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Summer Olympics 2012 London
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Not london 2012 olympic, therefore move to new thread
http://www.sammyboy.com/showthread.php?127918-Beach-volleyball&p=1217450#post1217450
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From CBC website today. Rio Olympics employees caught stealing flies err make that unauthorize downloading, during the London Games. How embarassing
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The Paralympic Games is a missed opportunity for deaf athletes
Rare exception … Laurentia Tan, a profoundly deaf equestrian and London 2012 Paralympic Games silver and bronze medal winner who also has cerebral palsy
On Tuesday I watched Evgenii Shvetcov from Russia win the Men's 400M T36, narrowly beating the man I was cheering on – Team GB's Paul Blake – into second place. But any disappointment I felt suddenly disappeared when, seconds after crossing the finish line, Shvetcov looked into the TV camera and used sign language to communicate a message to people watching back home.
This may seem disloyal to these shores, but if I'd known Shvetcov was deaf, I'd have been cheering him on from the start. There are deaf athletes who have competed in the Olympics and Paralympics at London 2012, but they're few and far between. Another separate disability is required for them to compete in the Paralympics because, remarkably, there is no category for deaf athletes.
In this country, deaf athletes have for a few years now been the poor cousins in funding terms. The Guardian's Datablog identified total spending of £11bn on London 2012 (£9bn from the government, and £2bn budgeted by Locog), while UK Sport has been spending more than £100m per annum on Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes. In the context of those sums, £42,000 seems minuscule, but it's the amount of funding that UK Deaf Sport used to receive annually from the government. When this sum was withdrawn in 2008, with then sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe claiming this was to focus funding on athletes competing in the Beijing and London games, it put deaf athletes' participation in the Taipei Deaflympics 2009 in jeopardy.
If you're wondering what the Deaflympics are, then take a look at Tuesday's BBC Ouch! interview with Craig Crowley, the president of the International Committee of Sport for the Deaf. As the name implies, the Deaflympics are for deaf athletes; they were first held in 1924. Not only do the Deaflympics use adapted technology to suit deaf people (think visual cues, like a light being used instead of a starting gun, or a referee's whistle being replaced by a flag), sign language is the prime method of communication among the majority of athletes and spectators. Crucially, the Deaflympics bring together athletes who have faced similar communication barriers, and allow them to compete on a level playing field.
While the Olympics and Paralympics enjoy massive funding, the Deaflympics has a much lower mainstream profile. The games in Tapei in 2009 were a success, but in 2011, disaster struck when the 17th Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia was cancelled at the last minute, with the sole organiser accused of embezzling £11m.
There are hopes that the upcoming 2015 and 2017 winter and summer games will get the Deaflympics back on track, but on the biggest stage of all, at London 2012, deaf athletes have once again been mere spectators. When you see the success of team games featuring blind athletes or wheelchair users, it's hard not to wonder why we can't watch, for example, teams of deaf football and hockey players competing against one another. Deaf footballer Claire Stancliffe told me: "We missed out on London 2012 in many ways. The facilities are fantastic, the support for GB athletes was out of this world and it was an opportunity for deaf sports to be showcased to millions. It would have changed people's perceptions."
Crowley has pointed out that since 2001, Paralympians have enjoyed access to the same venues, transportation and technology as Olympians. However, Deaflympians have not been offered the same opportunity. He has also gone on record as saying that he believes "the only way to gain visibility for deaf athletes is to work alongside the Olympics and Paralympics", and he hopes that deaf sport "will be the surprise" of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. However, the process towards achieving some level of deaf sports at those games is complex. For example, Crowley told me, because the International Paralympic Committee has "no mechanism to bring in a new disability, they would need to add a new classification to allow for deaf athletes".
In the meantime, the scarcity of deaf athletes at the games represents a massive missed opportunity. One of the rare exceptions is Laurentia Tan, a profoundly deaf equestrian and London 2012 Paralympic Games silver and bronze medal winner who also has cerebral palsy. However, another athlete I saw showed how deafness isn't taken into consideration at the games. The British athlete Olivia Breen, who has cerebral palsy and came fifth overall in the 100m T38, also wears hearing aids. When she didn't hear a false start being called in the first round, the rest of the field stopped, but she continued sprinting to the end of the track. Fortunately, the race was postponed for an hour to enable her to recover before running again, but it's hard to imagine this happening at a Games that included deaf athletes and was more aware of their needs.
