WE WILL BE READY BY 2016

THINK table tennis in Singapore, and the names rattled off belong to China-born Singapore citizens like Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei.

They were Singapore's stalwart silver medal-winning team from last year's Beijing Olympics, coming in second to China.

If China boast the cream of the crop in table tennis talent around the world - even with so many countries importing Chinese players - what hope do Singapore stand if they are to challenge China themselves?

The answer lies in Singapore's very own youth team at the Asian Youth Games.

They are all born and bred here.

The quartet of Clarence Chew, 14, Tay Jit Kiat, 14, Isabelle Li, 15, and Chau Hai Qing, 15, won a bronze in the mixed team event last week.

Table tennis will be played again at next year's Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

Commitment

Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) president Lee Bee Wah told the media earlier this year, that if this all-Singaporean YOG team continue to show the same amount of commitment and determination - together with support from their parents - they may be ready to represent Singapore at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Overall, three of Singapore's four young paddlers were shown the exit before the singles quarter-finals at the Asian Youth Games (AYG) last week. Isabelle was the only one to reach the singles' quarter-finals.

But our born-and-bred in Singapore players managed to give their stronger Chinese opponents a run for their money.

When Clarence, was up against China's top world junior - Yin Hang - in Round 16 of the boys' singles, he managed to force the latter to commit a number of unforced errors to take the second set.

Clarence fought hard and managed to catch Hang off-guard with a series of fast smashes. But Hang ultimately nicked the win.

'I won one set. I will try to win more in future,' Clarence told The New Paper.

Singapore's youth team's coach Xu Xiangdong said these young made-in-Singapore players will be ready to represent the country by the 2016 Olympics.

Opportunities

He noted: 'By 2016, our local-born players will have a lot more opportunities.

'With the current system and normal progress and with no major accidents, we will see good results by then. We'll have one or two good players who will be ready to take on the Chinese players.

'We still have time to groom our players and we will catch up with China.'