[pinkypanther]

I've been quiet on Joseph Schooling, for the simple reason that he is family. I felt that anything I had to say would be treated as parti pris. But an offhand, ignorant remark yesterday really REALLY got to me. Here it is, in all its glory:

"So it’s ok to use state money but come in last in the heats as defending champion? "

I felt I had no choice but to reply. So this is for Joseph Schooling, for his Mum, May Yim Schooling, dad Colin, and for all those who refused to go with the flow and make defeat an orphan:

[To: Name withheld]

I am Joseph Schooling's uncle. I reply not to take a position on your point of view, to which you are perfectly entitled and the right to express which must be respected. I write to offer certain points of fact regarding "use of state money" as you put it. I've known Joseph almost since he was a toddler. He left for the US when he was in Secondary 1 or 2 . I remember helping with his English and History at the time, via email and phone from Sydney. He had a difficult time adjusting to the US system at Bolles Academy in Florida.

His travel was not paid for by "state money" but by his parents. His fees at a very expensive school--chosen because it was a school that specialised in combining academics and sporting excellence in swimming--were paid for not by "state money" but by his parents. His accommodation in North Florida was not paid for by "state money" but by his parents. The same source of "money" was what paid for his specialist coaches, his trips to various competitions, and so on. Because of the taxation regimes in the US, his parents had to give up their normal lives so that one of them at a time could be with him when needed in his early years in the US . Those very expensive necessities were not paid for by "state money" but by his parents.


A lot more at https://tinyurl.com/2vvswvdj

[Tangsen]

When you are born to a nation where it gave you stability, safety, and peace to pursue your dreams means he/she has obligated loyal to the country. 
Only leeches and beggars weigh money with loyalty.
He is an adult and you need to take in the good as well as the bad .... when you win and everyone glorified him, did he complain? But when lose, people chastised you, why complain.
Part and parcel of life .... STOP BEING A STRAWBERRY SNOWFLAKE PUSSY.

[dynamite]

Unhappy because no politicians want take pictures with JS anymore.

JS already was paid back more than what was used to groom him.

[Sharexchange]

Win 1 time is luck. Win 2nd time is thats what we call skill.

[Migrant]

Win or lose, he is the best we can produce.
Some comments are really toxic.
Just be careful, every action, there is a reaction.

[dynamite]

Win 1 time is luck. Win 2nd time is thats what we call skill.

His win in 2016 is not luck. But after that, what happen, I think a lot of things we do not know.

[FangFang]

So sad for such situation.. move on.

[drgn]

don't think we should say that it is luck.

it is good that he won gold in 2016.

but he has to know himself, I think way before the Olympic game, he should know that he could not get into the final.

Don't have to travel to japan to show that he cannot make it.


If he did not go, he would be remembered by all Singaporean as gold medal winner.

Should leave the chance to another younger Singaporean instead.

[ArielCasper]

I agreed with JS's uncle points.. Before JS won the gold medal, how much did sport council help in paying for his expenses? Compared this with the money that we poured in for grooming the imported talents in Table Tennis.

After JS won the gold medal, did sport council compensated the family for the money that they have spent grooming him to be a gold medalist?

If we compare JS as a vaccine (no disrespect to him) when JS is still a nobody, the amount of money invested on him (VC) should earn the biggest share of JS..

Subsequently, when JS become a viable prospect (vaccine passed 1st and 2nd stage of clinical test), more rounds of funds are invested on him, taking up smaller stake in JS.

Finally, JS won the gold medal (aka vaccine passed EUA and can be sold commercially) and Singapore given him a good reward for winning (buy a stake in the company after vaccine is launched), and any product endorsement that subsequently came with it..

But the expectation in the internet is that since he got the reward for winning, the majority stake of JS should be 'owned' by those who is last to invest in him. Of course, those who is last to invest can do a buyout (at a premium) of all the stake of JS from existing shareholders, but are they doing that? I don't think so.

If this is the kind of expectation, who want to win a medal next time because no one can promise they can continue to win in major competition...

[Hfourhappy]

Harsh reality indeed.
You win, all come to you.
You lost, prepare to the backlash.

[Tangsen]

Harsh reality indeed.
You win, all come to you.
You lost, prepare to the backlash.

Yupe .... just like the corporate world ... already gotten used to it. Learn to ignore and move on

[winbig]

Joseph schooling is past his peak in his swimming career. Every sportsman will have his peak. He created history for Singapore by getting gold in the Olympics and I think he's done enough. Time for younger generation to take over. People should not have unrealistic expectations that sportsman can stay at the top forever. Some stay at the top longer while some stay at the top for short while but the important is that they've been to the top.

[dynamite]

I agreed with JS's uncle points.. Before JS won the gold medal, how much did sport council help in paying for his expenses? Compared this with the money that we poured in for grooming the imported talents in Table Tennis.

After JS won the gold medal, did sport council compensated the family for the money that they have spent grooming him to be a gold medalist?

If we compare JS as a vaccine (no disrespect to him) when JS is still a nobody, the amount of money invested on him (VC) should earn the biggest share of JS..

Subsequently, when JS become a viable prospect (vaccine passed 1st and 2nd stage of clinical test), more rounds of funds are invested on him, taking up smaller stake in JS.

Finally, JS won the gold medal (aka vaccine passed EUA and can be sold commercially) and Singapore given him a good reward for winning (buy a stake in the company after vaccine is launched), and any product endorsement that subsequently came with it..

