Favourite Photos
Icon: LJ/sixthmile
Credits
Layout: tuesdaynight
Inspiration: DayBefore!Misery
Best viewed: Mozilla Firefox.
Resolution: 1280X800.
Congrats Pin Xiu.
Bitched on: Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Time: 9/17/2008 11:56:00 PM
Oh man... I know I am slow BUT I just realised that Yip Pin Xiu, the only Singaporean gold medalist in Beijing Paralympics, is my friend's younger sister.Time: 9/17/2008 11:56:00 PM
Congrats to Alvin Yip and his family. His sister has done the whole of Singapore proud. She is one special kid, you must really be beaming with pride.
Job well done.
....
Though I still think its so bullshit that she is only $100,000 richer and the second in place 'Singaporean' table tennis team received $400,000. Total BS.
I know its not all about the money BUT where the hell is the fairness? You think its easy to break a world record? You think its easier to swim with half your body failing on you?
What justifies her getting lesser prize money? Is it that the Paralympics is any less an important sports event than the Olympics? The Chinese people apparently do not think so, look at how equally spectacular the opening and closing ceremonies are.
Is it because those participating in the Paralympics are not as fast or as strong as the able-bodied athletes in the Olympics? Amputate Usain Bolt's legs and slap on him prosthetic legs, would he be able to run as fast? Or crush Michael Phelps's freakish long limbs and throw him into the pool, could he have gotten all those 8 gold medals?
Errmm... A bit on the dark side but you get my picture. Where is the fairness in all that?
These Paralympic athletes train equally as hard, if not HARDER, than able-bodied athletes. In fact, I think they could put more than half of the entire world's population to shame with how much faster, stronger and more determined they are. I certainly am.
They have been admirable. They have been inspirational.
And to see Pin Xiu getting 'second-class' treatment is especially saddening. She deserves better. She deserves more.
Especially since she is a bona fide true-blue Singaporean.
There I said it. I am not being xenophobic here but lets face it. I was beaming with pride when I saw her mouthing the Singaporean anthem as our flag was raised (speaking of which, it is the FIRST time that that has ever happened in a sporting event as grand as this). Do you think any of the table tennis players could have done the same? They could be singing in gibberish for all we know...
It is the first gold medal that Singapore has won in a global sporting event like this.
Olympics or Paralympics.
Able-bodied athletes or not.
It is all the same.
The spirit of the game is the same.
So should the rewards.
0 comments
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home