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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - STTA raised $$$ for Li Jiawei retirement</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">2:36 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 9) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>5229.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Table tennis gets $1m boost
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Leonard Lim & Lin Xinyi
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Smile all round (from left) from the Lee Foundation's Dr Della Lee, STTA president Lee Bee Wah, Li Chao (Li Jiawei's husband), PM Lee Hsien Loong and national paddler Li at the Singapore Table Tennis Association Inaugural fund-raising dinner last night. -- PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
THE past 12 months saw table tennis making the headlines - perhaps more often than it should have.
But the sport has plenty of reasons to look to a brighter future, starting with just over $1 million that was collected through a fund-raising dinner at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel yesterday.
The amount was double the Singapore Table Tennis Association's target and, coming during trying economic conditions, left an impression on the guest of honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
'The response was very encouraging...It shows there's enthusiasm, there's support,' he told The Straits Times.
Donations ranged from $500 to $500,000, with the Lee Foundation making the biggest contribution. The STTA's training hall at Toa Payoh will be named after the foundation. It is understood that PM Lee also made a contribution.
Acknowledging the donors' generosity, STTA president Lee Bee Wah said: 'There is a heavy responsibility on our shoulders now. We have to make sure we reach our objectives and do not disappoint our supporters.'
Some of the money will go to youth development, with the rest going into a retirement fund to support national athletes like Li Jiawei.
The radiant and happily married Li, along with teammates Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei, took centre-stage when a video of last year's Beijing Olympic campaign showing them winning Singapore's first Olympic medal since 1960, was screened.
Reliving those emotional moments triggered cheers and claps from the 300-odd guests, who included Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan.
The live telecast of PM Lee's National Day Rally was even delayed - an unprecedented move - so Singaporeans could catch the paddlers' final against China on television.
But the country's mood was soured a week later when Member of Parliament Lee suddenly announced that team manager Antony Lee's services were no longer required following the absence of a coach for Gao Ning in an Olympic singles match. Also, a committee would determine the future of head coach Liu Guodong.
The timing of Ms Lee's comments triggered a wave of public criticism. Antony Lee and Liu have since left the STTA.
Before the Olympics, there were also reports of a rift between Wang and the rest of the women's team.
Yesterday, PM Lee called on the fraternity to move on and leave the issues behind.
Describing the dinner as a 'step forward', he also encouraged Ms Lee and her team to expend more resources to developing young talent.
He praised two initiatives in that area, which are timely as young paddlers strive to emulate the Olympic-silver feat and put on a good showing at next year's Youth Olympics.
The first is giving young athletes the chance to study and train at the Singapore Sports School. This collaboration will raise standards and help integrate foreign-born talent into the national squad.
The second is a pilot project to teach five- to six-year-olds the basic techniques of the sport.
Said PM Lee: 'So, we're marching ahead. I think we have the right spirit, the right team, the right coaches and the right supporters. 'We've all got to work together...I'm confident if we keep on doing this the STTA will fly the Singapore flag high for many more years to come.'
[email protected]
<HR SIZE=1>Edited 1/13/2009 5:36 am by kojakbt22</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Leonard Lim & Lin Xinyi
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Smile all round (from left) from the Lee Foundation's Dr Della Lee, STTA president Lee Bee Wah, Li Chao (Li Jiawei's husband), PM Lee Hsien Loong and national paddler Li at the Singapore Table Tennis Association Inaugural fund-raising dinner last night. -- PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
THE past 12 months saw table tennis making the headlines - perhaps more often than it should have.
But the sport has plenty of reasons to look to a brighter future, starting with just over $1 million that was collected through a fund-raising dinner at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel yesterday.
The amount was double the Singapore Table Tennis Association's target and, coming during trying economic conditions, left an impression on the guest of honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
'The response was very encouraging...It shows there's enthusiasm, there's support,' he told The Straits Times.
Donations ranged from $500 to $500,000, with the Lee Foundation making the biggest contribution. The STTA's training hall at Toa Payoh will be named after the foundation. It is understood that PM Lee also made a contribution.
Acknowledging the donors' generosity, STTA president Lee Bee Wah said: 'There is a heavy responsibility on our shoulders now. We have to make sure we reach our objectives and do not disappoint our supporters.'
Some of the money will go to youth development, with the rest going into a retirement fund to support national athletes like Li Jiawei.
The radiant and happily married Li, along with teammates Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei, took centre-stage when a video of last year's Beijing Olympic campaign showing them winning Singapore's first Olympic medal since 1960, was screened.
Reliving those emotional moments triggered cheers and claps from the 300-odd guests, who included Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan.
The live telecast of PM Lee's National Day Rally was even delayed - an unprecedented move - so Singaporeans could catch the paddlers' final against China on television.
But the country's mood was soured a week later when Member of Parliament Lee suddenly announced that team manager Antony Lee's services were no longer required following the absence of a coach for Gao Ning in an Olympic singles match. Also, a committee would determine the future of head coach Liu Guodong.
The timing of Ms Lee's comments triggered a wave of public criticism. Antony Lee and Liu have since left the STTA.
Before the Olympics, there were also reports of a rift between Wang and the rest of the women's team.
Yesterday, PM Lee called on the fraternity to move on and leave the issues behind.
Describing the dinner as a 'step forward', he also encouraged Ms Lee and her team to expend more resources to developing young talent.
He praised two initiatives in that area, which are timely as young paddlers strive to emulate the Olympic-silver feat and put on a good showing at next year's Youth Olympics.
The first is giving young athletes the chance to study and train at the Singapore Sports School. This collaboration will raise standards and help integrate foreign-born talent into the national squad.
The second is a pilot project to teach five- to six-year-olds the basic techniques of the sport.
Said PM Lee: 'So, we're marching ahead. I think we have the right spirit, the right team, the right coaches and the right supporters. 'We've all got to work together...I'm confident if we keep on doing this the STTA will fly the Singapore flag high for many more years to come.'
[email protected]
<HR SIZE=1>Edited 1/13/2009 5:36 am by kojakbt22</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
