For most of us, 2019 means a fresh bout of aspiration and taking another step in the right direction. This usually encompasses all facets of life, and sports, which has been a unifying factor so many times, comes to the fore.

So what does 2019 hold for Malaysian sports?

For immediate comparison, we can reflect upon the year that just passed and deduce that we fared rather decently on the sports front.

Football, surprisingly, rose to the occasion through the national Under-23 and senior squads, who did well to reach the 2018 AFF Cup final before the crushing 3-2 defeat to Vietnam.

While defeat was bitter, the determination and never-say-die attitude from the players was something we don’t often see in Malaysian football.

The football was good, designed by a reputable coach in Tan Cheng Hoe who knows exactly what he intends to do with the team.

Give him a few more years to implement his philosophy, and we’ll be able to say that Malaysian football is bound for greater heights.

The senior side are complemented by the Under-23’s who defied the odds at the regional level through the AFC U23 Championship and Asian Games football, under the guidance of Ong Kim Swee.

With enough support from the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and respective clubs in honing more young talents, we can build on a large enough talent pool to slowly emerge from the doldrums in this football-mad nation.

While football provided some cheer in 2018, not everything was rosy.

Two of the biggest and most lucrative sports programmes in the country which cost multi-millions of taxpayers’ money – the Podium Programme and the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) – failed big time.

Athletes from the Podium Programme, groomed to shine at major multi-sports events, were a massive letdown at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games last year.

The programme came under massive scrutiny and its status can be billed as “work in progress” (WIP) after promises of restructuring and firing of key personnel.

The NFDP, born to much fanfare under former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin, was also shown a red card after the national Under-16 team failed to make it to the U17 World Cup in Peru this year.

Its status? Also WIP.

NFDP is supposed to be placed under the purview of FAM, but an agreement has yet to be reached by both parties and so it hangs in the balance.

Thankfully for us, 2019 is a year of resetting foundations.

The only multi-sports event happening this year is the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games (Nov 30-Dec 11) in the Philippines.

The onus will be on Malaysia to retain its title as overall champions after dominating the 2017 spectacle on home soil.

It will be a tall order, with almost every SEA Games dominated by the host country who introduces its local sports to bag the golden glitter.

In football, Malaysia will do battle in the respective qualifiers.

The U23 team will prepare to qualify for the AFC U23 Championship in 2020, where a top three finish in that tournament will earn them a berth at the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Ong’s men will also aim to better their silver medal from the 2017 SEA Games football and go for gold in Philippines.

For the senior team, it will be trying to go as far as possible at the 2022 World Cup qualifiers which begin in June.

Badminton will have its own targets, which is to get as many shuttlers including Lee Chong Wei, to qualify for the 2020 Olympics when the qualifiers kick off in May.

Lee is bidding for a return to the court after successfully battling early stage nose cancer, and his services will also thrive as Malaysia prepare for the team event Sudirman Cup in May.

As for the Podium Programme and NFDP, the right foundation must be set by the right personnel.

Time is an afforded luxury this year, so meticulous planning and a solid structure must be fashioned as we prepare for the 2020 Olympics.

2019 is a time for mending and improving.

By implementing the right programmes and giving it enough attention, there is every reason Malaysia can reap success in the years to come.

May this year be filled with the success for Malaysian sports to move forward.

Majulah Sukan Untuk Negara!

Nicolas Raj is an FMT columnist.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.