Two players from the national squad – Jason Tan and Jordan Tay – left for Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei on 13 February 2009 to train with the best in the country.
Chinese Taipei is a preferred choice for Singapore players to hone their skills. It is not only among the top taekwondo nations in the world but also has a strong relationship with Singapore in the sport. The friendship dates back to the early 70s. What’s more, there is no language problem.
Both Jason and Jordan, who were champions in their respective weight categories in the recently completed 13th Asian Cities Gold Cup Taekwondo Championships staged in Hong Kong, China, were given a warm welcome by Asst National Coach Chen Wei Hsin at the airport and by the Chinese Taipei Head Coach Liu Ching Wen at the Taiwan National Athletes Training Centre.
Through the kind arrangement of the Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association, Jason and Jordan are sharing an air-conditioned room with excellent facilities. The other national trainees at the camp do not enjoy the same comfort. But when it comes to training, it is the same for all.
The two boys started training the day after arrival and are experiencing the rigor of training six to eight hours a day. Although they are finding the training very tough, they do not plan to quit as they know it will only make them better.
While Jordan is taking time off from his school, Dunearn Secondary School, to train for one month, Jason will be there for two months. Jason is awaiting entry into Temasek Polytechnics some time in April 2009.