Rilek1Corner

Tag: Olympics

  • Nicholas Lee: PAP Deserve Credit For Almost Sabotaging Joseph Schooling, Singaporeans Need To Reflect

    Nicholas Lee: PAP Deserve Credit For Almost Sabotaging Joseph Schooling, Singaporeans Need To Reflect

    Long Re-post, but enlightening:

    Some Facts about Joseph Schooling, you decide for yourself

    Joseph Issac Schooling, born in SIngapore. Father is a 3rd generation Singaporean of mixed English and Eurasian Portuguese heritage. Mother is a Malaysian Chinese who is a singapore PR. She has been living in Singapore for decades but has not taken up Singapore citizenship.

    Went to ACS Primary school. After PSLE, his swimming potential was identified by the parents, and they decided to send him to the Jacksonville, Florida to attend the Bolles School, which is a school specializing in training atheletes, in particular swimmers. Bolles has had a swimmer alumnus or student competing in every Olympic games since 1972. Their swimming program was set up by Gregg Troy who was the US Olympic Swim coach for the 2012 Olympic games. Imagine your secondary school swimming coach is a former Olympic swimmer and coached Michael Phelps in the 2012 Olympics!! What a powerhouse your school would be in the pool. because he is an international student, Bolles has a boarding program for its foreign students. The cost of one year of school fees and room and board is USD $47,000. Guess how much the PAP and SNOC contributed to this amount. Zero would be a fair guess.

    After he graduated from Bolles, he was offered a swim scholarship at University of Texas, one of the top 5 swimming programs amongst US universities. The Head Coach for the U of T swimming program is Eddie Reese, former head coach of the US Olympics swim team in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. If you know anything about the swim program, you know that nothing is left to chance. Professional full-time dieticians, sports psychologist, strenght and conditioning coaches, multi million weight rooms, etc are all part and parcel of what atheletes get when they go there. But even on a scholarship, its not cheap, with frequent travel to Singapore to compete in the SEA and Asian games and other social visits. Also, out of pocket costs and other costs in USD is also not cheap.

    It was at this point when the big hooha between Schooling’s mother MINDEF took place over his deferment. After a protracted and public fight, where she used the news media to put pressure on the PAP, you know who won the fight. Unfortunately, in earlier times, without the aid of modern day internet and social media, many other atheletes were lost to NS and a short sighted govt. policy. The race driver Andrew Tang is an example of a failed request for NS deferment. Ang Peng Siong in an earlier time was another case.

    So to sum it up……………..
    The Schoolings and not the govt paid huge money to send Joseph to Bolles for his swim coaching and studies
    The Schoolings and not the govt got the U of T scholarship for Joseph, even though it seems the PAP is giving full scholarships to every tom dick and harry FT
    The PAP wanted to sabotage the whole thing by making him do NS at such a critical junction in his swim career, and it would have happened if not for his mother’s intervention.

    The other Republic swimmer Quah Zheng Wen was not so fortunate that his family can send him to Bolles and hence is stuck with no name national coach carlos lopez, a bronze medallist in the Olympics and with the pathetic facilities in singapore. If Quah had the same opportunities, maybe we have 2 medals or more.

    U decide how much credit the PAP should get. Then see how many of these assholes jump on the bandwagon until it breaks.

    Some more Facts about Joseph Schooling, you decide for yourself Part 2

    “I think it has to be said that as a nation, a people, a country, a govt., and as individuals, we did almost nothing to help Schooling get to the gold medal. We did not finance him, did not support him, the PAP chose not to groom and encourage this guy. Very little of our money went to training him, and providing him the necessary support, compared to the millions we lavish on 3rd class ungrateful atheletes from China and elsewhere. Not only did we not support him, we almost killed his career by making him do NS. When I say we, I mean the 70% of the morons that supported and elected the PAP. If his mother May did not fight MINDEF to get his deferment, he might still be in the SAF now doing NS. There was no mass petition from singaporeans calling for his deferment. there was no mass calling of the MPs to support him. There was no media support for him, and certainly no support from the Singapore National Olympics Committeefor his deferment. Instead, 2 angmos (one was his swim coach in U of T, Gregg Troy) and the other a technical director, Bill Swetenham of SSC, wrote in their support to ask for his deferment. Not one PAP asshole or Notable sinkie stood up for this boy.

    But now that he won the Gold, everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon and be proud of him. I say that you don’t have that right. Singaporeans have not earned the right to claim the limelight with him. Where were they when he needed them? Sinkies are really pathetic hypocrites. Although I am born and raised in singapore, I am ashamed of our treatment of this boy, and I certainly cannot rejoice without a hint of embarassment that we as a people almost kill this great moment.”

     

    Source: Nicholas Lee

  • mrbrown To Lee Bee Wah: Want To Claim Credit? Detail How You Secured NS Deferment For Joseph Schooling

    mrbrown To Lee Bee Wah: Want To Claim Credit? Detail How You Secured NS Deferment For Joseph Schooling

    Lee Bee Wah, please share with us a detailed breakdown of how you secured NS deferment for Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen, since you seem very convinced about your monumental contribution.

    Because my understanding is that their parents negotiated with Mindef at a personal level.

    But hey, you seem to be claiming credit too, so we would love to hear how much you did for them.

     

    Source: mrbrown

  • Lee Bee Wah: Glad I Convinced MINDEF To Defer NS For Joseph Schooling

    Lee Bee Wah: Glad I Convinced MINDEF To Defer NS For Joseph Schooling

    Congrats Joseph Isaac Schooling! Everyone in Singapore is so excited and proud right now! I watched it at Singapore Swimming Association and everyone is cheering like crazy!

    I’m glad I asked MINDEF to let elite male athletes defer their NS. Both you and Quah Zheng Wen have used the deferment wisely and done us proud.

