9/22/2010

Commonwealth Games - The height of Irresponsibility

Singapore will be sending a team of sportsmen and sportswomen to New Delhi to compete in the Commonwealth Games. Other than training hard for their respective sports, there is one additional drill that the athletes would have to be trained. And this part they must take it very seriously, as the training involved a matter of life and death. The athletes must be properly and carefully briefed and trained to react in the worst eventuality, a terrorist attack! The syllabus must be quite a bundle, how to react, what to do, what not to do during an attack, in the line of fire, becoming hostages, how to stay safe from harm, how to behave to avoid antagonising the terrorists should they be caught in a bad situation like in Manila. Or how to escape, how to survive, treat injuries…. And the list goes on and on. This is one kind of a sports event that is more than a sports event. My thought, what kind of people would organise such a sporting event in a country where terrorism is not mere threats but real? And what kind of govt would send their athletes to such an event? Of course it will never happen to our athletes. We have also made all the necessary preparations. Our athletes will be safe. Did I hear someone whispering, better safe than sorry? I don’t like it a wee bit. Is it the height of Irresponsibility or Stupidity?

14 comments:

Wally Buffet said...

Besides the threat of terrorism, when you cross a bridge built for the games, you better wear a parachute because you can never tell when you will be free falling!

This preparation for the games shows glaringly the wide gulf between the two Asian giants. One, still living at least 20 years behind and mired in unspeakable corruption and inefficiency whilst the other is almost on the verge of sending a man to the moon! The Chinese have already delivered the Asian Games village to the organizing committee TWO months before opening in November.

No prizes for guessing which country investors will be putting their money in.

They may export abundant software programmers whose talents are still on trial but for organizational abilities and getting the job done?

Crap.

There is no question about it. Singapore should withdraw from the beleaguered games and concentrate on the Asian Games.

Anonymous said...

THANK GOD..India got not happy-go-firing farmer

Anonymous said...

Glories are for namesakes, imagine something happened and the names of singapore and its representative are reported all over the world. The news will make singapore famous if not wellknown and tat's wat our politicians want singapore to be in, world renown, right ? The more spectacular the happenings the better for them, dont you think so ?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

My own take, the risk is too high in return for a few pieces of sporting medals.

Competing in a past time like sports should be done in a place where risking lives lost is minimal, or as good as just a road mishap. Here the risk is too high for comfort.

If it was the YOG, I don't think any reasonably protective parents would permit their child to be there. Maybe adults can absorb higher risk.

Anonymous said...

Well, of the two Asian giants, one is the biggest democracy in the world, the other still a communist state.

I am not an economist nor a communist, but which system works better is obvious, admittedly or not.

Corruption, of any kind, will pull a country backwards in the long run if not corrected. The old form of corruption such as in India, and the new form of corruption on Wall Street will result in the same ending.

I am not saying that there is no corruption in China, but the severe punishment of death in serious cases are effective deterrents.

Closing an eye or condoning corruption on the pretext of giving free rein for economic considerations, is a lame reason.

Wally Buffet said...

err.....excuse me.

No country on earth is truly democratic so long as a government is in charge. You can have choices but if it is usurping enough, you'll feel the effect immediately whether it's a so called democratic country like India or a communist state like the PRC.

As a matter of fact, there are in actuality no longer "communist" countries as we know it, save for perhaps the North Koreans. Everyone is turning to a market economy and reforms. If you have visited China often, you'll find the Chinese more brazenly outspoken on their rights and more capitalistic than the Yanks would ever be.

Whatever is left of the communist ideology is just some glue to cement the semblance of orderly rule over a vast country.

The perps of corruption in China if obnoxious enough is dispatched to a better place with a bullet to the head.

The perps of corruption in India, if you're rich enough to engage a top lawyer is a slap on the wrist and a well appointed and furnished cell in some of their classier prisons.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

I not so concern whether one is a democratic capitalist and another a communist capitalist. The problem facing the organisers and participants is the threat of terrorist attacks.

The terrorists must be very busy preparing the targets to hit. My god, can't imagine all the easy targets available and the number of athletes and tourists in town.

Wally Buffet said...

Just want to tell India before I change into my pajamas and climb into bed is to just cancel the damn games before more scorn is heaped onto the country for the shoddiest preparation in history for any international games.

Just let go man.

But the country can never hope to host another international game, not now or ever!

Hehe.

Good night folks.

agongkia said...

If one really know the threat ahead and really ai hong mai mia.Let it be.Wish them good luck.
But please dun always think of terrorist threats only.

Dun forget to supply condom to the participants and make sure that they dun bring back those exotic embarrasing deseases.

Wally Buffet said...

Hi guys.......

Good morning. I am up and about.

Last night, I had a dream. I dreamt that our Singapore team came back with all the medals because all the other commonwealth countries abandoned the game!

Hehe.

Our foreign talent sports "personalities" were so bored with no competition that all of them fell asleep while playing ping pong amongst themselves!

As for the condoms, please rest assured that our teams will put on their best behaviour because, frankly, there ain't nothing much to see let alone touch out there.

ROTFL.

Anonymous said...

Tat must be the greatest wish of sickapore, sinkies winning medals without having to compete for them. The sinky competitors must be hoping that all the other contestants will not turn up at Delhi. Sinkies deserve the medals for bravery.

Anonymous said...

I hope it is not the kind of post-mortem medals they gave to soldiers who died in battle for bravery.

Wtf for?

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

When I read the papers this morning I was worried. No, not because the infrastructure is falling down, nor the hygiene in the place.

Just try to think what the terrorists are planning to do, the imponderable options and variations to target the foreigners. Ohh la la.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Compare the expenditure and 'responsibility' for the YOG, and thank your lucky stars that you don't have idiots running the show, like they do in India.