Over the past few weeks, we've seen triumphs by sports men and women from across the world, from a wide range of backgrounds, of abilities and disabilities. Let's hope by the time the next Games come along, more athletes with signing hands, hearing aids and amazing lipreading skills are able to write – or sign – their own compelling narratives for the world to see.
Rare exception … Laurentia Tan, a profoundly deaf equestrian and London 2012 Paralympic Games silver and bronze medal winner who also has cerebral palsy
On Tuesday I watched Evgenii Shvetcov from Russia win the Men's 400M T36, narrowly beating the man I was cheering on – Team GB's Paul Blake – into second place. But any disappointment I felt suddenly disappeared when, seconds after crossing the finish line, Shvetcov looked into the TV camera and used sign language to communicate a message to people watching back home.
This may seem disloyal to these shores, but if I'd known Shvetcov was deaf, I'd have been cheering him on from the start. There are deaf athletes who have competed in the Olympics and Paralympics at London 2012, but they're few and far between. Another separate disability is required for them to compete in the Paralympics because, remarkably, there is no category for deaf athletes.
In this country, deaf athletes have for a few years now been the poor cousins in funding terms. The Guardian's Datablog identified total spending of £11bn on London 2012 (£9bn from the government, and £2bn budgeted by Locog), while UK Sport has been spending more than £100m per annum on Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes. In the context of those sums, £42,000 seems minuscule, but it's the amount of funding that UK Deaf Sport used to receive annually from the government. When this sum was withdrawn in 2008, with then sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe claiming this was to focus funding on athletes competing in the Beijing and London games, it put deaf athletes' participation in the Taipei Deaflympics 2009 in jeopardy.
If you're wondering what the Deaflympics are, then take a look at Tuesday's BBC Ouch! interview with Craig Crowley, the president of the International Committee of Sport for the Deaf. As the name implies, the Deaflympics are for deaf athletes; they were first held in 1924. Not only do the Deaflympics use adapted technology to suit deaf people (think visual cues, like a light being used instead of a starting gun, or a referee's whistle being replaced by a flag), sign language is the prime method of communication among the majority of athletes and spectators. Crucially, the Deaflympics bring together athletes who have faced similar communication barriers, and allow them to compete on a level playing field.
While the Olympics and Paralympics enjoy massive funding, the Deaflympics has a much lower mainstream profile. The games in Tapei in 2009 were a success, but in 2011, disaster struck when the 17th Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia was cancelled at the last minute, with the sole organiser accused of embezzling £11m.
There are hopes that the upcoming 2015 and 2017 winter and summer games will get the Deaflympics back on track, but on the biggest stage of all, at London 2012, deaf athletes have once again been mere spectators. When you see the success of team games featuring blind athletes or wheelchair users, it's hard not to wonder why we can't watch, for example, teams of deaf football and hockey players competing against one another. Deaf footballer Claire Stancliffe told me: "We missed out on London 2012 in many ways. The facilities are fantastic, the support for GB athletes was out of this world and it was an opportunity for deaf sports to be showcased to millions. It would have changed people's perceptions."
Crowley has pointed out that since 2001, Paralympians have enjoyed access to the same venues, transportation and technology as Olympians. However, Deaflympians have not been offered the same opportunity. He has also gone on record as saying that he believes "the only way to gain visibility for deaf athletes is to work alongside the Olympics and Paralympics", and he hopes that deaf sport "will be the surprise" of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. However, the process towards achieving some level of deaf sports at those games is complex. For example, Crowley told me, because the International Paralympic Committee has "no mechanism to bring in a new disability, they would need to add a new classification to allow for deaf athletes".
In the meantime, the scarcity of deaf athletes at the games represents a massive missed opportunity. One of the rare exceptions is Laurentia Tan, a profoundly deaf equestrian and London 2012 Paralympic Games silver and bronze medal winner who also has cerebral palsy. However, another athlete I saw showed how deafness isn't taken into consideration at the games. The British athlete Olivia Breen, who has cerebral palsy and came fifth overall in the 100m T38, also wears hearing aids. When she didn't hear a false start being called in the first round, the rest of the field stopped, but she continued sprinting to the end of the track. Fortunately, the race was postponed for an hour to enable her to recover before running again, but it's hard to imagine this happening at a Games that included deaf athletes and was more aware of their needs.
