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China’s Table-Tennis Gift To The World

Ni Xialian helped the Chinese team win a gold medal at the 1983 world table tennis championships. But even that was not enough to convince her coaches that she could forge a career alongside the best players in her country. So she left.

Last week, at 53, Ni competed in her third Olympics for Luxembourg, her adopted home since 1991. In a sport that rewards the skill of subtle anticipation, her unconventional move 25 years ago has proved prescient.

Back then, there was only a trickling migration of players from China to certain countries in Europe.

But that movement has grown into a full-fledged, far-flung diaspora of athletes on six continents that has reshaped the landscape of the sport.

At the Rio Olympics, Chinese-born table tennis players represented China, as well as 21 other countries — including Singapore — out of 56 in the tournament. Of the 172 table tennis players at the Games, at least 44 were born in China.

Many sports at the Olympics feature athletes born outside the country they represent. The US, for example, has dozens of such athletes, across more than 20 sports. But table tennis is an outlier: About a third of its participants this summer were born outside the nation they are representing. All other sports are far behind.

No two athletes’ stories or circumstances are the same. But considered together, the list of Chinese-born table tennis players highlights the huge scope of China’s influence in the sport and illustrates a most pressing question: Is this the best way for table tennis to grow?

“It’s not a problem,” said International Table Tennis Federation president Thomas Weikert. “It’s an issue.”

At these Olympics, it has been business as usual. Ding Ning of China beat compatriot Li Xiaoxia to win the women’s singles gold medal. Ma Long of China defeated team-mate Zhang Jike to win the men’s. On Tuesday, the Chinese women won the team gold, and the men should do the same this morning.

China has now won 27 of the 31 gold medals awarded in all competitions since table tennis was added to the Olympics in 1988. Eight years ago in Beijing, China won the gold, silver and bronze medals in both men’s and women’s singles. In 2012, after a new rule was instituted limiting singles competitions to two players from each nation, China merely swept the gold and silver medals.

MAINLAND’S STIFF COMPETITION

One by-product of China’s dominance has been an extremely large group of talented players who are not quite good enough to play in the national programme. In China, provincial clubs draw players from city teams before sending their best to the national programme. Only the best 50 men and best 50 women reach the top.

“There was too much competition,” said Ni, who left the national team in 1986 to attend college, before joining a professional club in Germany in 1989. “I didn’t have the courage anymore.”

Such decisions became widely possible only after economic reforms in China in 1978 loosened the rules for overseas movement and work.

Before the 1988 Olympics, US team coach Massimo Costantini was playing for Italy in a tournament when he encountered Ding Yi, who had moved from China to Austria. Costantini lost, and he remembered the other players, coaches and fans feeling bewildered. “We were shocked, actually, to be playing against someone Chinese,” said Costantini.

Ding played in four Olympics for Austria, and the trend only grew. Players facing dim prospects in China have increasingly sought to extend their careers in other countries eager to host them.

“After I lost my opportunity to get into the Chinese national team, I was still young, I still had my dream,” said Eugene Wang, 30, who was offered a spot on the Canadian team shortly before the 2012 Games.

Marcos Madrid, a player from Mexico, sighed and smiled when asked how players felt about the spread of Chinese players worldwide. “It’s complicated,” he said, echoing the sentiments of many players in the game.

Everyone acknowledges how far ahead China remains in terms of training and skill. The thinking for many national federations, then, has been that having such skilled players and coaches — beyond giving them a chance to win competitions in the short term — will raise the skill levels of their other players. “I know I need to practise more because they are there,” Madrid said.

Because there are simply not enough good players to measure oneself against, Chinese players often double as coaches and valuable sparring partners in their adopted countries. A coach in Luxembourg initially, Ni only began playing full-time again when it became clear she was the country’s best player.

“I feel that it’s great that they can help other players improve,” said Ma, the world’s top men’s player.

OWN INTERESTS

At the same time, many players become irked when the spirit of competition seems to be undermined.

Players notice when recently-transferred athletes appear interested only in furthering their own careers, or fail to show enthusiasm about their new homes, or spend most of their time in their home countries. Such judgments seem hard to make. Circumstances vary hugely from player to player.

