KUALA LUMPUR – Instead of concentrating on the usual sports for Olympic medals, it looks like the Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council (NSC) are looking at three sports that could potentially deliver medals for Malaysia.
Three sports, namely skateboarding, climbing, and surfing, have been identified as new prospects for Malaysia to potentially contribute medals at the Olympics.
This was revealed by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh in response to questions from Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) and six other MPs regarding the government’s plans to improve the national contingent’s performance at the Olympics during a parliamentary session yesterday.
Elaborating further, NSC Deputy Director Jefri Ngadirin said that Malaysia cannot afford to fall behind while other neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore are already building athletes to compete in these sports, and some have even won medals.
Additionally, existing medal prospects such as track cycling and diving, which have been consistent medal contributors for Malaysia’s contingent, have seemed less convincing in recent times.
Even badminton, despite consistently contributing medals since the Beijing 2008 edition, is still struggling to secure the country’s first Olympic gold.
Meanwhile, countries such as Indonesia and Thailand no longer rely on traditional events like badminton and weightlifting to secure medals.
In Paris, Indonesia had a surprise gold medal from the men’s speed climbing event, which they won through Veddriq Leonardo. They are also into surfing now through Rio Waida.
At the same time, in skateboarding, Thailand has taken a major step forward with Vareeraya Sukasem, who, at just 13 years old, became the country’s first skateboarder to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
“The NSC is arranging meetings with representatives from these three associations. We want to assess their athletes, their world rankings, and their achievements in the tournaments they have participated in.
“In short, we want to know everything before we decide to assist them in qualifying for the Olympics. If they meet the criteria set, there will be no issues including them in the (Podium) programme,” said Jefri when contacted by Scoop.
Unlike skateboarding and climbing, which have established training centers across many states, surfing faces a shortage of such facilities.
However, the NSC acknowledges that surfing is a sport popular among the youth now, especially with its inclusion as a mandatory event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
For the record, skateboarding was competed in at the 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Asian Games, sending five athletes managed by national legend Johary Fitry Khairuddin, also known as Joe Ipoh.
But their debut appearance at the event was marred when Fatin Syahirah Roszizi, competing in the women’s street event, delivered a less-than-impressive performance and was subjected to online abuse.
In response, world legend Tony Hawk extended moral support to Fatin, who was just 16 years old at the time.
Sport climbing has made its appearance at the Asian Games, with Malaysia fielding nine athletes, but unfortunately, all of them failed to progress further.
Other than these three sports, KBS and NSC are also focusing on disciplines with multiple medal opportunities, such as athletics, swimming, and weight-based sports, as potential prospects for the country.
They are also paying attention to sports like boxing, weightlifting, taekwondo, and gymnastics, which hold great promise for future success. – November 8, 2024