Thursday, December 26, 2013

Our Sportsmanship Continues to Shame


A Kadir Jasin

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SINCE the Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) is still in the pause mode in as far as criticising and advising the Prime Minister, let me once again touch on Malaysian sports.

Logically, Malaysia should be the one sending athletes to the Sochi Winter Olympic in Russia and not Tonga. Malaysia has a population of 28 million and Tonga 106, 146 in 2011.


 We may not have snow but we have several ice skating rinks and artificial snowfields. Also thousands of Malaysians go on winter holidays each year and many take up ice sports.

Alas, we are defeated yet again in the world of sports, and this time by the tiny Tonga. The island kingdom in the South Pacific is sending an athlete to the game to compete in luge.

A luge racer in action
The French news agency AFP reported from Wellington, New Zeland, that Tonga's Bruno Banani aka Fuahea Semi has qualified as the Pacific nation's first ever winter Olympian - an achievement every bit as remarkable as Jamaica's famous bobsled team.

The report says, Banani, who hails from a tropical archipelago famed for its sunshine and white sandy beaches, will head for the frigid Russian resort next year after finishing 28th out of 42 starters at a World Cup meet in Park City, Utah, comfortably making the top 38 cut-off needed to qualify, the FIL said. (Read more here).

Banani of Tonga Makes History
Then again why should we care about an obscure game like luge when we continue to do badly in games that we are supposed to be good at like sepak takraw, badminton and hocky.

But I am sure our creative and innovative sport officials will try to muzzle their way to Sochi if they can get some poor suckers to pay for it.

By the way, I was told by a senior member of the PMO’s Communication Advisory Group (CAG) that the PM is not going to Sydney or Las Vegas on the new year’s day as rumoured. That’s what she said. We have to wait and see.

And for all of us on this blog, let us start the New Year by being more magnanimous, less partisan, more bipartisan, less personal and most importantly no swear words.

2 comments:

laimun said...

Let's not get carried away and start championing sending our athletes to attend winter sports. Buat malu sahaja. Sepak takraw pun tak lepas, ni nak sibok main salji pulak. At least send a token team comprising of Sukma athletes to Tonga. Don't look down on small nations, Dato!! Another case of 'blurred lines".

PENGUNDI AMPANG said...

Datuk AKJ,

Bagaimanapun kita ada Datuk Lee Chong Wee dan Datuk Nicol bertaraf dunia yang Tonga tiada.

Kita sedang menunggu athlete Melayu bertaraf dunia @ internasional!

About Me

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I was born in 1947 in Kedah. I came from a rice farming family. I have been a journalist since 1969. I am the Editor-in-Chief of magazine publishing company, Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd. I was Group Editor NST Sdn Bhd and Group Editor-in-Chief of NSTP Bhd between 1988 and 2000. I write fortnightly column “Other Thots” in the Malaysian Business magazine, Kunta Kinte Original in Berita Harian and A Kadir Jasin Bercerita in Dewan Masyarakat. Books: Biar Putih Tulang (1998), Other Thots – Opinions & Observations 1992-2001 (2001), The Wings of an Eagle (2003), Mencari Dugalia Huso (2006), Damned That Thots (2006), Blogger (2006), PRU 2008-Rakyat Sahut Cabaran (2008), Komedi & Tragedi-Latest in Contemporary Malaysian Politics (2009) and Membangun Bangsa dengan Pena (2009).