Some players, for example, move when they are young and thus develop easy, deep ties to their new countries. Gui Lin, 22, who represented Brazil, moved from China to Brazil at age 12 on an exchange programme. She ended up staying to play table tennis.

“I feel totally adapted to Brazil; all my colleagues consider me Brazilian,” said Gui, speaking crisp Portuguese. “But I can’t forget that I’m Chinese also, because I was born there. But for me I think this is a really unique experience, to be born in one country but grow up in another one.”

Then there are the many players like Li Ping, 30, who left the Chinese national team only last year to compete for Qatar.

“I don’t think it’s important which country you’re representing,” said Li, who was ranked 28th in the world before the Olympics. “The important thing is to be able to participate in the Olympics and demonstrate your abilities on the competition grounds.”

In the end, it is hard for anyone to articulate which players are considered to have switched national allegiances the “right way”.

That is why Weikert feels further adjustment of the rules is necessary before the next Olympics.

At the moment, players who switch allegiances after turning 21 are not eligible to play in the world championships, the World Cup and the World Team Cup. But they are allowed to play in the Olympics.

Weikert would like a single rule that allowed a player to compete for a new country after a lengthy period of residence. “It doesn’t mean we can change the rule immediately,” Weikert said, noting that 222 national associations would need to vote.

Whether the rule changes or not, Weikert said he would like to do more to change the global imbalance in skill. “Of course, it’s difficult for a sport if only one nation is winning,” he said. “But this is not the fault of the Chinese. The others have to practise hard.” THE NEW YORK TIMES

NUMBERS

21

Chinese-born table tennis players represented 21 other countries – including Singapore – out of 56 at the Rio Games.

44

Of the 172 table tennis players at Rio, at least 44 were born in China. But only three play for China.

Source: TODAY Online

August 20, 2016
Walid J Abdullah: Definitions Of A Politician

Looking at events all around the globe, i propose we modify the definition of a politician. Here are some suggestions.

Politician:

‘Someone who may not be there to assist along the way, but will surely be there when it is time to claim credit’.

‘Someone who has one standard for his/her opponent, and another for him/herself.’

‘Someone who struggles to give a straight answer when asked a simple question.’

‘Someone who is miraculously always “misquoted” and whose words are “taken out of context”.’

‘Someone who makes more promises than a fiance.’

‘Someone who tweets (or posts on facebook) the phrase “thoughts and prayers” more than others.’

‘Someone who wants his/her actions, tears, altruistic acts, good deeds, and kindness to be displayed all over print and social media.’

Source: Walid J. Abdullah

August 20, 2016
2 Singaporeans Planning To Join ISIS Detained, 2 Others On Restriction Orders: MHA

Two Singaporeans, who intended to travel to Syria to fight for terror group Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS), have been detained under the Internal Security Act, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Friday (Aug 19).

Rosli Hamzah, a 50-year-old car washer, and Mohamed Omar Mahadi, a 33-year-old waste truck driver, received two-year detention orders this month, said the ministry in a statement.

Both men had also sought information online on how to travel to Syria to fight for ISIS. Rosli had searched for possible travel routes to Syria, while Omar had contacted militants for travel advice.

One of the militants was a citizen of a South-east Asian country and he was later killed in combat in Syria, said the ministry, without elaborating.

Both men became radicalised after listening to a Batam-based religious radio station called Radio Hang. The station, which claims a following in Johor Baru and Singapore, sometimes features speakers who preach extreme religious views.

Rosli began listening to the radio station in 2009, and was introduced to ISIS propaganda in August 2014 by “social media contacts who shared his religious orientation”, said the ministry.

“He became interested in armed jihad and ISIS, and as he perused more ISIS propaganda on the Internet, his support for ISIS grew.

“He eventually became convinced that ISIS militants were fighting for Islam, and that their beheading of ‘enemies’ was religiously permissible,” it added.

Omar started to listen to the same station in 2010, and came across propaganda by radical Al-Qaeda ideologue Anwar al-Awlaki in 2012. It led him to read more radical materials online, including ISIS-related materials, and he became a believer of ISIS’ warped ideology.

