IT IS sad to read about the sarcastic reactions against the women's silver medal table tennis team by self-proclaimed true Singaporeans.

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a society takes its lead from the policies of the country. The writer should instead ask why Sporeans are not like Canadians in their approach to foreign-born citizens?
How come such strong xenophobic backlash anti-foreigner feelings are so prevalent among Sporeans?
Does Canada have the same wide open doors to immigrants or do they at least protect their own kind first before the jobs can be offered to foreigners if equal in skills and qualifications?
Are we prepared to have president, mayor or police chief to be of different skin colour like the writer's examples of non-whites e.g. Chinese, Viet, Indians, Hongkies in a white country?

Why are you so naive? (hey I never use the word `stupid')

Merceneries are always merceneries, they are not patroits!
Who ever pay them more, they will leave.
One or two years ago, a former female table tennis champion left Singapore for `greener' grounds just because some country gave her a better offer.

Do not try to use other people's backside as your face. In Chinese mean:-
用别人的屁股当你的脸皮！

The price of getting one or two medals is far too high.
Our garment men and some people had always been cruel to our own people and kind to foreign trash.
Few years back, a very talented swimmer Ang PS asked for around 30K a year to support his family in order to train hard to represent Singapore, but he was rejected.
Sadly, he retire from swimming and set up his APS Swimming school........

Are we all penny wise but pound foolish?
Using so much money and effort to buy so not so tip-top athletes is surely not a wise move.

If I may ask. Is S'pore ready to have a Malay or Indian Prime Minister?

Hi XiaoWei

The answer to your question is one of the reason why I migrated.

Cheers

Cheong Wing Lee's whole letter is off the mark. He brings in Racism and Class-Segregation as arguments. Good grief. Since when was the argument about race and class??

Non Sequitur.

Wagga, what citizenship you are holding now? Let's see if your new country will have an Asian as a president or prime minister.

The integration process requires the understanding of both side, the native and the foreigners. Unfortunately, these "talented" foreigners in Singapore are so arrogant.

My sale staff told me that when these people walked into shop and greeted by the sales staff, "anything I can help you?", they just kept mum and there is not even an eye contact or acknowledgement. And later, they told their friends right in front of the sales staff: "这里没什麽好看，我们走！“ (there is nothing to see here. Lets go!). I would say this is very very rude.

And look at those "talented" foreign ladies, how they suck the old forks' monies in Chinatown.

Five thousands years of civilisation? All buried by these "talents"!!

Don't think Singaporeans are against foreign talents provided
These foreign talents are really world class or world class at the level that they are brought in for.
The key is that foreign talent should pay perform first then get placed into high office. Foreign talent and locals should compete on equal ground.
The table tennis ladies came to Singapore worked hard and are not 'instant fix', they have been here for a while. They took our citizenship, they are one of us.
Foreign talent that do not take our citizenship may still be talented, but they are not Singaporean.

The author has such naivety ... it's the money

MADE in China, made it in Singapore.

Yes, Li Jiawei has become the first Singapore woman to become a millionaire - by playing games. Specifically, a game called table tennis.

So who says athletes can't get rich?

Win or lose in the Olympic women's team final against China today, the 27-year-old paddler will become the first millionairess athlete in Singapore.

The Republic's paddlers are guaranteed at least a silver medal after they beat South Korea in the semi-final on Friday to enter today's final.

If the trio of Li, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei beat the mighty Chinese in the final, scheduled to start at 7.30pm at the Peking University Gymnasium in Beijing, they will receive a cool $1.5 million under the Singapore National Olympic Council's Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme.

Lose and they will still be winners - sharing $750,000 for the silver medal. That will take Li's career earnings past the million-dollar mark.

Before her, Singapore had three millionaire sportsmen - footballer Fandi Ahmad, jockey Saimee Jumaat and golfer Mardan Mamat.

Her millionaire tag is based only on her earnings at the four major Games - the Olympics, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the SEA (South-east Asia) Games.

Li could not be reached for comment yesterday as she is not allowed to talk to the media before the final today.

Born in Beijing, the 1.70-metre tall, 60kg Li was recruited by the Singapore Table Tennis Association under the Foreign Talent Scheme in 1996.

She made her debut at the 1999 SEA Games, winning three gold medals in the women's singles, doubles and team event. That earned her $22,500 under the award programme.

She also won a bronze medal in the mixed doubles, but that did not entitle her to any monetary reward.

To date, Li has competed in five SEA Games, winning a total of 14 gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

She collected $93,000 for her efforts. In 2002, the women's team, led by Li, won Singapore's first medal in 40 years at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

She went on to win three golds and one silver medal, which earned her $250,000 under the award programme.

A few months later, she won two bronze medals at the Asian Games, bagging $87,500.

It was another medal harvest two years ago when Li won two golds and two silvers at the Commonwealth Games and added one silver and two bronzes at the Asian Games in Doha.

In all, she was rewarded to the tune of $345,000 for those two outings.

Taking into account the silver medal that the team is guaranteed of winning in Beijing, Li's career earnings at the major Games now stand at $1.03 million.

That does not include the prize money she won at the ITTF Pro Tour tournaments over the years and the monthly allowance given to her by the Singapore Sports Council, which is estimated to be $3,000.

She has certainly worked her way to where she is today.

Her success is the result of years of hard training and perseverance. She also had to cope with homesickness living away from her parents.

And yes, she was born in China, but she sees herself as a Singaporean.

Asked about what she thinks of competing in the city where she was born 27 years ago, Li said on Friday after the semi-final victory over Korea: 'Singapore has waited 48 years for this moment. That is why I'm very happy when we got into the final.

'This is what Singapore has expected of me all these years. Today, we did it and I would like to thank Singaporeans for all their support.'

If the team bags the gold today, she will receive an additional $250,000 bonus