http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC120810-0000055/Flying-home-in-style
For winning two bronze medals between them, the trio of Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu and Li Jiawei received a pleasant surprise when they were upgraded from economy to business class upon boarding their Singapore Airlines flight at London's Heathrow Airport yesterday for their 14-hour flight home.
This was revealed by Jessie Phua, Team Singapore's Chef de Mission to the London Games, after a 45-minute National Day observance ceremony at the Athletes' Village yesterday.
"SQ (Singapore Airlines) wanted to have a little sending-off party for the athletes at Heathrow," she said. "But, when it was proposed to me, I said 'Uh-uh, the players aren't going that cheap. If SQ is sincere in wanting to congratulate and wish our medallists well, then do it in a style becoming of SQ and upgrade them to business class.' After all, how many athletes can win medals at the Olympics?
"SQ has been very game and they took up the challenge. That's a wonderful tradition to start with."
Last Wednesday, Feng won Singapore's first medal of the Games after overcoming Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa in the bronze-medal play-off.
It was followed on Tuesday by another bronze, this time in the women's team as Feng, Wang and Li overcame South Korea's Kim Kyung Ah, Seok Ha Jung and Dang Ye Seo 3-0 in the third-place play-off.
Yesterday, they attended the National Day observance ceremony with the members of the Team Singapore contingent who are still in London, including gymnast Lim Heem Wei, shuttler Yao Lei, and sailors Colin Cheng and Elizabeth Yin.
They also celebrated the birthdays of Li and Yin - Li turned 31 yesterday, while Yin marked her 21st birthday on Wednesday.
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