But wouldn’t it be nice if it was also announced that several hundred million ringgit would be set aside for the promotion of sports among our youths and school children?
We lack some world class sporting facilities and top coaches to train our athletes. We need experts in sports psychology, nutritionists and dieticians. We also need to maintain sports buildings and equipment.
The Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, said none of the athletes had asked for additional rewards. He singled out a conversation with badminton champion Lee Chong Wei, who said that further rewards were not necessary because the athletes had won.
Does anyone know how much is being currently spent on the promotion of sports in Malaysia? Once Chong Wei and the older athletes retire, will there be enough young athletes to take their places?
What is the state of sports in Malaysia today? How badly underfunded are our sporting activities? Is money being spent on unnecessary items and people?
Former national badminton coach Misbun Sidek has claimed that Malaysia lacked a developed and complete training system. He did not attach any blame on Chong Wei for failing to win a gold medal, but said that our training system was inadequate.
Misbun voiced his fears about funding and training eight years ago but claimed that his advice fell on deaf ears. He said that top athletes like Chong Wei needed a fully dedicated team to advise them on the psychology of training, physical fitness and diet.
Misbun is right. Athletes need to assess and reassess to see if their training is effective. They require experts who can push them to higher levels.
The former champion also suggested that our lack of preparation meant that we would not have a younger group of talented athletes to inherit the legacy of champions like Chong Wei.
Some university students have complained that when they were in primary and secondary school, they were not allowed to participate in some sports despite their commitment and skills.
They alleged that they were not selected for the school or the national team because the quota for their race had been filled. Is this quota issue for real?
It is best to target the sports in which we have proven our success. So will Khairy and his sports officials decide which sports will benefit from more funding? We need to select the sports in which we can excel rather than train our athletes for the sports for which we cannot qualify.
Do we have dedicated teachers who are focused on sports? We need young children who have what it takes to become athletes, but we also need committed teachers who can spot potential talent and who are willing to train their charges.
An immediate cash injection of a few hundred million ringgit to nurture young talent would be a tiny fraction of the RM4.6 billion that has made the headlines around the world. It would be most welcome by our budding athletes.
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