But the expectation in the internet is that since he got the reward for winning, the majority stake of JS should be 'owned' by those who is last to invest in him. Of course, those who is last to invest can do a buyout (at a premium) of all the stake of JS from existing shareholders, but are they doing that? I don't think so.

If this is the kind of expectation, who want to win a medal next time because no one can promise they can continue to win in major competition...

I believe he was compensated after he got his Olympic gold medals from the monentary reward and the endorsement plus a monthly pay for the next few years. Exactly how much we won't know, but should be much more than one mil in total. His coach that prepared him for the Rio Olympic was engaged to be our swimming head coach after that also.

[Goldmine]

What Singaporean want is consistent good performance in International Competition.
Remember these swimmers
Patricia Chan
Elaine Sng
Junie Sng

[watchfirst9]

don't think we should say that it is luck.

it is good that he won gold in 2016.

but he has to know himself, I think way before the Olympic game, he should know that he could not get into the final.

Don't have to travel to japan to show that he cannot make it.


If he did not go, he would be remembered by all Singaporean as gold medal winner.

Should leave the chance to another younger Singaporean instead.

Yes, it is not one or two day off form for him, 
he has not done well from 2019 World championship.

However he is still among the best in sg, he has rights to represent sg,
I do not see why he should not be chosen unless he does not want to.

[Blasterlord2]

It's not a matter of who pays for his training, simply a case of whether he gives his respect to the sport. If he goes down after putting up a good fight, I'll applaud him. But it's clear that he has lost his heart for swimming.

[Instinct]

He has his good time and since he fail badly, of course he can't be getting what he used to get. We can still support him but he now need to use more of his own resources to improve and groom himself. The national resources will be shared to groom our next generation of swimmers. Can't continue to be using all on him.

[puntfast2]

Focus on Asian and SEA games now.
Worried for him now.

[luncheonmeat]

Unhappy because no politicians want take pictures with JS anymore.

JS already was paid back more than what was used to groom him.

Dis wan cannot anyhow say. 1st time he won was with his parents' blood, sweat and tears, even US gave him scholarship but not Sinpwn. I remember vaguely he wasn't allowed accept the Olympics gold prize money according to the rules of of his amateur swimming status or something, maybe somebody can clarify that. 
2nd time round I dunno whether the training was state sponsored or not. If you think he made more than what his parents put in, you have to show proof. In other ang mo countries or even Bolehland [Lee Chong Wei] we know he would have made 10 fold dat being such a rarity who beat the ang mo greats [Le Clos. Lazslo,Phelps was waning by then.]

[pervertosan]

i wonder if he still got another shot left in 3 years

[drgn]

Yes, it is not one or two day off form for him, 
he has not done well from 2019 World championship.

However he is still among the best in sg, he has rights to represent sg,
I do not see why he should not be chosen unless he does not want to.

but it is better for him to reject.  at least he can keep the record.

he and his coach should know that he could not get into final, based on the daily training record, don't tell me that they never measure the timing.

he is just trying the luck.

but for olympic swimming event, luck can only give him 0.1 sec the most.

[dynamite]

Dis wan cannot anyhow say. 1st time he won was with his parents' blood, sweat and tears, even US gave him scholarship but not Sinpwn. I remember vaguely he wasn't allowed accept the Olympics gold prize money according to the rules of of his amateur swimming status or something, maybe somebody can clarify that. 
2nd time round I dunno whether the training was state sponsored or not. If you think he made more than what his parents put in, you have to show proof. In other ang mo countries or even Bolehland [Lee Chong Wei] we know he would have made 10 fold dat being such a rarity who beat the ang mo greats [Le Clos. Lazslo,Phelps was waning by then.]

U have to show proof of your claims above. He is well off those years after he came back for sure.

[dynamite]

i wonder if he still got another shot left in 3 years

29 years old. By then.

[RichDad]

29 years old. By then.

Still can if he has the will. But ....

[luncheonmeat]

U have to show proof of your claims above. He is well off those years after he came back for sure.

All dis is available online. Google it. There is nothing to say he made back what his parents spent on him, maybe you can provide the link to back up your assertions?

https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2016/08...mpic-gold/
https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth...net-worth/

[dynamite]

All dis is available online. Google it. There is nothing to say he made back what his parents spent on him, maybe you can provide the link to back up your assertions?

https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2016/08...mpic-gold/
https://www.gobankingrates.com/net-worth...net-worth/

How to know the endorsements pay? Google where?

[dynamite]

Still can if he has the will. But ....

Hard la. 22 to 26 already like that.

[debono]

When you are born to a nation where it gave you stability, safety, and peace to pursue your dreams means he/she has obligated loyal to the country. 
Only leeches and beggars weigh money with loyalty.
He is an adult and you need to take in the good as well as the bad .... when you win and everyone glorified him, did he complain? But when lose, people chastised you, why complain.
Part and parcel of life .... STOP BEING A STRAWBERRY SNOWFLAKE PUSSY.

I concur with your comments.

[luncheonmeat]

How to know the endorsements pay? Google where?

Tiohlah. So your call is a guesstimate/conjecture and not factual lah. Should use adjective "possibly", "most likely".

[debono]

I believe he was compensated after he got his Olympic gold medals from the monentary reward and the endorsement plus a monthly pay for the next few years. Exactly how much we won't know, but should be much more than one mil in total. His coach that prepared him for the Rio Olympic was engaged to be our swimming head coach after that also.

I think JS had to contribute 20% of his gold medal earnings to the sports council...