Did you catch the finals?

Today's men's single badminton finals is the talk of town. Everyone was rooting for our fellow Malaysian and it's nice to see great support like this. I know of many people who have made special arrangements to stay in or go to some place that has a large screen featuring the live match.

We decided to pack dinner and stay home to catch the match. Mom was so up for it that she even made some warm, sweet dessert so that we could enjoy it while watching the match. But both of us missed the entire match...I was putting my little boy to bed and by the time he went to bed, we were told it's all over. Including the victory ceremony!

Oh well, so much for a nice family sit-together with good dessert and a game to root for! How was your night, did you stay glued to the TV?

Should I go?

Yesterday FIL smsed to say that he saw my name as one of the invited guests to the 50th anniversary celebration of some sports event here. He asked if I was going and said that I should since it should be fun.

It's going to be held in the middle of the week and it's all the way in Putrajaya. I'm not sure if I'll be able to bring guests or I have to go alone. I definitely won't be keen to drive all the way there alone, especially when the event will probably end late. If I am able to bring Ray and baby, it might also be too late for baby to stay up for.

I'm in a dilemma...should I or should I not? On one hand, it'll be quite fun to meet up with old friends. On the other hand, I'm lazy to go and I'm not even sure what the event entails. I guess there's only one way to find out - to call and ask. But before I do, I should decide how serious I am about going. It's not nice to call and ask, only to turn it down, right?

Sore losers

Last night I was watching the news. In sports, it showed a clip of the Brazilian football team arriving at their home airport. A huge crowd was gathered there to “welcome” the team with what seemed like abusive yells and gestures. And yet, the defeated players waved sadly at them and quickly got onto their waiting bus, with their heads hanging low. It was a sad sight.

As shocking as it was for me to see the previous World Cup champion making their exit so early on in the game, I don’t think they deserve to be treated this way. Come on guys, don’t be so hard on these sportsmen. Perhaps they didn’t play well enough for you, they got kicked out of the World Cup and you lost some money on your bet. But don’t take it out on them. It’s not easy to win all the time. And as in any game, there will be a winner and many losers. You can’t expect to win every match. God is fair.

I’m speaking from the point of view of a former sportsperson. No one likes to lose in a game. Defending your title is the hardest thing to do because the expectation is sky-high and you have to face up to the challenges no matter what form you’re in. You not only need to be in your physical best, but also to be mentally strong and prepared to take all that pressure.

It feels lousy to any sportsman to have a big let-down like this. And any boo-ing from spectators and bad press is definitely an added injury. It is very easy for you and me to sit back, watch, curse and criticise. But it’s not easy for a beaten player to stand in front of a heated crowd, trying to swallow pride and face defeat with dignity.