Round of applause for us winning the women's team silver medal in the recently concluded Olympics. But apparently, another type of ruckus is gaining momentum over the very same achievement. However, it is on the opposite side of any celebratory sort.
I stand on the side of the coach. How can anyone publicly question his professionalism or ethics. Even if there is really something of this sort, as the table tennis chief, you cannot discuss it in public! A wiser and more neutral comment would have been, "No comments or It was a fair decision as the board had deliberated long and hard or We acknowledge the achievement and contribution of all the coaches in 2008 but we were unable to find someone who had distinguished himself/herself."
Coach Liu's contribution is unequaled and to publicly discuss his morals is uncalled for. Even if you do not like someone, as an adult and especially someone in power, you cannot sling personal attacks. What image are you projecting to the people in Singapore and the world?
The repercussions are far and wide. From this incident, will foreign coaches and athletes be enticed to take up stints with us? I sincerely hope this matter will be resolved amicably. Having passion in table tennis does not naturally lead to sound leadership. I hope that someone in the higher echelon of authority will step in and give Coach Liu his due respect and honor. After all, we cannot brush aside the fact that he was instrumental in securing our republic's 2nd Olympic medal in nearly half a century.
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