Array
(
    [_edit_lock] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1705939839:15
        )

    [tdc_dirty_content] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [tdc_icon_fonts] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:0:{}
        )

    [_thumbnail_id] => Array
        (
            [0] => 159458
        )

    [_edit_last] => Array
        (
            [0] => 15
        )

    [_post_language] => Array
        (
            [0] => English
        )

    [_molongui_author] => Array
        (
            [0] => guest-103529
        )

    [_molongui_main_author] => Array
        (
            [0] => guest-103529
        )

    [td_post_theme_settings] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:1:{s:11:"td_subtitle";s:109:"Despite programmes offered to help them, only 20% of athletes have taken part in MACE’s various initiatives";}
        )

    [_yoast_wpseo_primary_category] => Array
        (
            [0] => 601
        )

    [_yoast_wpseo_metadesc] => Array
        (
            [0] => The head of the Malaysian Athletes Career and Education (MACE) Secretariat at the National Sports Council (NSC), Datuk Shalin Zulkifli, is calling on athletes to proactively plan for their retirement.
        )

    [_yoast_wpseo_content_score] => Array
        (
            [0] => 30
        )

    [_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes] => Array
        (
            [0] => 3
        )

    [_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [post_views_count] => Array
        (
            [0] => 702
        )

    [post_views_count_7_day_arr] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:7:{i:0;a:2:{s:4:"date";i:0;s:5:"count";i:0;}i:1;a:2:{s:4:"date";i:0;s:5:"count";i:0;}i:2;a:2:{s:4:"date";i:0;s:5:"count";i:0;}i:3;a:2:{s:4:"date";i:0;s:5:"count";i:0;}i:4;a:3:{s:4:"date";s:10:"1752215531";s:5:"count";i:1;s:14:"per_hour_count";a:1:{i:6;i:1;}}i:5;a:2:{s:4:"date";i:0;s:5:"count";i:0;}i:6;a:2:{s:4:"date";i:0;s:5:"count";i:0;}}
        )

    [post_view_7days_last_day] => Array
        (
            [0] => 4
        )

    [post_views_count_7_day_last_date] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1752215531
        )

    [post_views_count_7_day_total] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [post_views_last_24_hours] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [post_views_last_48_hours] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_stopmodifiedupdate] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_modified_date] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [footnotes] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
Don’t wait until it’s too late: Shalin urges athletes to plan ahead for retirement | Scoop
Datuk Shalin Zulkifli of the Malaysian Athletes Career and Education (MACE) Secretariat, urged athletes to take more responsibility for their post-retirement plans as they cannot always depend on the government or others to support them. – Abdul Razak Latif/Scoop pic, January 22, 2024
Sports

Don’t wait until it’s too late: Shalin urges athletes to plan ahead for retirement

Despite programmes offered to help them, only 20% of athletes have taken part in MACE’s various initiatives

Main Author Image
Faizal Salim
Updated
10:30 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – The head of the Malaysian Athletes Career and Education (MACE) Secretariat at the National Sports Council (NSC), Datuk Shalin Zulkifli, is calling on athletes to proactively plan for their retirement.

She said MACE was set up to help both current and recently retired athletes in charting their post-competition paths.

Established during Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s tenure as youth and sports minister, MACE aims to address the challenges faced by athletes transitioning out of their competitive careers, particularly in light of financial struggles that have been spotlighted in the news.

“We hold awareness programmes to guide athletes interested in furthering their education, informing them about universities offering scholarships and advising on the application process under the sports or higher education ministry. 

“We also give them training for essential skills, such as the use of Microsoft Office or how to make presentations,” said Shalin during a panel discussion titled ‘Forging Greatness and Counting the Cost’ at the Asian Sports Summit organised by the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) and the Sports Law Associaton Malaysia (SLAM) here recently.

Five-time world champion Shalin urged athletes to take responsibility for their post-retirement plans but also revealed that MACE has been struggling to get athletes to join.

“Only 20% of the athletes join the programmes. Some of them think that someone will always take care of them when they retire.

“You have to realise that the government and the sports associations can only take care of you to a certain extent.

“You have to make plans on how you are going to take care of yourself, you have to make the right decisions for yourself,” said the four-time Asian Games gold medallist.

According to Shalin, a survey conducted by MACE with 500 active athletes last year indicated that many aspired to become coaches post-retirement. 

However, a significant number lacked coaching certification, often assuming they had ample time left in their competitive careers.

“But when we asked them ‘do you have a coaching certificate?’ Most of them said no. We then asked why not. They replied that they still had a good 10 years left in them to compete.

“But being an athlete you never know when you might need to retire early because of injury or you get dropped because of budget cuts and so on.

“We try to educate them, but it is hard because when you compete at a high level you have an ego. 

“They think your life is over when you retire, but I try to remind them that it is the beginning of a new chapter,” said the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championships gold medallist. 

The panel, moderated by Scoop assistant news editor Julie Jalaluddin, also featured insights from Malaysia Olympians Association president Noraseela Mohd Khalid and Paralympic Council of Malaysia president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin. – January 22, 2024

Topics

 

◉ Popular

Pengusaha bas ekspres, berilah kami diskaun atau harga khas: Pelajar IPT

Para pelajar IPT berkata permintaan mereka wajar dipertimbangkan kerana mereka antara yang paling banyak menggunakan perkhidmatan bas ekspres

Raub MP arrested for obstructing civil servants felling durian trees: Pahang police

Besides the DAP lawmaker, head of the Save Musang King Alliance farmers group, Wilson Chang, also arrested

Over 180,000 Grab Malaysia drivers, dispatchers receive SKSPS contribution

Sponsored protection under company’s management for period of 12 months, says Steven Sim

◉ Related

Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.