreign-talent tag).

I also think we should stop taking about Singapore Idol and such. That is a totally different sort of idolisation, one that unfortunately afflicts the majority of the global population.

[Loh]

The question here is how local (or how foreign) are the foreign talents, and whether they think the same thing as what you state above. Of course, I am generalising.

I also don't think we idolise foreign sportsmen more than local ones. I think what we respect is success. I mean I look at Roger Federer and I totally respect him. It is pretty hard to do the same for the best tennis player in Singapore, whatever his name is (could be another foreign-born player). In the same vein, we also applaud the success of Li Jiawei, Ronald Susilo and co. but for the country, there is something not just right when most if not all of the major successes come from foreign talents (it is almost impossible to shrug off the foreign-talent tag).



My view is that it takes time and circumstances to enable someone, like a foreign talent, to identify with his adopted country and for the people to identify (and support) with the foreign talent.

Ronald Susilo and his fiancee, Li Jiawei, have both resided and trained in Singapore since they were teenagers and they are both successful and are now Singapore citizens. This couple is a special case which brings great relief (as we were unsure whether they are able to assimilate into the local culture and lifestlye and be happy) and is a source of pride for most Singaporeans who can therefore readily identify with them. But for the newer imports, they still need time to get used to local ways and to prove themselves in the form of sporting success. Needless to say, many of us would welcome them and hope they will settle down like Ronald and Jiawei.

When it comes to supporting local sportspeople, irrespective of whether they are foreign or local talents, in regional or international competitions, it is natural to cheer for them than for foreign players representing other countries. But if none of our local players is involved, we will cheer the foreign heroes we admire, people like Lin Dan, Peter Gade, Taufik, Lee Chong Wei, Chen Hong, Bao CL, Zhang Ning, XXF, Wang Lin, Wang Chen, Tracey Hallam, Susan Hughes, Robertson & Emms, Sudket & Saralee, Zhang Jun & Gao Ling, T Mori, etc, etc. This should be acceptable. :D