Cutting out three-time Olympic medallist and world No. 6 table tennis player Feng Tianwei from the national team shocked the local sports fraternity, but son, wait till you hear what she put her team and bosses through.
The Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) revealed yesterday that they weren’t going to renew the contract of Singapore’s most bemedalled Olympian, citing the need for “rejuvenation”. TODAY, however, managed to obtain some juicy details from sources and got in deep into why Feng was kicked out — and frankly, we’re surprised she wasn’t given the boot earlier.
Here’s a list of her antics that STTA was said to have endured over the years:
- After winning a gold medal at the women’s team event in last year’s SEA Games, she refused to share her winnings from the Multi-Million Dollar Awards Programme meant for the coaches. The amount? Just $400.
- She instigated other team members to do the same. STTA issued letters asking for the amount, but the players have yet to pay up.
- An issue of false claims amounting to a few hundred dollars was submitted by Feng. She made purchases of 200 eggs for breakfast over nine days and 10 tins of milk over three days. Feng returned the cash to STTA after getting a warning.
- Feng requested for China-born German Chen Zhibin to be head coach of the women’s team at the last minute — six months before the Rio Olympic Games. The relationship soured, and Feng intentionally showed disrespect to the coach by personally coaching her teammates.
- Not that it helped anything — the women’s team didn’t fare well at all at the Rio Olympics and returned empty-handed.
- She complained that the prize money at the annual National Table Tennis Grand Finale — a tournament for local paddlers to get a chance to play against the national team — was too small. This, despite the millions of prize money she won throughout her career.
STTA didn’t confirm or deny the incidents when TODAY enquired, citing that disciplinary matters are confidential. Feng, on the other hand, wants to continue competing in international competitions through other means.
