Saturday, August 09, 2008
Li Jiawei drags the Singapore Flag during the Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Singapore delegation was the 188th team to come out yesterday during the parade of the athletes at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games held at Beijing. It's funny that the commentators mentioned our badminton player Ronald Susilo and then Li Jiawei (without mentioning her name), the flag bearer and table tennis player. I guess they had no idea about the couple's recent ugly split. And talking about Li Jiawei, did anyone notice that she was dragging the Singapore flag on the floor? Watch the video above. I guess that's what you get when you purchase an athlete from China - they just have no respect for your flag. According to the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act, no person must treat the national flag with disrespect, nor must any person in possession of the flag allow or cause the flag to touch the floor or ground. The penalty is a fine not exceeding S$1,000. Ouch.
Ok enough about the Singapore team. Let's now talk about the opening ceremony in general. Last night's Olympic Opening Ceremony held at Beijing's Bird Nest stadium was spectacular. There's a lot being said about the Chinese on the run up to the Olympic Games but one thing is for sure, they do know how to create a spectacular Opening Ceremony! The Chinese put up so many amazing sights and sound for the ceremony last night but I think the most spectacular of the lot has to be the lighting of the flame cauldron. Chinese sporting icon and former gymnast Li Ning with the Olympic torch was pulled all the way up to the top of the Bird Nest Stadium, then jogged around the top ring wall "sideways" before lighting up the Olympic cauldron. I swear when he was pulled up, I was a bit worried for the man. I was just hoping the wires were strong enough. It looked scary up there.
The ceremony was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou but I do wonder though how much of last night's displays were the brainchild of Steven Spielberg who quit as the artistic adviser for the opening ceremony in February in protest at China’s policy on Darfur. It's great to see a fellow Asian country putting up such a wonderful spectacle but as the Chinese spent millions to make sure their Olympics is a success, I can't help but think about the millions of people in Darfur who are suffering because of the Chinese continued sponsoring of the genocide there. No country has offered more diplomatic support, nor done more to provide money to buy the weaponry that fuels the engine of genocidal destruction. And no country has done more to insulate Khartoum from economic pressure or human rights accountability. China may have staged the greatest Olympic Opening Ceremony ever but they have to look at themselves for assisting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people thousand miles away. They have blood in their hands.
Update: You can also read this post on Reuters here.
Update: Li Jiawei and the Singapore team are through to the Finals of the Olympics Table Tennis event.
Also read: Help get Li Jiawei into LOL Olympics
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45 comments:
the s'pore govt will forgive her if she brings home a medal.
Of all the Singaporeans in the team why must they choose that China girl to hold our flag?!!!
Flag too heavy for her lah
She better win a gold medal or else we will fine her 10x the amount.
are both jiawei n susilo good frens now?
think its awkward for both of them to be in the same team.
good post iz and thanks for bringing up the china-darfur connection.
She's nothing but a China reject!!!
wat do u expect from a china bitch?
Mark my words. You all true blue Singaporean assholes will soon praise her when she does Singapore proud by winning an Olmpic medal.
Chinaprrocks: You can kiss my true blue Singaporean ass first before that happens.
i don't think the flag is too heavy. i think she wants the camera and the whole world to see her face that's why her flag isn't held straight.
What the video didn't show is that she dragged the flag on the floor all around the stadium.
If you read the American forums, at least one out of 10 will make some comment about Darfur or China's "human rights abuses".
You all know some Chinese people or have been to China many times. Do your rights get abused..? Many Chinese are even much more well-off than Singaporeans.
But all the Americans all shaddup about how many millions of lives, property and future they destroyed when they directly barged into Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam etc etc. Americans are no better, or even worse. Most Iraqis hate the shit out of America and Halliburton and want them out. China didn't actually send battalions or carpet bomb the hell out of Darfur directly, did they.
Let's be fair and not listen to American propaganda wholesale, the bloody hypocrites.
I won't be proud of her, not because she was from China, but she has no knowledge of our Singapore history nor culture. Maybe SGP govt will forgive her if she brings back a medal or two, but punishment should be done and answer to all Singaporean as well. Maybe she should post a public apology after she come back. Too heavey a flag is just an excuse cos when u look at other female flag bearer, have they ever let the flag touches the floor.
i will not feel proud if she brings home a gold medal.
