Seriously, our local sporting scene is really in a pathetic state. Straits Times called it “Promising shuttler quits“. I prefer to call it “Wasting our time and money”.
ONE of Singapore’s rising foreign badminton talents has quit the national team, complaining that he was told to either take up citizenship or go.
Doubles specialist Riky Widianto, 17, who has been here since 2005, flew home to Indonesia yesterday after tendering his resignation to the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) earlier this month.
Badminton officials had wanted him to become Singaporean in time to represent the country at this year’s South-east Asia Games, but Riky said his parents felt he was too young to make the move.
‘I wanted to stay and fulfil my dream as a badminton champion for Singapore,’ he told The Straits Times. ‘But I had no choice because the association told me I had to become a citizen now, or quit.
‘My family told me to wait another year or two, but the SBA couldn’t wait.’
The full-time player was also unhappy with his monthly pay of $1,350, saying it was barely enough to cover his living expenses.
What the difference between converting to Singaporean now and converting one or two years later? He already had 3 years to decide. In fact, the decision should had been made since day one. I was quite surprised when I read this article. You mean the Singapore Sport Council actually train foreigners before they convert to Singapore citizen? What if the person refuse to convert to Singapore citizen like Riky Widianto? Isn’t that wasting taxpayers money? Sigh, when will the Singapore Sport Council ever learn? Why are we wasting so much money buying foreign talents to help us win medal? Is medal so important?
Is Riky Widianto taking Singapore for a ride? Come on, he should have decided if he want to take up Singapore citizen when he take up the offer from Singapore Sport Council. Who does he think we are? Suckers?
on Feb 18th, 2009 at 1:13 PM
By training with better shuttlers, local players benefit as well. But that’s provided that there are locals being selected to train.
on Feb 18th, 2009 at 10:47 PM
Jialat: But that also means that there is lesser chance for local to be selected into the national team.
on Feb 19th, 2009 at 1:40 AM
Straits Times call it
called it
on Feb 19th, 2009 at 11:09 AM
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on Feb 19th, 2009 at 4:40 PM
at least by refusing the sg citizenship because he felt he wasn’t ready, riky was respecting the true spirit of citizenship. Only moronic sgreans with no sense of what it means to be a citizen will demand that foreigners either take it or leave it ‘from day one’. but what to do, sgreans are … hahaha.
on Feb 19th, 2009 at 5:08 PM
Dave: Well, the whole meaning of citizenship has already been eroded by Singapore Sport Council’s hunt for medal.
And if you read my past blog entry, you know that I’m against the Singapore Sport Council’s foreign talent scheme. Its a pure waste of money and time to buy something that is of no use.
Sports is about representation. Not winning. What’s the point of buying foreign talents to win the medal for us?
on Feb 19th, 2009 at 5:22 PM
yes, but that doesn’t mean sgreans should join in this idiocy.
on Feb 21st, 2009 at 11:23 AM
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