Thursday, March 5, 2009
AFTER the national women's table tennis team won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics last year, Zhang Yong had expected a reward of up to $40,000 for being part of the coaching set-up that helped Singapore end a 48-year wait for an Olympic medal.
But the former national table tennis coach is likely to end up with nothing.
The 30-year-old Jiangsu native is set to return to China next week after he agreed to leave the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) at the end of last month. His contract was not due to expire until the middle of this year.
Zhang told The Straits Times that before the Games a contract detailing a rewards scheme had been signed by former national head coach Liu Guodong and former STTA chief executive Jackie Tay.
A copy of the contract, which ST obtained from Zhang, stated that Liu would receive $400,000 in the event that Singapore won a gold medal. Another $400,000 would be split among other coaches and sparring partners.
A silver medal would have entitled Liu to $200,000, while the others would share $200,000.
The parties would pocket $100,000 each for winning a bronze medal.
The names of 'the other coaches' were not spelt out in the contract that had only two signatories.
But Zhang, who coached the paddlers at the Olympics, believed he was entitled to an amount between $20,000 and $40,000.
'The STTA told me I won't be getting a single cent,' said Zhang, who arrived in Singapore in 2005 and had received incentives of over $20,000 from the paddlers' achievements at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
'Even if there were no achievements, there was hard work. But we always had results and the team kept improving.'
When asked if any coach or sparring partner was given monetary rewards for the Olympic success, STTA president Lee Bee Wah clarified that the association had a contract with only Liu.
Ms Lee said: 'We are not short changing any coach.
'There was no such contract with Zhang. The one with Guodong has been settled. If Zhang wants his cut, he can get it from Guodong.'
She declined to confirm if the amount Liu received was $200,000.
Ms Lee, who took the helm in July last year, said the STTA's reward scheme for coaches is under review.
She said: 'We are looking at how best to reward coaches. There must be incentives but they are not automatic.
'Zhang had assumed he would get a reward after Singapore won a medal, but that is not in his employment contract.'
Thoughts: Well well. another sad episode for singapore sports.
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