Over the past few weeks, we've seen triumphs by sports men and women from across the world, from a wide range of backgrounds, of abilities and disabilities. Let's hope by the time the next Games come along, more athletes with signing hands, hearing aids and amazing lipreading skills are able to write – or sign – their own compelling narratives for the world to see.
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http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/09/07/what-laurentia-tan-means-to-me/
The current generation will probably not understand. I belonged to the last group of fanatics who followed our local heroes in the Malaysia Cup. I could still name the First XI of the team who won the double in 1994, and the Dream Team before that. Back then, sports matter to us. We celebrated our never-ending winning streaks of the Singapore water polo team in the SEA Games. We were proud of “Jaws-lin” Yeo and lapped up every medal winning feat she represented Singapore in.
When Singapore was booted (or opted out, depending on which story you buy) out of the Malaysian League and started the S-league, it went downhill from there. S-league was pathetic. In my opinion, even the Semi-pro league way before that was much more exciting than the S-league. It didn’t help matters than our local newspaper chose to shift their sports coverage drastically to the English Premier League. The damage was permanent. Today, the young of Singapore cheers for sportsman thousands of kilometres away and felt extremely proud if their supported club wins something to give them bragging rights. Bragging rights against who? Their fellow Singaporeans. I feel sad for the current young who didn’t have a chance to experience being part of a fiery, passionate 50k crowd, backing our team in unison, against Malaysian, Thais, Viets and anyone who came to our Colosseum.
Sometime back, our ping pong team won some bronze medals for Singapore in the Olympics. Our media covered it for days. I will not go into the controversies about this, we had enough of that. My take on this is very simple. It didn’t matter which side was right because the whole point of it was wrong. Sports are meant to unite, not divide.
Sadly, from what I read, the local media isn’t very interested in Laurentia Tan. Now, that makes me feel bad. I should have tried much harder earlier to make my blog popular so that I can give a local female hero a well deserved coverage when it matters most. I feel sad for Laurentia Tan but I know she wouldn’t feel bad about it. No, I don’t know her personally, never met her and probably never will. I just know.
By now, Laurentia has won 4 medals for Singapore in 2 Paralympics, the latest medal was a silver medal. The last silver medal was won by weightlifter Mr Tan Howe Liang in 1960 in Rome. It was just written in the stars that our next silver medal was to be won by another “Tan”. A true blue Singaporean through and through. This time, there isn’t any division among Singaporeans. We celebrate as one. That is the true spirit of sports, to unite and not divide. That is something we badly need for Singapore in this uncertain era. Singaporeans should be inspired by Laurentia’s feats and renew our faith that each of us has a chance to do very, very well if do not give up. Laurentia hasn’t received the same support from the authorities and the media but went on to do her thing quietly without a fuss – and outperformed any Singaporean in history at the highest level she could participate in.
When Sergio Augero scored the goal which won his club the English League title in the dying seconds of their final game, I have no doubt Manchester City fans in Singapore went delirious. I wonder any of the fans was truly inspired by the drama and learnt never to give up in their daily challenges. I’m not sure about that, I hope so. For me Laurentia Tan means something to me in that effect, in fact much better. Being Asian, we have physical limits in certain sports, more so being Singaporean as compared with bigger, stronger and faster Asians in the Middle East and East Asia. I am not saying that we don’t stand a chance if we work hard enough, but we cannot deny we have a lot of odds to overcome in the process. Laurentia Tan proved that it can be done. She was one of us, like any of us, not some physically gifted European or African. In the Paralympic sporting world, she remains the only Asian equestrian rider to have won a Games medal. Never mind that the Paralympic is not the Olympics. It is the spirit which counts, and we Singaporeans should be very proud of her.
Instead of putting foreigners that wow the crowds in the latest Getais in the main headlines, I hope that the Singapore media will give Laurentia Tan the media coverage that she truly deserves. At the same time, every Singaporean also deserves to be inspired by the feats of Laurentia. Better late than never.
