Singaporeans angry at coach snub
Updated
The Chinese table tennis coach who helped Singapore win its first Olympic medal in nearly half a century, has been snubbed by local sporting authorities.
Some Singaporeans are outraged that Liu Guodong, who helped the Singaporean women's team win silver, was not even nominated for 'Coach of the Year' in the Singapore Sports Council's Awards.
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speaker: Bharati Jagdish at Radio 938-LIVE in Singapore
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BHARATI JAGDISH: Well, Sen, former national table tennis head coach Liu Guodong was actually not among the list of nominees submitted by the Singapore Table Tennis Association for the annual Singapore Sports Awards. Now this, despite the fact that he had led the Singapore women's team to a silver medal at last year's Beijing Olympics. This was Singapore's first Olympic medal in 48 years, so it was quite iconic when it happened. But then it was also during that same Games that Liu was accused of neglecting Singapore's top men's paddler Gao Ning, causing his early exit. Gao, then ranked world number 12, had found himself without a coach for his Olympic third-round singles match and in the end he crashed out to a lower-ranked player. Explaining why Liu was not nominated for the award despite helping to deliver the country's first Olympic medal in 48 years, the Singapore Table Tennis Association's president said that the decision was made by a committee within the Association and that was that. It is final.
SEN LAM: So what were some of the reasons that were cited by the Table Tennis Association for not giving Liu the award or even nominating him?
BHARATI JAGDISH: The Association's president Lee Bee Wah had said that results are not the only criterion to getting the award. A coach of the year has to be professional, have integrity, be able to get the team together, institute the culture of camaraderie and has to be well respected by all of his players and he, of course, added that if you ask the six players who competed at the Beijing Games whether he is deserving of the Coach of the year award, less than half will agree.
SEN LAM: So obviously Liu Guodong doesn't have many fans within the table tennis squad in Singapore but what are Singaporeans saying?
BHARATI JAGDISH: Well, Singaporeans have mixed feelings about this. Many are critical of the Association's stance, saying Liu has done his job, you know, he delivered the medal and he deserves to be rewarded. But there are also others who feel that the whole incident showed that Liu was not a team player. Some suggested that parties other than the National Sports Association should be given the right to nominate candidates for the awards as well. But the Singapore National Olympic Council's spokesman has already replied, saying that the current arrangement will remain and that the Association, not the athletes or the coaches, are going to be deciding on who wins these awards and they trust that the Association has the right to make the right decisions. People feel that sometimes Singaporeans are not forgiving enough and that we held it against this excellent coach. So a lot of people are worried that it might affect Singapore's chances of attracting foreign talent when it comes to really premier sporting talent in Singapore as well, because Liu after all, did come from China in the first place.
