SNOC to allow Singapore Weiqi Team to participate in Asian Games 2010

In the upcoming 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, Weiqi (a board game, also known as GO) will make its debut as one of the competing events; this marks a big step forward for Weiqi as a sport.

The Singapore Weiqi team performed extremely well in past competitions in both regional and international settings. In the 2007 SEA Games, the Singapore team has proven to be the strongest among all Southeast-Asian countries: they clinched a total of 3 medals, 2 gold and 1 silver. More recently, in the World Amateur Go Championship held in Hangzhou-China in May 2010 in which 71 countries took part, Singapore players proved their mettle impressing the rest by winning 6 out of 8 games. This put them on par with players from Japan, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei. Thus far, only players from China and South Korea have ever managed to win 7 and 8 games respectively.

Given these results, SNOC (Singapore National Olympics Council) has rejected the application by the Weiqi team to compete for the upcoming Asian Games based on their guidelines that a team must be among the top 6 in order to qualify for a place to represent Singapore. However, all competitions joined previously by the players were on an individual basis as there was almost no team event (for the uninitiated, a team event consists of 5 player a side; the team wins when 3 or more of their players win) organized for Weiqi. Given this lack of chance and opportunity, SNOCs rejection is unfair as the team has not been given a chance to prove their prowess in a team setting. In fact, SNOCs rejection serves as a double whammy as it implicitly disregards the stellar performance of individual players previously and withholds a precious opportunity for the Weiqi team to unite and gain exposure as a team at the Asian Games.

Despite support letters from the Chinese Weiqi Association and International GO (Weiqi) Federation stating that the Singapore team will be able to get into top 6 in Asian Games, their appeal for Asian Games has been rejected. The teams offer to pay for all their expenses has also rejected by SNOC.

How can the players gain experience and learn from sparring with better players if SNOC does not let them take part in this once-in-a-lifetime competition? Applying parallel logic to the Chinese saying that unity is strength, the excellent past records of individual Weiqi players are likely to translate into an amplification effect where the sum surpasses the parts; this has been affirmed by support letters from experts in the sporting arena. Given these circumstances, why is the lack of opportunity used as a penalty for the Weiqi team? Shouldnt the authorities assist the Weiqi team in providing them a rare and valuable chance to work as a team at the upcoming Asian games?

Singapore has been urging her citizens to take up sports and excel in them; how do the current SNOC guidelines on representing Singapore encourage our players to work hard so that they can represent Singapore in various overseas competitions? This rejection is belittling and does nothing to encourage the Weiqi team in their immense effort invested in pursuing continued excellence at their sport.

Is winning medals so important in Asian Games? I believe the answer can be found from SNOC website:

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

- Pierre de Coubertin

Please give Singapore Weiqi Team, a team fully formed by locals, a chance to bring glory to Singapore.