Certainly not from me, if I am considered as part of 'the badminton fraternity'. I don't know what sort of signal they're giving to the public and this is very sad.
Loh, maybe u, Sealman, Oldhand et al need to takeover SBA. Don't worry, we'll support u guyz from beyond the Causeway ...... Can't let those talents go to waste, can we?
Oh no, we wouldn't be able to do such a thing I'm afraid. No takeover bid intended, just an unimportant opinion from another badminton fan. Since KLRC has been mentioned in one of the posts, we may find our young talents going there. And mind you, after we have spent so much money, effort and time to develop them!
Let me guess.SBA's just changed its CEO, sacked an exec hired without knowing he had a conviction and decided to welcome back a former disgraced coach maybe cos he offered a huge discount as SBA seemed like broke. SBA even had the cheek to ask RS to stay on even though it's a dead end for him. I don't believe anyone should be obligated to stay on even though SBA has 'developed' them for 5 years.What about the opportunity costs of those trained by SBA and going nowhere after 5 years? Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Maybe the President of SBA should set an example and think hard of some deep sacrifice on his part.
*yawn* here we go again.... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/383211/1/.html
no way dude... there are just too much politics involved in these sports associations... heard from the grapevine that there were quite a number of resignations in SBA...
I hope those who resigned are the dimwits behind the current fiasco! The focus now is on anything but badminton... and that's unfortunate.
In the article, I find this portion strange: While it is no surprise Wang and Feng have yet to be fully integrated into Singapore society, Li has been here for over a decade, a citizen for nine years, and it cannot be right that she can’t even keep up a conversation in English. Huh? There are thousands of heartlanders who can't speak or understand English. Why on earth should that be a demerit??? What's relevant is whether she can play table-tennis at the highest level. It's not about her conversational skills in English or any language, for that matter. Such observations don't encourage these players to stay. If they feel unwelcome, they will run away.
Errrrrrrrrr, I thought Singapore emphasise on speaking Mandarin & English? Some of them pride themselves ( not pointing our Spore BCers but other ppl, other ppl , hehe) in being good in English compared to Msians. So that kind of comment is not surprising to me.
zhang bei wen is back...here is the article... http://www.badzine.info/index.php?o...g-beiwen-is-back&catid=61:newsflash&Itemid=76
according to the article, she tried her luck 7 months ago in clubs in Malaysia and Taiwan before finally returning to Singapore she cannot make it in malaysia and taiwan and got the cheek to come back to singapore? and sba take her back? sigh are there no other talented players in this world?
Thanks limsy for letting us know the following news from Badzine: "SINGAPORE - Zhang Beiwen is back The 18-year-old shuttler Zhang Beiwen, who had left the Singapore badminton squad earlier this year, returned to the city state last week. She had joined Singapore under the Foreign Talent scheme in 2003 but had tried her luck 7 months ago in clubs in Malaysia and Taiwan before finally returning to Singapore" I did not even notice that she left so early in the year. However I did feel funny that she was trying out her video-cam during the Singapore Open and not playing on the courts instead. I hope she will be more committed and take her training more seriously after her recent "trial" and perhaps "tribulation" and make it her goal to be a champion!
Sealman, please give her a chance as she's young and relatively inexperienced. I think she has learnt her lesson and I hope that she will repay Singapore with her success in the badminton circuit. In a way, Singapore has to look after her welfare as she was nurtured from a young age of 13 here. And to be objective, Singapore currently has no local player that can measure up to her standard, I'm sorry to admit. It is a win-win situation for both, I think. And I wish her well.
hmm...anyhow...i dont think zhang should be blame if sba unfair...or if she is the one that doing wrong...sba willnt have accept her back...am i right???
Well, SBA is like a parent to her and as a parent, no matter how wrong a child can be, she will be forgiven. An understanding parent only has the child's interest and welfare at heart, whatever happens.
Teen shuttler who quit Singapore returns The Straits Times Singapore Wed, Nov 05, 2008 By Terrence Voon AFTER walking out on the Singapore team seven months ago, Zhang Beiwen is now back in the national badminton fold. The 18-year-old, who came here in 2003 under the Foreign Sports Talent (FST) scheme, was part of the Singapore side that won a team bronze at last year's World Youth Championships. She left the Republic in April to play badminton for various clubs in countries like Malaysia and Taiwan, but was persuaded to return last week by the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA). (This is like the return of a prodigal daughter. I personallly have high hopes of Zhang after seeing her play at close quarters all these years. She is taller and perhaps stronger than many of her teammates. And if she works harder on her fitness and skills, we might just see a future champion in the making. I hope this exciting episode of hers will jolt her up and make her understand how SBA is trying its best to give her the best it could offer. Just hope that Gu Juan will do likewise.)
SBA persuaded Zhang Beiwen to return to Singapore . So it was SBA who persuaded Zhang Beiwen to return to Singapore. Now that she is back, everything should be back to normal for SBA and her. .