“By 2014, Omar was convinced that ISIS was fighting to bring glory to Islam, and that it was his religious duty to become an ISIS fighter in Syria,” said the ministry. “He was prepared to die a martyr.”

Omar’s wife Dian Faezah Ismail is one of two Singaporeans placed under Restriction Orders, which curtails their movement and activities.

The 34-year-old, like her husband, came to believe that the terror group’s violent actions are legitimate. She also helped him in his plans to relocate their family to Syria, said MHA.

There is no evidence at this point that their children were radicalised, the ministry added.

Dian has also moderated her views and will be undergoing religious counselling, it said.

The other is Mohamad Reiney Noor Mohd, a building technician. The 26-year-old had decided in 2013 to adopt a more fundamentalist form of religious practice, and in 2014 encountered radical ISIS-related materials online.

After viewing ISIS’ propaganda, he subscribed to its violent cause, aspired to fight for the terror group and was prepared to die in battle as he thought it would make him a martyr.

Reiney also intended to bring his family to Syria and had thought of saving money for the trip, said MHA.

Fortunately, he decided to drop his intention to travel there after he was dissuaded from doing so by a family member.

“Reiney has since moderated his positive views about ISIS after reading negative reports about the group,” said MHA.

“He has also set aside the intention to travel to Syria to join ISIS after he was admonished by a close relative that it was ‘forbidden’ for him to do so because the fighting in Syria did not concern him and he would be placing his family in harm’s way,” it said.

MHA said Reiney will undergo religious counselling while on Restriction Order.

The latest arrests mean there are currently 18 Singaporeans and four Bangladeshi nationals now on Detention Orders, and another 24 Singaporeans on Restriction Orders.

Source: The Straits Times

August 20, 2016
Visually Impaired Mohamad Ismail To Represent Singapore In Bowling World Championship

A freak umbrella accident robbed him of much of his eyesight 33 years ago.

But his disability has not stopped visually impaired national para bowler Mohamad Ismail (above) from achieving his dreams.

Having won the top spot in the singles event at the 2015 Asean Para Games, his next biggest challenge will be at the IBSA Tenpin Bowling Singles World Championships in Warsaw, Poland.

The event, which starts tomorrow and is the first singles world championships for the blind and partially sighted, is hosted by Start, the Polish Sports Association for persons with Disabilities.

“I am honoured to be the only bowler from Singapore to be selected for this prestigious event,” said Ismail.

“The biggest opponent I will face there is myself and, if I’m able to overcome that, results will come naturally.”

The 33-year-old made his debut in the 2010 Asian Para Games in China and nabbed the doubles bronze. He has been on the rise since, even clinching back-to-back singles golds in the Asean Para Games.

Ismail will be leaving for Poland tonight, alongside his coach Sam Goh, who has been mentoring him since 2014.

“I will be letting nature take its course but, of course, a medal will be nice no matter what the colour,” Ismail added.

“I want to be motivated and prove to every visually impaired individual that you do not need to have perfect eyesight to excel.”

Source: www.tnp.sg

August 19, 2016
Why We Need To Talk About Race

The just-released Channel NewsAsia-Institute of Policy Studies survey on race relations captures the reality of multicultural living in Singapore.

Broadly put, it sheds light on how Singaporeans have — or believe they have — interpreted and exemplified our shared ethos of multiculturalism.

More than 95 per cent of the approximately 2,000 Singaporean residents surveyed agreed that diversity is valuable, and that all races should be treated equally and with respect.

They also reported that they lived peacefully with those of other races, standing up for them and accepting them.

While it is not possible to ascertain the depths of interactions, many respondents said they had friends of other races and attended their cultural celebrations.

Perhaps the Chinese Singaporean, who constitute three-quarters of our citizen population, should get some credit for positive race relations in Singapore.

Despite being an overwhelming majority, only a third of those surveyed supported the statement that “It is only natural that the needs of the majority race should be looked after first before the needs of the minority races”.

