Koh, a silver medallist at the recent SEA Games in the Philippines, said he is doing this while waiting for the Malaysian Fencing Federation to get back to him on making preparations for the final round of qualifications.
He is aiming to raise RM60,000 to cover such items as travel expenses and coaching fees for the qualification round in April.
“My friends and family said I should start something because the more I delay the less time I will have for training. So I started this crowdfunding move.
“We’re also talking to some corporate companies to see if they can support, but there has been no response yet.”
The 29-year-old, who competes in the men’s epee category, told FMT the national fencing team required more exposure as it comprised younger sportsmen, stressing that they needed to gain more experience.
“For the younger fencers, ideally, after this SEA Games, they should start preparing for the next one already. Start the training programme and their development leading towards the next one.”
Koh is preparing for the zonal qualifications which will take place in mid-April next year, which is where fencers who fail to make the rankings will compete for the final spot to make it to the Olympics.
“Some people spend their whole lives training to go to the Olympics. But I think one year before (the competition) would be the minimum.
“The qualifying period started in April this year and is until April next year. So during the one year, we have to go for all the tournaments to collect points for the ranking.
“For me, it’s too late because beginning from April this year, I missed quite a few competitions. So in terms of world ranking, it’s quite difficult to catch up. The April 2020 competition is the last hope for me,” he said.
While admitting it will be an uphill task, Koh remained optimistic about his prospects of making the cut for the 2020 Olympics, saying he was going to give it “one last shot”.
“I’ve tried to qualify before, but again, without proper preparation. So this time, I’m trying with at least a bit more preparation.”
Those interested to support Koh in this endeavour may do so here.