Still try to lie and smoke!
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Silver medal: Do the ends justify means?
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I WISH to express my deepest and most heartfelt congratulations to Singapore for winning its second Olympic medal after a long, long 48-year wait. This ended 48 years of intense hope, anticipation, disappointment, anguish and financial resources spent.
More importantly, it proves that even though we are not getting the creme de la creme of the sportsmen and women from overseas, as was reported last Sunday, ('The man behind the medal'), Singapore can achieve. This is surely a success of our foreign talent scheme in sports, despite the occasional hiccup - like when a national soccer player went Awol. After winning an Olympic medal, maybe it is time we revive our World Cup soccer dream of qualifying for the final rounds.
Perhaps by using the lure of a Singapore passport, we can entice half or even the entire Brazilian football team here. We can spot the young talents in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and groom them. Perhaps we can win a Formula One race by applying the foreign talent scheme to top drivers. Perhaps we can venture into new events like cycling, skiing and baseball. But before we go too far and high, let us hold our breath and get a grip on our adrenalin.
Do the ends justify the means? Would any self-respecting nation, sportsman and woman derive any pride in this manner?
Quek York Tong Forum note: The second half of this letter, which first appeared on Tuesday, was wrongly left out. The above is its full version.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Silver medal: Do the ends justify means?
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I WISH to express my deepest and most heartfelt congratulations to Singapore for winning its second Olympic medal after a long, long 48-year wait. This ended 48 years of intense hope, anticipation, disappointment, anguish and financial resources spent.
More importantly, it proves that even though we are not getting the creme de la creme of the sportsmen and women from overseas, as was reported last Sunday, ('The man behind the medal'), Singapore can achieve. This is surely a success of our foreign talent scheme in sports, despite the occasional hiccup - like when a national soccer player went Awol. After winning an Olympic medal, maybe it is time we revive our World Cup soccer dream of qualifying for the final rounds.
Perhaps by using the lure of a Singapore passport, we can entice half or even the entire Brazilian football team here. We can spot the young talents in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and groom them. Perhaps we can win a Formula One race by applying the foreign talent scheme to top drivers. Perhaps we can venture into new events like cycling, skiing and baseball. But before we go too far and high, let us hold our breath and get a grip on our adrenalin.
Do the ends justify the means? Would any self-respecting nation, sportsman and woman derive any pride in this manner?
Quek York Tong Forum note: The second half of this letter, which first appeared on Tuesday, was wrongly left out. The above is its full version.
