Wimp or warrior?
By Reggie J
August 28, 2008 Print Ready Email Article
DID we send a wimp, instead of a gladiator, to the Olympics?
That's the question on our minds after seeing the behaviour of the men's No. 1 table tennis player, Gao Ning, after he lost.
Hey, athletes who take part in the Olympic Games are a special breed of sportsmen and women, my dear chap.
They are Olympian warriors.
Not an incredible sulk.
To reach the international pinnacle of human endeavour in sports, Olympians must possess mental toughness, uncommon skill, strength and tenacity.
Well, this is how I have always regarded the men and women who gather every four years to win honours for their country and for themselves in this, the Mother of Sports meet.
That's why I cannot understand why our dear warrior Gao Ning looked so crestfallen when he realised his coach was not at his side to lend him moral support.
Gao, ranked 12th in the world, went on to lose 0-4 to his unfancied opponent, Tan Ruiwu, of Croatia.
A band of Singapore coaches, cheering on the side with arms interlocked, could not have changed this result for Gao.
This loss and the circumstances surrounding the fiasco have been well-reported in the media.
In tears
Sure, it was unfortunate that a coach was not at hand to offer tips.
But I don't understand why Gao was such a softie.
Olympians should be made of sterner stuff. Even if the coach was not around, he should have had the mettle to tough it out.
After all, he surely could not have been intimidated by a low-ranked player like Tan.
All his years of training, all his accumulated table tennis skills should have been enough for him to obliterate his opponent.
But he cracked and was later in tears.
I saw this match and witnessed him throwing away the last point by deliberately not returning Tan's last return - which was the match's coup de grace.
When Tan patted Gao on the back as if to commiserate with him, the latter ignored this friendly gesture.
Tan later patted Gao's back a second time and the Singaporean paddler just walked away.
Sportsmanship was also absent that day, not just the coach.by
By Reggie J
August 28, 2008 Print Ready Email Article
DID we send a wimp, instead of a gladiator, to the Olympics?
That's the question on our minds after seeing the behaviour of the men's No. 1 table tennis player, Gao Ning, after he lost.
Hey, athletes who take part in the Olympic Games are a special breed of sportsmen and women, my dear chap.
They are Olympian warriors.
Not an incredible sulk.
To reach the international pinnacle of human endeavour in sports, Olympians must possess mental toughness, uncommon skill, strength and tenacity.
Well, this is how I have always regarded the men and women who gather every four years to win honours for their country and for themselves in this, the Mother of Sports meet.
That's why I cannot understand why our dear warrior Gao Ning looked so crestfallen when he realised his coach was not at his side to lend him moral support.
Gao, ranked 12th in the world, went on to lose 0-4 to his unfancied opponent, Tan Ruiwu, of Croatia.
A band of Singapore coaches, cheering on the side with arms interlocked, could not have changed this result for Gao.
This loss and the circumstances surrounding the fiasco have been well-reported in the media.
In tears
Sure, it was unfortunate that a coach was not at hand to offer tips.
But I don't understand why Gao was such a softie.
Olympians should be made of sterner stuff. Even if the coach was not around, he should have had the mettle to tough it out.
After all, he surely could not have been intimidated by a low-ranked player like Tan.
All his years of training, all his accumulated table tennis skills should have been enough for him to obliterate his opponent.
But he cracked and was later in tears.
I saw this match and witnessed him throwing away the last point by deliberately not returning Tan's last return - which was the match's coup de grace.
When Tan patted Gao on the back as if to commiserate with him, the latter ignored this friendly gesture.
Tan later patted Gao's back a second time and the Singaporean paddler just walked away.
Sportsmanship was also absent that day, not just the coach.by