The current generation will probably not understand. I belonged to the last group of fanatics who followed our local heroes in the Malaysia Cup. I could still name the First XI of the team who won the double in 1994, and the Dream Team before that. Back then, sports matter to us. We celebrated our never-ending winning streaks of the Singapore water polo team in the SEA Games. We were proud of “Jaws-lin” Yeo and lapped up every medal winning feat she represented Singapore in.
When Singapore was booted (or opted out, depending on which story you buy) out of the Malaysian League and started the S-league, it went downhill from there. S-league was pathetic. In my opinion, even the Semi-pro league way before that was much more exciting than the S-league. It didn’t help matters than our local newspaper chose to shift their sports coverage drastically to the English Premier League. The damage was permanent. Today, the young of Singapore cheers for sportsman thousands of kilometres away and felt extremely proud if their supported club wins something to give them bragging rights. Bragging rights against who? Their fellow Singaporeans. I feel sad for the current young who didn’t have a chance to experience being part of a fiery, passionate 50k crowd, backing our team in unison, against Malaysian, Thais, Viets and anyone who came to our Colosseum.
Sometime back, our ping pong team won some bronze medals for Singapore in the Olympics. Our media covered it for days. I will not go into the controversies about this, we had enough of that. My take on this is very simple. It didn’t matter which side was right because the whole point of it was wrong. Sports are meant to unite, not divide.
Sadly, from what I read, the local media isn’t very interested in Laurentia Tan. Now, that makes me feel bad. I should have tried much harder earlier to make my blog popular so that I can give a local female hero a well deserved coverage when it matters most. I feel sad for Laurentia Tan but I know she wouldn’t feel bad about it. No, I don’t know her personally, never met her and probably never will. I just know.
By now, Laurentia has won 4 medals for Singapore in 2 Paralympics, the latest medal was a silver medal. The last silver medal was won by weightlifter Mr Tan Howe Liang in 1960 in Rome. It was just written in the stars that our next silver medal was to be won by another “Tan”. A true blue Singaporean through and through. This time, there isn’t any division among Singaporeans. We celebrate as one. That is the true spirit of sports, to unite and not divide. That is something we badly need for Singapore in this uncertain era. Singaporeans should be inspired by Laurentia’s feats and renew our faith that each of us has a chance to do very, very well if do not give up. Laurentia hasn’t received the same support from the authorities and the media but went on to do her thing quietly without a fuss – and outperformed any Singaporean in history at the highest level she could participate in.
When Sergio Augero scored the goal which won his club the English League title in the dying seconds of their final game, I have no doubt Manchester City fans in Singapore went delirious. I wonder any of the fans was truly inspired by the drama and learnt never to give up in their daily challenges. I’m not sure about that, I hope so. For me Laurentia Tan means something to me in that effect, in fact much better. Being Asian, we have physical limits in certain sports, more so being Singaporean as compared with bigger, stronger and faster Asians in the Middle East and East Asia. I am not saying that we don’t stand a chance if we work hard enough, but we cannot deny we have a lot of odds to overcome in the process. Laurentia Tan proved that it can be done. She was one of us, like any of us, not some physically gifted European or African. In the Paralympic sporting world, she remains the only Asian equestrian rider to have won a Games medal. Never mind that the Paralympic is not the Olympics. It is the spirit which counts, and we Singaporeans should be very proud of her.
Instead of putting foreigners that wow the crowds in the latest Getais in the main headlines, I hope that the Singapore media will give Laurentia Tan the media coverage that she truly deserves. At the same time, every Singaporean also deserves to be inspired by the feats of Laurentia. Better late than never.
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THE INSPIRING PARALYMPICS MEDALIST LAURENTIA TAN – HOW SHE OVERCAME EATING WITH CHOPSTICKS
My first correspondences started with Laurentia at a time of credit crunch and recession, when news was all doom and gloom. But the ever cheerful Laurentia stayed very positive and replied jokingly, “Hey, I’m still on cloud nine!”
Equestrain rider Laurentia Tan, now 33, has just won a bronze in the Paralympics Grade IA individual championship dressage test, Singapore’s first medal at the London Paralympic Games. She first made news for winning Singapore’s first medal at the Paralympics Games at Beijing 2008. It was also Asia’s first Paralympics equestrian medal.
