Tuesday 14 October 2008

Table tennis – Singapore coach quits over “insulting” offer

The man who helped deliver Singapore’s first Olympic medal in 48 years is set to quit as table tennis coach after rejecting an “insulting and insincere” new deal from the city-state.

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Guanyu said...

Table tennis – Singapore coach quits over “insulting” offer

Reuters
By Ossian Shine

SINGAPORE, Oct 14 - The man who helped deliver Singapore’s first Olympic medal in 48 years is set to quit as table tennis coach after rejecting an “insulting and insincere” new deal from the city-state.

Liu Guodong, who led the Republic’s women’s table tennis team to a silver medal in Beijing in August, has turned down a two-year deal offered to him by the Singapore Table Tennis Association , local media reported on Tuesday.

“What they have put on the table is simply insulting and insincere. They are forcing me to leave,” the 35-year-old told the Straits Times newspaper.

“I have helped to win an Olympic medal for the country, and they can’t even match my salary to that of a consultant,” he fumed, declining to reveal details of the package.

“They told me to take it or leave it. I refuse to be bullied by this kind of attitude anymore.”

STTA’s new chief executive Chew Soo Sheng said the body was now working on finding a replacement women’s head coach from China.

“We have already shortlisted six names for the job,” Chew said. “We respect coach Liu’s decision and we thank him for his contributions to the sport over the last few years.”

Liu’s contract expires at the end of the year.