She ain't a true blue singaporean after all.
ccb PRC...LOOK AT HER BODY LANGUAGE ONE CAN TELL SHE IS ASHAMED TO CARRY THE SINGAPORE FLAG IN HER HOMETOWN.
HOW ONE MISTAKE CAN REVEAL ONE'S DEEPEST SECRETS. SHE WILL GIVE UP S'PORE CITIZENSHIP WHEN HER TIME IS UP. ANYONE WANT TO BET?
I am a Singapore citizen. You guys fuck off. I am a patriot but you guys are too much, so xenophobic.
She must be charged with doing that.. no excuse. Time to see what the Olympics Committee does when they return.... Accountability.
it's just a fucken flag, a man-made symbol, no need to get your panties in a twist. too bad she made a mistake of dragging it on the ground but none of the other true-blue singaporeans noticed and corrected her. blame them too.
Olympics? What Olympics? There isn't even an official page in SNOC's website to at least show our athletes, their schedules and results. Their News Headlines stopped at 30 Jun 2008. That much for Team Singapore....
Tao Li shd be the one carrying the flag. She speaks English like a Singaporean, and she is more Singaporean than Jiawei.
everyone and anyone should be proud of representing their country that they call home. Carrying such a flag no doubt needs some strength and skill in carrying, and perhaps Lee was not the proper flagbearer for that (from what we see from the video).
This is a mistake of the whole SGteam for agreeing to let her be the one carrying the flag and not Lee herself. So stop putting so much blame on her.
To those people who think she isn't worth being part of the SGteam, let me say: Our ancestors once come from China / India / Malaysia... Our great great great grand parents may not be pure Singaporean born but they are the ones who help us build SG. I believe when they were here as coolies and stuff, they also get such verbal abuses by natives saying that they are unsightly and poor and smelly.
=( Shouldn't Singaporeans support Singaporeans?
I say support our team. You can find a million things to complain about... Even flag bearing using what seems to be an ok grip is scrutinized...
Complain, complain, complain!
Keep it up sg! I salute you!
Naiser
Are you people goddamn retarded? She's not deliberately dragging the flag and trying to disrespect Singapore.
I can't help but say again, are you retarded?
My mum used to tell me(in mandarin), "one type of rice feeds hundred types of people. But in China, hundred types of rice feeds one type of people"
You guys noticed what kind of news those chinese women create these days?
Just Beware of them!
Doesn't anonymous know that untalented Singapore can offer no one with more potential to win a medal after a 48-year drought?
Let's face it! Singapore lacks talents. Even the gonment says so. Shouldn't we be ashamed that we pin our hopes on Li to win a medal after a 48-year drought simply because we are so untalented? Someone here calls her a "China reject". Are we proud that a reject from China has more potential than all the best among the true blue Singaporeans.
So fine her for her sin. But do not call her a China "bi****" because of this. Fine her, yes.
Let us live to our expection and the world's expectation of us. For aren't we a FINE city? Make it "FINE NATION"!
It's ironic how "the athlete purchased from China" is one of the people that brings the first medal for Singapore.
Once upon a time, not long ago, I was very proud of Singapore. I lived there for a few years in my life. I loved the country, the people, the economics, the low crime rate.
I've been disappointed in the past week. Yes it only takes one week for Singaporeans to change my perspective and view of Singapore.
When I was doing my Secondary School there 10 years ago, I've met great Singaporean friends. Even though we were of foreign status, people that I've met treated us as equal. Out of the five people who were sitting in the Top 5, four of us were foreign students. Regardless of what nationality we had, the school and fellow students were still proud of our achievements.
10 years have passed. Instead of becoming more understanding, tolerant of people from different background, most of you call these athletes names... 'imports', 'athlete bought from china', just to name few from 3 articles I've read so far about RS and LJW.
Why does it matter if these athletes come from different national? At the end of the day, they go into the battlefield/competition as Singaporeans. They carry Singaporean flag.
Your attitude and perspective are very different to the Australians.
We do not care if you were Chinese, Malaysians, Indonesians, Iraqis, Russians, Americans... Once you don the green and glod outfit, we see you as fellow Australians and we'll cheer for you at the Olympics.
