Yesterday, I watched two matches in two fields of sport, involving two countries who made it to the finals of that sport for the very first time.
I’m talking about Singapore in the team ping pong finals and Malaysia in the men’s singles badminton finals.
Singapore was hoping to get gold to put glitter on the end of her 48 year Olympic medal drought. This is the first time in the Olympics that there’s a ping pong team event.
Singapore was represented by Li Jia Wei (International Table Tennis Federation World Ranking #6), Feng Tian Wei (ITTF Ranking #9) and Wang Yue Gu (ITTF Ranking #7). Under the guidance of coach Liu Gu Dong, to clinch gold, all they needed to do was beat China in three out of five games. They lost 0-3.
Malaysia was putting all hope on World Number #2 and the only Malaysian in the current top 10 in the Badminton World Federation Ranking, Lee Chong Wei to bring gold home.
It’s the first time Malaysia’s reached the badminton finals in the Olympics since the sport was introduced in 1992. Lee Chong Wei is coached by Misbun Sidek, the eldest of five Malaysian badminton-playing Sidek brothers.
His opponent? World #1 Lin Dan from China, whom he has beaten twice before at other meets. The possibility of gold was all the more tangible. But Lee Chong Wei lost 12-21, 8-21.
The similarities between both nations: first time in the finals, both knocked out confidently by China.
But that’s where the similarities end.
The team and coach of Singapore are made up of China imports who are now Singaporeans. The player and coach of Malaysia are born Malaysians.
My father mentioned last night that Lee Chong Wei might have gone a little further, had he a China coach.
And that started me wondering where the next generation of ping pong players and coaches in Singapore are going to come from.
A random Google brought up this blog entry:
The Olympic Dream = Badminton, badminton, badminton.. To the world, badminton may seem to be just another small time sport and many I bet do not know what badminton is… To us Malaysians, badminton is a game widely played and followed… It is like football to Brazilians and NBA to the Americans. To me, badminton is one of the most exciting sports in the world; I think it’s great as it involves mental and physical strength which has various elements such as smashes, drop shots, net plays, and trick shots. I love this game..I grew up playing the game and when I was a kid. I had a dream – like any other kid, I wanted to represent Malaysia (well as I said I had a dream). Growing up playing the game, I have learnt many things and had so many wonderful experiences (I grew up playing with some famous players you might know: Chan Chong Ming, Wong Mei Choo, Woon Sze Mei, Ong Soon Hock, Gnana Easwaran, Ho Sze Ken and many more).
It’s great that Singapore can groom talent they’ve uprooted from their home country. But can Singapore groom Singapore-born Singaporeans in the sport? To make one sport, any sport, a national sport that is followed fervently by every single Singaporean. This is an important question to ensure longevity and improvement in any sport.
If that sport is to be ping pong, then the question is, why aren’t there ping pong tables under every single HDB block? Of course there are plenty of badminton courts and basketball courts around, but that hasn’t produced any significant national shuttler, or basketball team. And having table tennis table everywhere doesn’t mean any one will actually use it.
Indeed, if Singaporeans love ping pong, they’d be batting it out anywhere. Even using the stone Chinese Chess tables under our flats. Or playing on a mahjong table or rectangular dining table. But why is it we have the facilities to play in sports that we’re not good at, at neighbourhood playgrounds but we don’t have the same in a sport that we seem to be pushing a lot?
To have a national sport shouldn’t be expressed. Every child that is born should instinctively want to participate in it, playing with toy bats, moving on to playing with parents, friends, school mates etc. On every corner, people at any age, should be playing it. Parents would want their kids to be playing it.
I once met a doctor from Brazil. When we found out that his sons were doctors, we congratulated him on having a complete family of doctors. But he said, “I wish they were football players instead, but they weren’t good at sports.”
Will any Singaporean parent say this?
Singapore’s burning from the euphoria of the silver medal. We need to capitalize on the current popularity of ping pong and get more people involved in the sport. If not, again we will fail.
In four years time, will Li Jia Wei, Feng Tian Wei and Wang Yue Gu, four years older, still be struggling to keep their silver position in the team ping pong event? China would have bred younger, better players by then. Malaysia is already training teenagers who’ll hopefully, take badminton further. Does Singapore have its stock ready to replace our team?
If it doesn’t now have them waiting in the wings, then it looks like we’ll be importing another batch of players from China.
Besides convincing Singaporeans to have more babies to replace themselves, we also have to get the current crop of import players to get married and produce offspring that would make the next ping pong playing team. I believe this was the excitement of the relationship between Li Jia Wei and Ronald Susilo, an Indonesian import who represents Singapore in badminton – the possibility of sporting genius born in Singapore. But we know that’s now over.
Then and only then can we begin to dream to be good at some sport. Where on every corner we can watch children play the sport that fills their dreams and find new talent within Singapore.
As a former Malaysian, I too grew up playing badminton and not ping pong. First in my house, in front of the TV watching badminton matches, then outside my house, even in Singapore Community Centres. I can sing the Singapore anthem better than I can the Malaysian one. I know the Singapore pledge but don’t even remember uttering the Malaysian one. Still, I found myself being more emotionally involved in the badminton final, than in the game with essentially China Chinese playing each other.
