Are you for Rio ?

The Olympics are here and it is quickly becoming a national tradition, for our skirts to be blown off to expose all our sports troubles.

As if the last 2012 Olympic preparations were not complex enough, we are back to the last minute, struggle and drama as I have read in recent media reports: Some people are not on the list, a supposedly wrong coach is all packed and ready, the money is still not here, allowances this, allowances that and there is a long list of issues.

It reminds of a naughty school boy on his first day to school after a long holiday; looking for homework under the carpet or mattress, mixing up socks and accusing siblings of hiding his shoelaces, he cannot find his bag and it is 10 minutes to school.

As a country, we had four years, many lessons to learn, and opportunities to improve a reputation. It is the same amount of time students in Senior One have to prepare for their O-level exams. When the results are out, we hear so many inspiring stories of hard work and determination.

Children, read their books while watching rice fields, herding cattle or selling fish, yet they put their minds to it and indeed, they excelled.

And then we have a happy country of brilliant kids, happy parents and even newspapers making a killing! Everyone is happy. But then across the street, there is a unique case of adults who have a different view of so many things, there is never a scandal free process. So instead of logic, we see greed, instead of patriotism it is utter selfishness at the expense of an entire country?

Perhaps I should take a day off with volunteers like you and compile all those PLE, O and A- level stories and make as many murals as we can to share with any one who in one way or another is causing us such sports pain as a country!
Better still, I had better become and athlete and get win gold for this country and when am invited to the presidential dinner, I would just use the word ‘saboteurs’ frequently as I speak to the president and in no time, they would be fired!