I didn't watch the match but I'm sad to hear Susilo lost.
But I feel very proud of him for getting to where he is.
Time and again, we get differnt camps of people supporting and playing down our sportsmen here. The truth is, it's not the government's or athletes' fault. As to the age old question as to why poor nations can even qualify in the big gsames when a developed country like us can't, it's the pathetic lack of sports culture here.
When I heard about the prize money local athletes are given, I thot it was incredulously funny, if not sort of insulting? S$1 million reward for a gold. Will money really suddenly motivate our sports people to wake up and say, hey I can be that richer if I work even harder?
I hate to say this, call me a pessimistic or wet blanket, but usually I'm not... Our sports school will not be going anywhere far. I don't care how much money we have, how good the facilities are, but as long as we don't have the culture here, forget the whole thing! When it was reported only students with certain PSLE qualification (at least Express stream??) can make it to the School, I was darn pissed off with the authorities. You want a lawyer or doctor and also the same person to represent Singapore in the big games and win a medal? Which dream are you dreaming??? And when some clown started projecting Goal 2010 for Singapore to make it to the World Cup finals, it was tickling funny on one hand, yet nauseatingly sick!
I don't think Singapore will ever make it big in international sports over a long period of time. It's hard to change a culture over a few years. Look at the Cortesy campaign. As far as I remember, it was happening since I was a kid in 1979. Till today it's still on that they have to remind us to stand behind the yellow line, let passengers go out of train first, give up your seat to those who need it first, etc. And what do we see? Still many people who don't! What made us so confident suddenly Singapore is gonna have a chance to win a medal at the Olympics where only the best of the best athletes compete? Sure get more foreign athletes and make them Singaporeans but at the end of the day, I'd say work at changing our sports culture first!
1 big reason why athletes from poor nations (or those from developed countries) succeed and not us, is that of pure passion. It's the love of what they are doing. It's not I get to write a book, I get to be a pin-up boy or girl in the papers, or I get to study in some top Secondary school or jc by default. Brazilian kids are known to kick anything! No, they don't always have the lush green fields that we have here. Make-shifts paper perhaps too as a ball. Poor kids in the slums play basketball bare-feet without a proper net. They only know how to enjoy the game and be better. Our kids? Ermmm, "I think I need to study hard for the coming tests next 2 weeks, and then the exams. Afterall, I'm slated to be a doctor or a successful lawyer."
1 thing I notice here is that many people can say which team they support in the EPL, and they can give excellent commentaries about the match last night between this team and that. But the irony is that there is a high chance they don't even kick a single ball!
I don't think we should be overly disappointed we are an unknown in sports. It's just the situation here. Just as car prices here are crazily high. But the government is not to be blamed as some conveniently attribute to. If cars were much cheaper, then expect crazy traffic jams! We have different priorities but we are excellent in many other areas. As for sports, just dream and dream we will one day see a Singaporean on the rostrum... Olympics, World Cup... Why not we just watch the pros and dedicated sportsmen from other countries on TV.
As for our remaining sprotsmen and women, I wish them the best in the Olympics! At the end of they day, they are still our heros and heroines to wear the shirts that represent us. Unfortunately, we just dont have the culture here for them.
