Lin Xinyi looks at both sides of Singapore's table tennis coin.

REWIND to August 15, when most of Singapore stopped to watch the national women’s table tennis team take on South Korea in the semi-finals.

Never mind that some were not even fans of the sport. 

Never mind that some could not understand how it was physical possible for South Korean chopper Kim Kyung Ah to retrieve Li Jiawei’s drives - five metres away from the table. 

Never mind the opinions they had on the foreign talent issue.

They watched, they cheered Singapore on, and they witnessed history in the making as another Olympic medal was secured after 48 years of waiting.

As in the final against China, that match showed that sports can indeed bring Singapore together - the same country that has often been criticised for the lack of a sporting culture. 

But the events that have since followed as the Gao Ning case unfolded showed the flipside: Sports can also divide a nation.

As the Singapore Table Tennis Association saga rumbles on, more opinions have been aired - by parties related to the incident and the average man on the street.

The Straits Times and The Sunday Times have received hundreds of emails and numerous phone calls from members of the public.

Online polls, forums and blogs have also provided Singaporeans with outlets to vent their frustration, make their points, and take sides.

But if ever there was one positive to draw from this saga, it is that the people care. 

Let’s hope that the wait for Singapore’s next Olympic medal won't take another 48 years. And when that day arrives, we will be able to celebrate without reservation - or recrimination.