By not clamouring for majority rights, the Chinese have allowed the principles of meritocracy to gain substantial ground in Singapore.

This is evident from the 89 per cent of respondents across races in the survey who agreed with the statement that “Everyone who works hard, no matter what race they are, has an equal chance to become rich”.

But the strong endorsement of multicultural principles and relationships does not mean that our society is free from racism.

About a quarter of respondents perceived themselves to be at least mildly racist, while 38 per cent of all respondents rated their close friends similarly.

Asked how racist most Chinese, Malay and Indian Singaporeans were, nearly half of respondents classified each of these generalised groups as at least mildly racist.

Respondents were even more likely to use the racist label when asked to rate new migrants from China, India and the Philippines.

This finding can be explained by social psychological research, which has shown that people often view themselves more favourably.

We judge others based on their actions, but justify our own behaviour by pointing to our good intentions.

Nevertheless, the survey showed that a significant number of people had seen racism on display by others, which reminds us that it still rears its head in our society.

These racist behaviours are likely to be of a mild variety, for few of our respondents, including minorities, in the past two years, had experienced instances of insults, name calling, threats or harassment, which is the standard fare of racism in many societies.

In Singapore, perceptions of racism tend to be based on interpersonal actions that may subtly convey that one group is inferior.

In this regard, more minorities, compared with majority members, agreed that they had experienced incidents where “People have acted as if they think you are not smart”, or “People have acted as if they’re better than you are”.

While two-thirds of minorities who have experienced such incidents attributed these differential experiences to race, quite a number, at the same time, also linked this to their educational or income level. This implies that sometimes it is difficult to tease out the exact source of bias.

Another manifestation of the mild form of racism that respondents cited has to do with the presence of racial stereotypes.

Nearly half of respondents believed that people of some races are more disposed to having negative traits such as violence, getting into trouble and being unfriendly.

While stereotypes can be levelled at all groups, the effects of the stereotypes are different. Being labelled “enterprising”, “afraid to lose” and “money-minded” may be regarded as necessary traits for success in competitive market environments.

But to be viewed as “overly religious”, “boisterous”, “lazy” or “smelly” may have rather dire consequences in how one is treated, and might inhibit entry and progress in a profession.

It can sometimes also convey that one’s racial and cultural background is essentially second class and subject to derision.

Some have contended that racism can also be seen when people prefer a member of their race to fulfil certain roles. The survey results confirmed that most people are more comfortable with someone who is racially similar when it comes to marrying into the family, sharing personal problems, managing one’s own business, and the appointment of the Prime Minister and President.

Such preferences seem to be etched deep into our being, with some recent research claiming that even babies demonstrate such an in-group bias in choosing which other baby in their playgroup they will help.

However, in-group bias is not always adaptive. Thus, many more minorities, compared with majority respondents, reported their acceptance of the majority race fulfilling many roles — only 38 per cent of Chinese respondents would be accepting of a Malay Singaporean helping to manage their business, while practically all Chinese respondents would accept a fellow Chinese in that role.

However, 82 per cent of Malay respondents said they would accept a Singapore Chinese in that role.

This is because minorities who live in a space with many more majority members are aware that it is simply not tenable to expect only members of their race to fulfil important roles and relationships.

But in our increasingly cosmopolitan city, majority members also should realise that it may no longer be useful even for them to accept only those who are racially similar to themselves in many relationships.

The character of racism that exists in Singapore was not shaped by acrimonious histories that have plagued a number of societies, where specific groups have been actively subjugated, sometimes through slavery, and worse still, genocide.

Rather, the vestiges of racism here stem from our innate in-group preferences, which have sometimes left us lacking in sensitivity and self-awareness when we interact with those who are ethnically different.

If we are to overcome this, we need to talk about our differences, as much as we talk about our commonalities. It is through this process of frank discussion and an openness to understand others that we can eliminate unfair stereotypes and biases. With that, we can go beyond simply agreeing with our multicultural ideals to actually realising them in practice.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr Mathew Mathews is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore. He was the lead researcher in the CNA-IPS Survey on Race Relations.

Source: www.todayonline.com

August 19, 2016