Oh so slamming her and complaining about her speaks very well of all you xenophobics?
Her decision to be Singaporean makes her a Singaporean. Face it, your ancestors were once foreigners as well. Does it disqualify them, or you, as a Singaporean? Singapore was built with foreign hands, and is still being done so.
The embracement of foreign talent was what made Rome a great nation (thousands of years ago), and was also what made America a great nation. Xenophobia does not encourage success because it limits opportunities. We should embrace and BE PROUD that someone with such talent such as Jiawei wants to be a Singapore citizen, not lambaste them.
She has my respect as a Singaporean AND as a great athlete. Congrats to the Silver medal!
Those who insult her, can you achieve what she's done? No? Then shut the f*&k up. U weak pussies are nothing but a bunch of F*&king losers. The epitome of arrogance, ignorance & pure unadulterated weak ass fagots.
Li JiaWei came to singapore like when she was 15 or 16 and when she was a nobody. And now she gave us a silver medal. So stop saying she china import etc. She made it in Singapore lah.
flag heavy? my foot
cut and paste the folllowing:
http://img2.cache.netease.com/
2008/2008/8/8/
200808082234489a178.jpg
Pls lah when she win medal u all say we using china people help us play than when she lose u all say she disgrace us ah. Lol dun look it that way that she's frm china just admit that singapore players are useless.
Singapore has more than a million of citizens, but we need to depend on a dozen of foreigners to get medals for us. Till now we still hear some Singaporeans talk bad about these foreigners who are willing to stay with such Singaporeans. What kind of attitude Singaporeans have? Such Singaporeans are not even fit to salute in front of the national flag.
Hey, think and say whatever you want. Bottom line is, we all know what the chinese are capable of. Say no further, just travel around the world and you will find the answer.
I think Singaporeans should have negative feelings about the government using the Chinese born players to win the medal particularly the way the government went about looking for "talent". Canada and US table tennis team also have Chinese born players. The difference is they were not scouted by the government and usually immigrated to Canada/US with their family or for other reasons. Another thing I find strange is Li Jiawei arrived in Singapore when she was only 14 and still cannot speak English properly. It is a disgrace the Singaporean government only cared about her table tennis skills and did not do enough to care about other things like improving her English etc. Xian Yi Fang, another Chinese born player, plays for France. She arrived in France when she was 21 amd has lived there for eleven years the same amount of time as Li Jiawei has been in Singapore. Unlike Li, Xian can speak the language of her adopted country - French.
I'd rather have our home grown athlete not win a medal than those imports winning a medal.
As for the imports winning silver in table tennis,
It feels like China won the Gold and the Silver coz they are from the same country BUT WITH DIFFERENT CITIZENSHIP ONLY.
i think you guys who think criticises the girls are just plain childish..
Lots of ugly and intolerance Singaporeans here. =(
cant u freking peeps just chill?! She is just tired or maybe she doesnt even know its wrong! Get a grip!
u ppl r really rude n ungrateful!(those tt criticise her)ur parents neva teach u nt to speak bad of ppl is it?!
She is groomed and has lived in Singapore for 13 years. I must say she is at least half a Singaporean. Give her some credits for bring honours to Singapore, not only in Olypmics, but all other international table tennis games all over the world for the past years.
I am a Singaporean, but am greatly appalled and ashamed by most of you UGLY Singaporeans who posted unreasonable criticism about Li Jiawei, especially the idiot who put up this video and making sarcastic remarks.
We take for granted many things. Our main goal was to bring a medal home after after 48 years.
Li Jiawei has adopted Singapore, but Singapore has not graciously embraced her.
We (some of us) nitpick and look for faults with a magnifying glass, not realising that we are not so great after all.
We (some of us) criticise her for not mastering the English language. How many Singaporeans do speak English? I am not tocking bout Singlish. Those can tock Singlish got plenty.
We (some of us) abuse her calling her names which she does not deserve.
Why of all the Singaporeans they must choose that China girl to hold our flag? Well, isn't it obvious. that China girl is now a Singapore girl and she puts Singapore on the world ping pong map, she brings home a medal we all crave for all these years.
That's why they choose that China (now Singapore) girl.
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