Patwant Singh: Channel News Asia August 2nd 2011
SINGAPORE: The sport might not be so big in Singapore but that did not stop the women's Touch team from scoring on the world stage.
The team finished third at the recent Touch World Cup in Scotland.
The lack of size was not an obstacle as the women used their speed and agility to win honours for Singapore.
Touch is a modified version of League Rugby with minimal contact.
The World Cup in Scotland held in June, saw 26 countries competing. And 12 months of hard work paid off for the Singapore Team, as they beat bigger teams like England 5-4 for the bronze medal.
Singapore's Women Touch Team captain, Alvinia Yong, said: "It is quite a great achievement because most of us are self-funded, so we spent lots of time and money on this trip, so to be able to come away with a bronze medal is quite a great satisfaction."
Yu Chien Chih, one of the expatriate players on the team, said: "Our single mindedness is what helped us win and off course the coaches and the player’s effort as well."
The girls are hoping that the win could garner more support for the sport, which can be enjoyed by people of all sexes and ages.
Anne Goh, a member of the team, said: "Recognition is always good and the schools would start to understand that this is a very serious sport and now that we are on the world map, a lot more respect in the world scene will definitely be a good opening for us to increase number of teams, number of players and interest in our country.
The sport has a large following in the tertiary institutions, and 50 teams play in the Singapore League.
Touch Football Singapore, which is not a National Sports Association, currently runs the sport in Singapore.
Touch Football Singapore estimates there are about 4,000 players in the local community and the sport is gaining popularity among men.
And for the very first time, a men's team from Singapore was fielded in the Open Category at the recent Touch World Cup in Scotland.
See the TV footage at the CNA link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com – click the SPORTS tab.
Representatives from Blacks RFC Touch:
Xu Xueting, Jazreel Tan, Caleb Ong, Khairullah, Tee Liang Sheng, Derrick Ng, Yen Chia Hsien
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