At the end of the day, Singapore-born still counts. As a nation that has built her wealth on entrepot trade, surely we must know that imports can always be exported. But even if a Singapore-born Singaporean wanders, there’s still a possibility, he will return home.
There were Table Tennis tables in the past at the HBD flats, but not now anymore. It’s still have it but it just too little and hard seen. Only at those old estate. I can remember the last one i seen, was at the “Bukit Purmei”.
As for the recent win on the Olympics, i am delighted that to see SIngapore flag on the winning flags raising ceremony. As for the players, i would not comments much as there are already plenty on the nets, it just how you look at it.
And i have watched the badminton final too. Lee Chong Wei did try all his best and just hard luck that it was held in China where Lin Dan’s mind is all out to win no matter what’s happening. Perhaps that’s the reason of being Host is kind of at the “upper” hands?
If you have notice the composure of those Chinese they have comparing to others (especially the Table Tennis Match) This words “WORLD number ONE” or “TWO” is not just build over night. My CHinese friend have share with me how those Chinese sportsmen being trained. He was the “Liu Xiang” (Hurdler) senior (many years back) Where Liu was much still a teenage and my friend was in the national team. But then he gave up and escape due to physically and mentally cant take it anymore, as details, just let’s your mind run wild. 🙂 What’s the possibilities?
For the current situation, the true blues dont really can compete on the international standards, that what’s the officials think of? Perhaps that’s the reason why all are imported.
Maybe many years later, there will be some of good true blue sportsmen as now there is a sports school now and i do see progression of what the “officials” have been doing. I hope soon we can see the true blue. It’s so fortunate for the kids who love sports now. I used to be basketball fanatic since i was 7 year old, once dream to be a NBA player! hahahaa
As for your questions “Will any Singaporean parent say this?
I believed that you have stay long enough in Singapore. Perhaps this duration should have help you understand more about Singaporean’s parent mindset? Or perhaps you should ask yourself will you do that first in the first place? There are parents who are totally support their children in what they love to do, even sports. I do meet some. Especially those financially “comfortable”.
Lifestyle in Singapore, as you have known and experienced yourself. So more or less, there are many answers already in us before we questioning it. Just search within and you will find your answer 🙂
Charles
Cheers.
blog wrote
That’s precisely my point Charles. Change.
The question is, with this euphoria, can we capitalize on this? Is it enough to motivate young kids to participate in the sport? Will kids want to emulate the paddlers? Will Singaporean parents support this pursuit?
Yes, no denying, it’ll take hard work. Generations of hard work. The government has planted the seeds by importing talent. But if they don’t leave something – whether it’s by staying and becoming coaches, whether it’s by producing kids and helping develop their talent, or being inspirations. Whatever we import, has to build up the next generation.
The team that have won the silver medal, cannot just go on practicing for their next win. Now they have the visibility, the credibility, they have to go out there, and give motivational talks in their sport, run clinics, play with kids who may just be playing as a hobby.
Simply speaking, the more people you have playing the sport, the bigger field you have to choose from.
If you look at many sportsmen today, you’ll see many of them come from families who are involved in sport. I already highlighted the Sidek brothers.
Gymnast Nastia Luikin is a perfect example. Her parents are Olympic medal winners in gymnastics. The Russian family now calls USA home. The possibility of another young Luikin making an appearance in 30 years at the Olympics is high. And the flag she’ll be carrying will be a US one.
It’s reported that Liukin’s parents didn’t want to push her into gymnastics. But I bet if you probed further, she was doing handstands and cartwheels early in her childhood. And that wouldn’t have been training. As parents, you’d show your child something that you can do and see if your child can do it. And what child doesn’t want to do what daddy and mommy can?
Jia Lee and Tian Wei’s families are still in China. Until they get married and stay in Singapore, there’s a possibility they’ll still return home. Even if they get married, they might still go home. The only time we can be more assured, is if they have kids in Singapore.
This isn’t just in sport. Even in Hollywood, dig deeper under stage names of actors and you’ll find many of them have a whole family history in the field.
Let’s look at our footballer Fandi Ahmad. I wonder if he can see if his kids have an innate ability that he had. And I wonder if he’ll push them just a little. See if they enjoy the sport and develop them. Remember how on TV we saw Fandi kicking balls to his little boys? Did he continue? Did they get better? Did anyone in the football associations bother to find out? Did anyone encourage Fandi to think about developing his kid’s football skills?
This whole exercise is like setting up for your smash.
You put in the right strokes (foreign talent), you hit the ball around, study your opponent (training) and when the opportunity arises, you go for the kill and get your smash (winning medals).
Don’t get me wrong, Charles. I’m not questioning the validity of Singapore’s medal just because the people who won them are imported talent. Singapore taxpayers put a lot into it. So, if we look at this as an investment for the medal, I guess it was worth it.
But while we are asking when the next medal is coming, and we seem to be assured of more, the question I’m asking – and I believe it is a more important one – is who is going to get our next medal 30 years down the road?
Will it still be an entire team of imports? I hope it’s not.
Don’t get me wrong, Charles.
> No worry about it 🙂