From 9-year-old skateboarding prodigy Kamali Moorthy to 13-year-old ace pianist Lydian Nadhaswaram, we’ve seen many kids excel in their chosen fields at a very young age. However, a video of a 6-year-old table tennis player from China, Li Yiyi, has everyone raising concerns over the tough training schedules children have to undergo.
According to The Indian Express, she attends 5-6 training sessions each week and her coaches do not take kindly to her tears.
In the video, her father can be heard saying,
“She’s not the type of girl to give up halfway. She’s earnest and works hard. As a parent, it’s not easy to see her cry. But it’s a part of life. Learning something new is always hard.”
The snippet further shows her winning her first official competition in her age group after a year’s training and her parents saying that they’ll let her decide if she wants to be a professional in this sport or just continue it as a hobby.
While some people are lauding her dedication and declaring that she’s Olympic material, others are not impressed. Many are slamming the parents for robbing her childhood.
Do you agree with the belief that talent alone isn’t enough and harsh training is necessary or is this too much for a child to handle?