Doctors once diagnosed her as ‘spastic’ and unable to walk, and told her parents that she would lead a life of a vegetable. Laurentia has come a lot way in overcoming all odds to achieve her dreams. Even though she was profoundly deaf, she performed on form in competitive world riding competitions where she was cued by music!
While eating can be a straightforward task to many, it is a challenge to Laurentia who had developed cerebral palsy due a complication of jaundice after birthday.
However, she did not let this condition handicap her and just laughed about it, “I am always striving to do things that the ‘able bodied’ can do… and that includes using chopsticks, especially when everyone else is using them!”
For many years, she was not able to use the usual chopsticks, and had to use special ones that were joined at the top. She was seldom successful as they were often not strong or flexible enough, and would end up breaking numerous pairs.
But nevertheless, she was determined to use the normal chopsticks in what she thought were weird and wonderful ways.
It first started with fishballs where she would poke a single chopstick through them. And when it came to eating her favourite prawns, the chopstick would go through the middle of the prawn, as though it was curling around the stick.
Alternatively, she would use the two chopsticks like a spoon and try to balance meat on two chopsticks, rather than holding it in between.
It was until in her late teens that she thought she tried using chopsticks with her left hand instead (even though she was right handed), and there was that “Eureka!” moment.
While many of us would just give up after failures, she opened my eyes on how we can always work around things and not allow ourselves to be beaten.
When asked about food, she would sparkle at the thought of her love of seafood such as lobsters and crabs. However, she doesn’t crave for them that much as she could get them fairly easily at London where she is based.
The one thing she would really love to have is a simple Chwee Kueh, which she would describe as little steamed rice cakes with salted vegetable on top.
“I still think of my Ah Gong fondly whenever I eat Chwee Kueh…”
She warmly remembers how her paternal grandfather would go to the market in the mornings to bring home breakfast for the family. Sadly he had passed away, but memories will stay.
Unfortunately, the Seletar Chwee Kueh that she used to have a child is no longer available after the market was demolished. She promised herself that she would try the famous ones at Tiong Bahru the next time she comes back.
Everything I see Laurentia’s article in the news, I feel proud of her, yet ashamed of myself. As we cross hurdlers in life, giving up seems so easy and straight forward. But we always take things for granted, such as a very ordinary thing like eating with a pair of chopsticks. Laurentia has taught me so much – on how we can appreciate the simpler things and moments in life.
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Paralympic medallist Laurentia Tan takes a break in S’pore
Wearing a red hat, Ms Laurentia Tan, together with all the athletes from the Singapore Paralympic squad, emerged from the arrival gates at Changi Airport to cheers from fans.
Now based in the UK, Ms Tan is home for a short break with her mother, Mrs Jannie Tan.
The 33-year-old, who is deaf and has cerebral palsy, is still over the moon with her achievements at the London Paralympic Games. She spoke through her mother as interpreter: “It’s still like ‘Wow’. I can’t believe I’ve got two medals. It hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Ms Tan won the bronze medal in the Grade 1a Dressage Individual Championship Test and a silver medal in the Grade 1a Dressage Individual Freestyle Test, making her the only Paralympian to have won the most medals for Singapore – two others are from the Beijing Games in 2008. She is also the only Asian equestrian to have won medals at the Paralympic Games.
She said: “In this year’s games, I was participating with a borrowed horse and didn’t have much time training with it.”
It is admirable, considering that she also needs a sign language interpreter to be with her at competitions. The BBC reported that interpreter fees often have to be covered by her parents, who have struggled to get funding or sponsorship to pay for them. And their request to get accreditation for her qualified sign-language interpreter “was met with a negative response from London 2012”, the report said.
But Ms Tan did not let any of these hiccups show at the airport. She said: “I have overcome a lot of difficulties and I’m always trying everything. You never know what will happen until you try. I am very pleased that I can inspire people.
“I’d like to thank everyone for their support. It’s really nice to see so many people here today. There are more people supporting us this time. More people are aware of the Paralympics.”
POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
She said London was “fantastic”, and the people there were very friendly. “The standard of competition has increased from the 2008 Beijing Games and to improve, I will work on being more accurate in the tests and build a better relationship with the horse,” she said.
The medal winner is already looking forward to the World Equestrian Games in France in 2014, and resuming her post-graduate studies in psychology.
Returning from London, too, were athletes competing in boccia, sailing and swimming.
