Blame Games......

Wow, I was shocked...... Firstly, that we now have the basketBALLS to have such a headline.... Well done. Hahaha.... But as we read, they were blame games weren't they. I so enjoyed the article, how our athlete has been training since March 2008. WOW!!!! March!!!! Thats like.... WOW SIX MONTHS.... Come on people, do we seriously believe that athletes are formed from just natural talent.

Those athletes we see on tv, the big names, I am sure that these people have been training since they were discovered out of school. Selection processes and training of athletes are long, strenuous challenges.

But you think I speak out of an opinion based on no experience.

I was fortunate enough to train with some of these guys. And they are the unsung heroes of our country. These guys sacrifice their lives, studies and any steady advancement in work. Why? Cause to be at a fitness and skill level anywhere close to even SEA Games standards apatah lagi the OLYMPICS are days and nights of training, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once at night. To reach the mental strength these athletes have or are trying to achieve is unbelievable. Have you ever watched them train, they are pushed to their limits every single training session. But to them its all part of perfecting your sport. What they live for, the chance to represent their country, to bring glory back home in the form of round metal objects.

And what do they recieve..... oh oh ..... they get empty promises. Ive heard that every medal won, gold is supposed to get you $ 3, 000.00. silver is $ 1, 500.00. In the SEA Games. Please!!!! athletes are still waiting for payment from 2003 and in some cases even longer.

They get an allowance of $ 300.00 a month. Well thats what it was few years ago. And even that was usually not received.

We are a nation of smart, intelligent people, right? We know that a healthy person needs a healthy diet. Especially people that use their bodies... RIGHT???? Well wouldnt you like to know, that they are asked to stay at hostels, so that they can have nothing better than to train, which they are happy to do. But do they get food? NO!!! Do they even get a food allowance... NO!!!! So they live on maggii mee..... ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!!

LOOK, enough with the blame games. If you want our athletes to get better, faster, stronger... then they need support. They need to be appreciated for what they represent, tirelessly working day and night to represent a country that doesnt give them the respect and recognition they deserve.

How do you support yourself on $ 300 a month. In singapore, gold medal winners are paid ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Pro Athletes all over the world are revered and respected. To be a Professional Athlete is considered a good choice of career. and you make money. even the wonderful people filling up our gas tanks make $ 1, 000 or more a month.

all Im saying is, if you want our athletes to be able to perform at high levels, they cant worry about anything but their sport. Not everyone can pull of a 8-4 job, not everyone can write music, or be doctors or teachers. some special individuals are just born with every single characteristic to win every race physically and mentally, but since you cant make money as an athlete, they get stuck in jobs that bores them to death.

So instead of not signing them up or waiting 6 months before a major competition to train, lets start now...... We have four years. Lets start now dont wait. We have the athletes, and Bruneians are stubborn when they want to be so determination is not a problem. We are descendants of warriors. That blood still flows through many of us.