KUALA LUMPUR – For Malaysian sports to achieve top-tier success, it must invest heavily in world-class support services and facilities.
According to Malaysian cycling technical director John Beasley, this remains a major shortcoming in the country’s sports ecosystem.
Speaking to Scoop recently, the experienced Australian coach said he is keeping expectations realistic for the national squad ahead of next week’s Asian Track Cycling Championships (ACC) in Nilai.
Beasley highlighted that while national women’s sprint cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri is in excellent form, the same cannot be said for Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who sustained a kneecap injury a fortnight ago.
What concerns Beasley even more is the lack of a dedicated full-time support team for high-performance sports in Malaysia.
“For me, it’s not about making excuses – it’s about getting the small processes right so we have fewer of these issues. This is where we need to improve,” said Beasley.
“For cycling, we have never had a full support team dedicated solely to the programme. We have always had to share staff such as strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, massage therapists, and sports scientists. This is not ideal, but it’s the current reality we are trying to address.
“These small details separate good programmes from the best high-performance setups in the world. The problem is, we simply don’t have enough staff to go around. It’s not an easy fix, but without full-time personnel, it’s difficult to manage situations like Shah’s injury effectively,” he added.
Beasley explained that he is working hard to ensure the Malaysian cycling team has the necessary resources to perform at a higher level.
“In high-performance programmes, when an athlete is injured, we don’t just want a doctor’s note saying they must rest. This is an elite setting—if one body part is injured and cannot be trained, what’s the plan for the rest of the body?
“This is where our current system is failing. A proper high-performance programme requires an integrated support team that works as one cohesive unit.
“I am pushing for a system where, when a doctor makes a decision about an injured athlete, the information is immediately shared with the entire team – the doctor, physiotherapist, strength and conditioning trainers, and coaches.
“The question should always be: What’s the recovery plan? How long until the athlete returns to full training? What can they still do in the meantime? We need weekly updates where the entire team discusses progress, rehab strategies, and prehabilitation measures to prevent similar issues in the future,” Beasley explained.
Given the current situation – and with Datuk Azizulhasni Awang still undecided about his racing future – Beasley is not setting high expectations for the ACC next week.
At last year’s edition, Malaysia won two gold medals through Izzah in the women’s 500m time trial and keirin, two silvers in the men’s and women’s team sprint events, and three bronze medals. – February 12, 2025