Check out our photo gallery: Singapore Paralympians return from London
About 50 fans turned up to show their support for the athletes. Muhammad Imran, 16, was there with his friends because he feels inspired by the Paralympians. “I want to win a medal for rugby someday. If the (athletes like them) can do it, I know I can,” he said.
Another supporter, who gave her name only as Mrs Ong, confessed to be a big fan of Laurentia. The 62-year-old retiree told inSing News that she religiously followed the games via YouTube because it was more up–to-date than the television broadcast.
Mr Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), was also there to welcome the athletes.
“I am proud and very happy to see what they have achieved. Stories about how they overcome their physical, emotional mental challenges will inspire Singaporeans," he said.
COME FORWARD
Asked to give his views on the disparity in benefits between Olympians and Paralympians, he said: “We will continue to give the best support possible to our Team Singapore athletes regardless of their physical condition.”
He added that the rewards scheme is not determined by the MCYS and he hopes that from this episode, more people will come forward to offer sponsorship to the Paralympians.
Read our report: Paralympians are paid less than Olympians due to lack of funding
Mr Chan said that the government will focus on providing support through the provision of training facilities, administration backing and medical help to prepare athletes for their respective sports.
Ms Yip Pin Xiu, 20, who won a gold medal in the women's 50m backstroke event at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, was all smiles despite coming back without a medal this time around. She told reporters that she was glad to see a bigger reception at the airport this time.
The 20-year-old Singapore Management University student will be jumping right back to the books as she prepares for a test on Wednesday.
When asked about the imbalance in prize money for Olympic and Paralympic athletes, she said she has no complaints about the issue. “At least it’s an improvement from the previous games when we weren’t receiving any prize money. In time, hopefully, it will increase after all the support from the public,” she said.
Ms Tan had no comment on the matter. She said: “All the athletes are winners because they have made it to a top level like the Paralympics.”
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Laurentia Tan & Feng Tianwei - what's the difference?
Whilst I am thrilled at how well Laurentia Tan has performed at the Paralympics in London winning a bronze and a silver (WOW!), I was aghast at a rather tasteless montage piece that has been circulating on social media. Before I tell you why I find it so distasteful, let's have a look at what I am talking about:
If there was ever a dislike option on Facebook.
Now the part I find especially distasteful is the line "abandoned motherland to represent Singapore". Firstly, any athlete winning a medal at the Olympics or Paralympics is a great achievement regardless of their nationality. I think it is distasteful to use this occasion to voice your grievances about PRCs. Secondly, why should Feng Tianwei be berated for abandoning China? Like is China missing her? Does China feel betrayed by her emigration to Singapore? Or does China really not give a shit - if asked about Feng Tianwei, chances are, most PRCs would reply, "Feng who?" (Or more like "冯谁?")
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Did Laurentia Tan's parents have an undying loyalty to Singapore? Were they determined to bring up their disabled daughter in Singapore? They did what was best for their daughter. They moved to England - now some Singaporeans would see the Tans' move as having "abandoned" their motherland, as an act of betrayal. If the same opportunities existed for Laurentia in Singapore to reach her full potential - she probably wouldn't have left, but how many disabled people will go on to win Singapore medals at the Paralympics? How many of them face a bleak future in Singapore with very little help from the government?
The reality is that most Singaporeans are not staying in Singapore because they have this great, passionate patriotism for motherland Singapore. Hell no. They're staying because they have no where else to go. So for them, it's like, oh well, since I am stuck here I may as well pretend I have chosen to stay here out of patriotism. It's pretty easy to shop around for another country to emigrate to when you're a super star athlete like Feng Tianwei (she did contemplate moving to Japan for a while before settling on Singapore) - but your average blue-collar worker would struggle to get a work permit for most first world countries.
