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By: 永久浪客/Forever Vagabond

Since independence in 1965, Singapore did not win any Olympic medals until 43 years later in 2008, when it won a silver in the women’s table tennis team event. At the time, the team was led by team captain Li Jiawei. Eight years later, yesterday, Singapore won its first Olympic gold in the 100m butterfly swimming event. That gold was won by Joseph Schooling and this is their stories.

Li Jiawei

Li Jiawei is the only daughter of a Chinese government official and a housewife. She was was born on 9 August 1981 in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

Li attended the Beijing Shichahai Sports School at the age of 9. At the age of 13, she entered the Beijing provincial team in 1994. A year later at 14 years of age, she was talent-scouted by Singaporean officials in Beijing. She then moved to Singapore and in the following year, she commenced her international career in competitive table tennis.

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She became a Singaporean citizen at the age of 18 years under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme in late 90s. Under the scheme, foreigners from overseas are brought into Singapore under contracts to train. Once they are good enough, they trade in their home-country citizenship to play for Singapore in international competitions.

Said Jackie Tay, director of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) in 2008, “We try to look for young, talented players below the age of 16 so that we have time to groom them technically and help them assimilate to the society.”

Millions of dollars raised for table tennis

Indeed, STTA invested a lot of money, hiring world-class Chinese coaches to coach Li and her compatriots. One of them was Zhou Shu Sen who used to be a Chinese national coach and the head coach of Beijing table-tennis team. Some 20 of his students were later to enter the Chinese national team. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 4 out of 8 competitors during the quarter-finals of the women’s table tennis singles were all his students.

STTA was also able to raise millions of dollars for table tennis especially with PM Lee personally gracing STTA’s fund-raising events. For example, he attended a 2009 STTA’s event, thanking sponsors on behalf of STTA. He said:

“I would like to thank the sponsors for their very generous support to STTA and to Singapore sports, especially at this time when the economy is uncertain, businesses under pressure and companies have many other things to worry about and so do individuals. But despite that, Sam Goi has done a good job and you have been very generous and kind and we have raised more than a million dollars and we are very delighted at the result. Thank you all very much.”

Two years ago when she was stepping down as STTA President, MP Lee Bee Wah proudly proclaimed that she left STTA in prime financial health, with nearly $10 million raised during her tenure.

Li won Olympic silver and bronze

And indeed, with the backing of millions of dollars, world-class coaches, a Member of Parliament and even the Prime Minister, and of course a “foreign talent” herself, Li participated in 3 Olympics and won medals for 2.

She finished in fourth place in singles at both the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But in the team event in 2008 Beijing Olympics, she and her Chinese-born teammates won the silver medal. She won the women’s team bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics and announced her retirement at the end of 2012.

“I don’t like Table Tennis”

In an interview in 2008, Li admitted that she didn’t like table tennis and did not play the game with passion. “I don’t like the game. I just did it when I was younger to condition my body,” she said. “Now it is my career and I have to face it.”

Even during the interview, the reporter noticed that Li got bored when talking about table tennis, but mentioned shopping or playing the piano, her face would brighten instantly. “I have more important things to do with my life,” she admitted to the reporter.

Despite living in Singapore for more than 10 years, Li spoke little English and preferred to converse in her native Mandarin, revealing that she hardly assimilated into Singapore society.

Bye bye Singapore

In 2008 after the Beijing Olympics, she married a Beijing businessman who is the owner of a pharmaceutical business. There was a grand dinner held in Beijing.

Her husband said in an interview, “When I first met her, she looked like she needed someone to take care of her. I am that person.”

On 27 Dec 2012, Li finally announced her retirement after the London Olympics at a press conference. Wiping away tears as she received a hug from MP Lee Bee Wah, she said, “I’ve dedicated 18 years of my life to the sport, and I will always be grateful to Singapore for believing in me.”