    Team Singapore ‪#‎oneteamsg‬ ‪#‎Rio2016‬

     

    Source: Lee Bee Wah

  • Give Quah Zheng Wen A Break!

    Give Quah Zheng Wen A Break!

    Do you know who this guy is? He’s Quah Zheng Wen. Yeah, and just like most publications (i.e. The New Paper), I have to use a nice picture just to clickbait you into reading this, because TNP has decided to drag a national athlete through the mud just because he refused to answer the media after he failed to qualify.

    Read this article for more understanding: http://www.tnp.sg/…/team-sin…/leonard-thomas-speak-zheng-wen

    “It was extraordinary, after he snubbed us following his swim in the 100m backstroke, where he fared badly in his first event of these Games.”

    Why are all these journalists talking about how it is a “character flaw” that Zheng Wen refused to talk to them after he didn’t make it?

    Why are these reporters feeling entitled for a response from a tired, disappointed athlete?

    Do you know how hard he must’ve trained to even qualified to be at‪#‎Rio2016‬? Most Singaporean athletes have to fund their own way there.

    He worked his ass off, and the moment he has a bad day, all these journalists start to say shit about him.

    Zheng Wen might have a body of an Adonis and a smile of a heartthrob but deep down, he’s still a kid who wants to make his country proud. The reality is, he didn’t make it. And instead of showing compassion, and understanding of his disappointment, Singaporean journalists tear him a new asshole.

    This is why we don’t have many local athletes, musicians, artists, actors, directors. Singaporeans are fucking quick to put each other down the moment someone says, “I don’t want to talk about it.” So much for kampung spirit. More like “kaypoh spirit”. These journalists sound like your annoying aunt when she asks you, “got girlfriend or not?”

    He lost. He is disappointed, tired & frustrated. Last thing he wants to do is to face vulture journalists who want nothing than to write clickbaity articles – and they’ve already done that: A FULL PAGE ON THE NEW PAPER.

    Do you guys know how hard it is to work towards being at #Rio2016? I sure don’t. These journalists sure don’t. So who are we to judge?

    On behalf of Quah Zheng Wen, who represent our nation, and was vilified by local Journalists, here’s a big FUCK OFF.

    To Quah Zheng Wen, I’m sorry that our journalists are horrible to you. But the rest of the Singaporeans and I, are glad you represented us.

    To put it into perspective, these “journalists” are assassinating the character of a 19-year-old national hero.

    And you know what? Even IF (I emphasise, IF) Zheng Wen is an asshole, and might not be as gracious as you, dragging him through the mud after what he did doesn’t make you that gracious either.

    // EDIT: Let me just add this. It wasn’t very wise for him to just walk off after saying “hi guys”. It isn’t very professional. But for a 19-year-old to know the PR procedures isn’t really his responsibility or it might not be his strongest suit.

    Most 19-year-olds are full of themselves. I sure know I was, but think of it this way. He lost. He panicked. He knew what to do was right. Say hello, and get out before his emotions take over. That to me, in some extent, shows not maturity, exactly, but rather, “ah fuck must I really be here? i hope I don’t say anything stupid,” kind of maturity.

    Because a sad boy, can also say very mean and hurtful things, and I rather he stay quiet and not say anything that might hurt his reputation even more. He probably has a million fucking (used as an emphasis, not a curse word) things running through his head. “How am I gonna explain this to Singapore?” “What am I gonna do?” “Can I still catch that Gyrados I saw at the Olympic Village?” “Must I really say something? Screw it.”

    “HI GUYS!” he exclaimed.

    That to me, is a boy, preventing himself from crying in front of the entire world.

    For TNP, its journalists and editors to portray him in such a negative light, is not fair.

     

    Source: Zulkarnain Sadali

  • Is The Government For Or Against A Sporting Culture In Singapore?

    Is The Government For Or Against A Sporting Culture In Singapore?

    On Sunday (31 July), Minister Grace Fu reiterated that the decision not to telecast the Olympics live from Rio was a ‘commercial one’. The public, the sports fans and the sports fraternity does not in any way dispute that it is a commercial decision by the broadcasters not to telecast the Games live. It is up to the broadcasters, and in this case, MediaCorp to decide if it makes business sense.

    However, while the broadcasters may have commercial reasons for not supporting the live broadcast due to cost, it is also important for the Government to explain why it does not think that the live broadcast of the Olympics will benefit Singapore sports, in developing a sports culture, and in inspiring people to embrace sports as a way of life. The Government, through Sport Singapore and other national agencies like Singapore Tourism Board already support many other commercial events financially, especially if they are in line with achieving national objectives in some way. Just two such examples are the Formula 1 and the WTA Finals in Singapore.

    Since the decision was announced that Singapore will not have a live broadcast, a few of us sports officials have received messages from Sport Singapore officials asking us to be neutral about the lack of a live telecast. One Sport Singapore official also told me that “this was ur PM’s decision” and asked me not to “play play”. As an elected member of the Singapore Swimming Association, representing the swimming fraternity, it is almost impossible for me to be neutral on this matter. Especially when Joseph Schooling’s finals for the 100m fly and 100m freestyle are at 9am and 10am respectively. Different time zone yes, but not at a time when Singaporeans are asleep. In fact, this would have been perfect for students in school, people at work and the community to gather and let the world pass by and watch history being made. Together.

    With so much having been invested in sports development, sports infrastructure, in having our athletes prepare for the Olympics, and in trying to inspire a sporting culture in Singapore, perhaps the public should be told why the Government isn’t willing to invest in live broadcast for the Olympics, especially when this would have been a time for a nation to unite, for bonds to be built within communities, and for a sports culture to be further enhanced.

     

    Source: Jose Raymond