Many countries have a points-based immigration system: that means each potential migrant is evaluated on a range of criteria like education, relevant language skills, professional skills, work experience, age, earning potential and personal wealth. Only those who scored enough points on this system are welcomed as new migrants. I was in a position to leave and I left. When one emigrates, we have to consider the 'push' and 'pull' factors. The pull factors for me was the desire to travel and see the world outside Singapore. The biggest 'push' factor was that I felt like a second class citizen in the country of my birth - I have served national service as a male Singapore. Yup, all 2 years 4 months of it from January 1995 to May 1997. There is no 'reward' for this sacrifice that I have made on my part as a male Singaporean - hell no. I was paid peanuts as a conscript and whilst the government is busy giving out scholarships to people like Sun Xu (who thinks that all Singaporeans are dogs). In the labour market, I am competing against foreigners with neither reservist obligations nor CPF liabilities. I'd rather be a first class citizen in the west than a second class citizen in Singapore, the country where I was born and had to serve NS.I just want to end by clarifying that I think both Laurentia Tan and Feng Tianwei are wonderful athletes who have done Singapore proud with their amazing performances at the London 2012 Games. I have nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for the both of them. It was the concept of unconditional patriotism/loyalty that I was attacking, not any of these fine athletes. If anything, I am attacking the Singaporean idiot who circulated that montage which prompted this article in the first place. This concept of "abandoning one's motherland" is complete utter bullshit - like come on, our ancestors moved to Singapore from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and other parts of the world, "abandoning their motherland" in the process to come to Singapore for crying out aloud. You wanna insult your ancestors? Whilst I am not exactly a fan of Feng Tianwei, I do feel that she has been treated very unkindly and unfairly by Singaporean netizens. Tolong lah, sudah cukup lah! Give her a break, will ya?
http://limpehft.blogspot.nl/2012/09/laurentia-tan-feng-tianwei-whats.html
The reality is that most Singaporeans are not staying in Singapore because they have this great, passionate patriotism for motherland Singapore. Hell no. They're staying because they have no where else to go. So for them, it's like, oh well, since I am stuck here I may as well pretend I have chosen to stay here out of patriotism. It's pretty easy to shop around for another country to emigrate to when you're a super star athlete like Feng Tianwei (she did contemplate moving to Japan for a while before settling on Singapore) - but your average blue-collar worker would struggle to get a work permit for most first world countries.
Many countries have a points-based immigration system: that means each potential migrant is evaluated on a range of criteria like education, relevant language skills, professional skills, work experience, age, earning potential and personal wealth. Only those who scored enough points on this system are welcomed as new migrants. I was in a position to leave and I left. When one emigrates, we have to consider the 'push' and 'pull' factors. The pull factors for me was the desire to travel and see the world outside Singapore. The biggest 'push' factor was that I felt like a second class citizen in the country of my birth - I have served national service as a male Singapore. Yup, all 2 years 4 months of it from January 1995 to May 1997. There is no 'reward' for this sacrifice that I have made on my part as a male Singaporean - hell no. I was paid peanuts as a conscript and whilst the government is busy giving out scholarships to people like Sun Xu (who thinks that all Singaporeans are dogs). In the labour market, I am competing against foreigners with neither reservist obligations nor CPF liabilities. I'd rather be a first class citizen in the west than a second class citizen in Singapore, the country where I was born and had to serve NS.I just want to end by clarifying that I think both Laurentia Tan and Feng Tianwei are wonderful athletes who have done Singapore proud with their amazing performances at the London 2012 Games. I have nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for the both of them. It was the concept of unconditional patriotism/loyalty that I was attacking, not any of these fine athletes. If anything, I am attacking the Singaporean idiot who circulated that montage which prompted this article in the first place. This concept of "abandoning one's motherland" is complete utter bullshit - like come on, our ancestors moved to Singapore from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and other parts of the world, "abandoning their motherland" in the process to come to Singapore for crying out aloud. You wanna insult your ancestors? Whilst I am not exactly a fan of Feng Tianwei, I do feel that she has been treated very unkindly and unfairly by Singaporean netizens. Tolong lah, sudah cukup lah! Give her a break, will ya?
http://limpehft.blogspot.nl/2012/09/laurentia-tan-feng-tianwei-whats.html
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This Laurentia Tan is just as much a foreigner as the Chinese Team B ping pong players since she is bred in pommie land. And wat is this BS paralympigs anyway?? to celebrate being disabled????? Its like celebrating being blind,,,
Also sinkieland has wasted millions on this olympig shit,,,+ the youth one,,,,money could be spent elsewhere like public tpt,,,,
Also sinkieland has wasted millions on this olympig shit,,,+ the youth one,,,,money could be spent elsewhere like public tpt,,,,
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