Why "brave"?

First of all, the Asian Wrestling Championships are not just any competition, and definitely not one where beginners would choose to make their debut.

It features countries like Iran, Japan, Korea and Kazakhstan - countries with both history and accomplishment in the sport.

Like the European Wrestling Championships held last month, the Asian installment of the competition is one of the biggest events in wrestling.

Both Melvynna and Sulaiman may be established judokas, but they both started dabbling in wrestling only early this year when the Wrestling Federation of Singapore (WFS) was being set up.

National wrestlers Melvynna Tambunan (left) and Mohammad Sulaiman
ST PHOTO: JOYCE LIM

Their first opponents outside of the local wrestling community are not amateurs like themselves.

Melvynna, for instance, was drawn against Tatyana Bakatyuk of Kazakhstan, who finished fifth at the Beijing Olympics. Melvynna was trounced 0-7, 0-7. The fight in the under-51kg didn't even have to go into the third and last period.

Even though she later received a lifeline through the repechage rule and found herself up against China's Zeng Qingping for a bronze medal, that match too went down 0-6, 0-7 - again without Melvynna picking up any points.

Sulaiman faced a similar fate, crashing 0-2, 0-7 to Iraq's Majeed Husham in the first round of the under-74kg free style competition.

Being the older ones in the national team, the duo were given the responsibility of being the firsts to venture out into regional competition.

They face not only the nerves of taking part in their first wrestling competition, or the jitters of donning national colours for the first time.

They shoulder the heavy burden of tasting for themselves the high standards of wrestling in countries just within Asia itself, then returning with the experience to lead the rest of the budding team with.

When I spoke with them last week, they appeared relaxed.

Neither expected anything big out of the outing, except to just gain some real competition experience. The night before her fight, however, Melvynna found herself losing sleep.

So what if neither of our wrestlers achieved anything tangible out of the competition? True, they did not even manage to take one point out of each of their fights; but, dare I ask, is that what matters at this point?

I hand it to the duo for their courage in taking on this mission.

They lead not only themselves, but also their like-minded teammates who wait eagerly to hear about their experience fighting with the world's very best.

And if the WFS, with its bold ambitions of becoming a regional center of excellence in South-east Asia, comes to pass, they will be leading a nation's growth in a sport.

So, take a bow, Melvynna and Sulaiman.

Singapore national wrestling coach Sergei Beloglazov from Russia (centre) with two national wrestlers, Melvynna Tambunan (right) and Mohammad Sulaiman.
ST PHOTO: JOYCE LIM

Despite having a smaller physique when compared to our Western counterparts , we don't always get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to sports.

It's not just talk or wishful thinking - it's been proven time and again over the years in different sports and by different personalities, and most recently, by an amateur golfer at the Johnny Walker Classic in Perth. 

Danny Lee has the whole world in his hands.
Source: AFP

New Zealander Danny Lee became not only the youngest golfer ever at 18 years and 213 days to win on an European tour, but also only the second amateur to win that event in its history.

Never mind that he can't pick up the A$465,000 cheque because of his amateur status - he had beaten the likes of Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, and many other more experienced golfers en route to glory.

Currently ranked first on the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Danny was also the youngest ever winner of the US Amateur in 2008, a mantle held by Tiger Woods alone since 1994. 

And in golf alone, there are other indications that Asians are not only the up-and-coming, but also a force to be reckoned with. 

Another apt example comes in the form of Yani Tseng, a 20-year-old Taiwanese who only turned pro at the beginning of 2007, but is already ranked No. 2 in the world. 

In her rookie year on the LPGA Tour, she became the youngest winner of the LPGA Championship in what was only her third major championship. She was later named Rookie of the Year for 2008.

Tseng, together with 10 other Asian-born golfers, make up 11 of the 20 top women golfers in the world now. Danny Lee, Anthony Kim and Ryo Ishikawa are also just some of the many young names in a game traditionally dominated by Americans and Europeans. 

So why do we, as Asians, beat ourselves up more often than we should for our shorter legs, inadequate muscles, modest wingspans, higher body fat levels and the rest of our less-than-ideal or not-made-for-sports bodies?

Was Tao Li not snubbed for not having the body for swimming? Did she not then make head turns at Beijing, and then the Arena World Cup in Stockholm?

Yes, we may not have the physical edge all the time, but Asian countries have also traditionally enjoyed status as the ones to beat in various sports, including racquet games, gymnastics and softball.

We need to fan our flickering confidence with what hope these Asian sporting achievements past, present and future have handed us, to believe that more Asian athletes can slug it out with their bigger, stronger Western counterparts for top honours. 

The more Danny Lee and his ilk continue to excel, the more the rest of the Asian sporting world will charge ahead with fire in their bellies. 

Bomb threats probably have the same menacing effect.

So it is understandable how triathlete Dinah Chan felt if the reason she was found in the room of fellow triathlete Mok Ying Ren was as innocent as she claimed. 

The athletes were allegedly informed of bomb threats at the Asian Beach Games in Bali last October, and Chan said she had gone to Mok’s room because she feared for her safety.

The duo have since been given a competition ban for their misconduct. Many have expressed opinions that the punishment is a tad harsh. Maybe.

But that does not shadow the fact that exemplary conduct is expected from those under the public eye, probably even more from those who don their national flag on their sleeves.

Their errors are just as likely to be found circulating the papers as their hard-earned achievements.

Olympic champion Michael Phelps proves to be a timely and apt example.

Instead of being greeted by a cereal box with Michael Phelps’ face printed on it, millions of Americans woke up to a photo of him smoking drugs on front pages of the papers. 

Unfortunately people may now remember him as the eight-gold wonder who got caught with drugs weeks after his feat, but that's just the way it is.

They may not all be world-renowned celebrities, but athletes aren’t exactly common men-in-the-street either. Whether they chose to put themselves out in the limelight or not, their actions and speech will always be under public scrutiny.

And it is their duty to take it upon themselves to ensure they live up to public expectations.

Agreed, a competition ban may come across as too harsh a punishment. Probation, a verbal warning, or even a fine may have been just as effective. 

But a broken rule is as is - broken. 

It does not matter if the infringement was big, just a little, or if anything bad came out of it. 

Or in this case - whether it was compromising or not.

Anybody would have to face the music for their misconduct, just like Phelps and the triathlete duo are doing now. 

They just have a lot more people to answer to.

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