In Today's online edition there is a report confirming that being happy prevents mental ilness.
On the basis of this basis of this Singaporeans must be one of the most mentally fit around.
Their sportsmen and women have excelled at the Commonweialth games in Delhi which is the cause of much jubilation.
Five gold medals (thus far) puts them ahead of sports-mad countires such as New Zealand in the medal tally.
The lesson being learnt from this is that Singapore is at last concentrating on sports where skill counts for more than physique.
Let's face it, they are never likely to challenge for the rugby sevens crown but at precision sports such as shooting they are proving to be world class.
The shooters have a haul of 3 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals.
This success even has Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports saying that the Government will put "serious thought" into providing the shooters with better facilities, as it is a sport that Singaporeans excel in.
The current Singapore range still uses the old pulley system to haul the targets back and forth, a far cry from the electronic system in Delhi that flashes immediate results to competitors.
In any sport though there is a time to retire. You have to feel a little sorry for the 57 Australian shooter who scored a perfect zero in a round; he had mistakenly shot five rounds into a competitors target instead of his own.
Maybe Kiwis last the distance longer than Aussies even if we don't get as many gold medals!
One of our NZ shooters, Greg Yelavich, has now won medals in seven Commonwealth Games, his latest being a silver in the pairs event for pistol shooting.
Showing posts with label Delhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delhi. Show all posts
Monday, 11 October 2010
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
The Delhi Debacle
I can now confidently predict that India will scoop the medal pool in the forthcoming Commonwealth games being staged in Delhi this October.
There is a very simple reason for this calculation; nobody else will be there to compete.
The airwaves in New Zealand have been dominated by reports of the disastrous state of the athlete's village with " bare wires sticking out of the walls".
The BBC reports "Delegates who visited the tower blocks where athletes will live during the games had described them as filthy, with rubble lying in doorways, dogs inside the buildings, toilets not working and excrement "in places it shouldn't be".
The conditions have been described as squalid by visiting officials. In response defensive Indian officials have tried to shift the blame by intimating that westerners have 'different standards' than those in India.
There have been close ups on television of the dengue carrying mosquitoes sporting themselves in puddles and drains adjacent to this accommodation.
The much touted security has been proven to be totally ineffective as was proven by an Australian journalist who carried the compnents of a bomb in a large suitcase into a main venue, unchallenged.
All of this adds up to a very sorry picture of the preparedness of the country to host the games.
The latest news today is of the collapse of a footbridge near the main stadium which has injured 23 workers.
The Singapore contingent remain committed to the Games according to the Straits Times yesterday. They hope to better their previous record haul of 18 medals.
Why such a large event was ever granted to a country with a known record of inefficiencies and corrupt practices is beyond me. Now of course it is too late to find a satisfactory alternative venue.
Within a decade most of these sites will be overgrown with weeds and vines which is perhaps why they adopted the brand of "The Green Games" ?
There is a very simple reason for this calculation; nobody else will be there to compete.
The airwaves in New Zealand have been dominated by reports of the disastrous state of the athlete's village with " bare wires sticking out of the walls".
The BBC reports "Delegates who visited the tower blocks where athletes will live during the games had described them as filthy, with rubble lying in doorways, dogs inside the buildings, toilets not working and excrement "in places it shouldn't be".
The conditions have been described as squalid by visiting officials. In response defensive Indian officials have tried to shift the blame by intimating that westerners have 'different standards' than those in India.
There have been close ups on television of the dengue carrying mosquitoes sporting themselves in puddles and drains adjacent to this accommodation.
The much touted security has been proven to be totally ineffective as was proven by an Australian journalist who carried the compnents of a bomb in a large suitcase into a main venue, unchallenged.
All of this adds up to a very sorry picture of the preparedness of the country to host the games.
The latest news today is of the collapse of a footbridge near the main stadium which has injured 23 workers.
The Singapore contingent remain committed to the Games according to the Straits Times yesterday. They hope to better their previous record haul of 18 medals.
Why such a large event was ever granted to a country with a known record of inefficiencies and corrupt practices is beyond me. Now of course it is too late to find a satisfactory alternative venue.
Within a decade most of these sites will be overgrown with weeds and vines which is perhaps why they adopted the brand of "The Green Games" ?
Related articles by Zemanta
- Commonwealth Games 2010 in chaos as 23 injured in stadium footbridge collapse (telegraph.co.uk)
- Discus champion Samuels pulls out of Delhi Games (independent.co.uk)
- Safety, security concerns plague Commonwealth Games (canada.com)
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