KUALA LUMPUR: AN exciting new year beckons for Malaysian sports after the high of 2016 which witnessed the country’s best-ever achievements at the Olympics and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin goes through the highs and lows of 2016 while looking ahead to what Malaysian sports have to offer in 2017.
Q: What do you consider is the best achievement in Malaysian sports in 2016?
A: Of course, the best achievement came at the Olympics and Paralympics with Malaysia’s best-ever performance. This was very good news to Malaysians and acted as a unifying factor in the country while giving hope to Malaysian sports. My hope is that this achievement does not remain one-off but can be repeated. We won five medals at the Olympics but before 2016 we only won six medals, which is about one or two medals on average for each campaign (since 1992). I hope this becomes the new normal for Malaysia, to win four or five medals, even gold, at the Olympics.
Q: Malaysia’s wait for a first Olympic gold medal continues after Rio de Janeiro. How can the Podium Programme ensure this wait ends at Tokyo 2020?
A The Podium Programme is more focused and a tailor-made plan for elite athletes. The services provided to them are based on individual needs in terms of sport science and training. The investment is made to ensure the athletes get what is needed. That does not mean those not in the programme do not get good services but those in this programme are given specific services. I am confident that this programme, handled by the National Sports Institute, can give that edge at the highest levels, not just at the Olympics, but at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games as well.
Q: Can you guarantee that we can achieve success in Tokyo?
A: My hope is that the Podium Programme can bring success in Tokyo. Our new normal is one where we achieve success consistently. In Tokyo, I believe we can repeat or improve on our achievements in Rio. It won’t be easy but we have to place a high target.
Q: Which sports do you see have the potential to achieve success at the Olympics and other major events?
A: We would obviously continue to depend on sports which have delivered success at the elite level like badminton, diving and track cycling, sports with a history and potential for continued development. The challenge is how to ensure back-up athletes can be exposed to the highest levels. In badminton, for example, we are extremely proud that we don’t have to depend only on Lee Chong Wei with the emergence of Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong as the World No 1 in doubles after winning the World Super Series Finals and the mixed doubles (Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying). We must look past athletes already at their peak and invest in talent which will bring success at the next two Olympic cycles and not just over the next four years.
The same for diving, Pandelela Rinong has been to two Olympics and we need to look beyond even Nur Dhabitah Sabri to ensure the pipeline of talent is flowing through.
In cycling as well, Azizulhasni Awang may be able to go to one or maybe two more Olympics and our efforts to find the next line of athletes is very important. We must also widen the number of sports able to deliver medals at the elite level. Not just depend on two or three sports only.
Although that is a good strategy in getting the medals, such as Thailand’s heavy investment in women’s weightlifting which brought two gold medals, but in Malaysia while we have investments in specific sports, we also want to see more sports deliver medals.
So for Tokyo 2020, we will look at karate which has several world-class exponents and some underperforming sports with high potential like archery. Archery has not reached the top of the podium while shooting, where we have invested for a long time, and sailing, which I think can be developed further. These are sports which remain in focus at the highest level. For the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games we have other sports we can depend on like bowling. But we can’t forget popular sports like football and hockey. Both are close to the hearts of Malaysians and on a downward spiral. So there must be an effort from all parties especially the governing bodies to regain the glory years of their sports.
Hockey is a bit unfortunate to slide from fourth (to 11th) and the Junior World Cup so that shows there is no continuation to build on the previous semi-final achievement. So for me we need to put emphasis on these two sports, which happen to be an important yardstick for Malaysian sport enthusiasts.
Q: You have targeted Malaysia to become overall champions at the Sea Games. How can this be achieved?
A: The Kita Juara programme is in the second phase with the third phase starting in March where we will trim the number of athletes for the final contingent. All preparations are going well and we have a process involving all stakeholders, who meet regularly to discuss competitions and training.
From the budget standpoint, I am grateful we have a sufficient allocation. I met the athletes at a retreat in Kuala Lumpur recently and I received a report that team spirit is at the highest levels.
It is important that we cultivate a winning mentality and my message to athletes and coaches is that we have to think about how to win from now until the Sea Games and Asean Para Games. They should use the winning mentality as a psychological edge which I feel can give the last five to 10 per cent in winning gold.
Q: You mentioned that funding for Sea Games is sufficient but what comes after that?
A: After the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, it crossed my mind that had we done poorly in Rio, we might not have got a large allocation for the Sea Games. The allocation is based on performance and we need to produce the results at every event. For 2018, it will be important for us to prove that our athletes are able to reach targets at the Asian and Commonwealth Games. If not, I won’t be surprised if our allocation is reduced. The funding for the Sea Games is based on the Olympic success. If we had come back without any medals, the prime minister would not have been in the mood to give a large allocation for the Sea Games. So I think success would breed more investments so we must continue to succeed.
Q: What do you see as the main challenges for Malaysian sports in 2017?
A: The main challenge will be the Sea Games which I stress is a development competition even though we aim to be overall champions. For me it is a platform to achieve greater success in the future. If we accept that success at Sea Games is all there is, then we have achieved nothing. Sea Games is just a stepping stone, so 2017 should be platform for success in the future.
With the Podium Programme and a new Olympic cycle for Tokyo, I hope 2017 will bring about the emergence of young athletes who can have a breakthrough year. For example in badminton, Goh Jin Wei has to be more consistent and achieve bigger victories. In squash, I hope to see Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari break out and make a breakthrough year for our youngsters. If we want to guarantee success at Tokyo and beyond, our back-up athletes need to start producing results now.
Q: Do you think our Paralympians are ready to compete with able-bodied athletes after their three-gold achievement at the Paralympics?
A: If they can show good performances and fulfil the qualifying criteria, there is no reason disabled athletes can’t compete with able-bodied athletes. For example, Latif Romly won the Malaysia Games gold medal in long jump and together with Ziyad Zulkifli, have expressed their desire to compete at the Sea Games. Latif’s jump in Rio would have been good enough for a medal at the last Sea Games. If he can improve his performances he can go for gold at the Sea Games.
Q: What were some of the issues in 2016 which drew your attention?
A: My main worry during the year was doping. I gave a stern warning to our Sea Games athletes that there should be no doping cases in 2017. I was very sad when the Malaysia Games again produced positive cases involving young athletes, and if they are involved in doping so early in their careers, then this shows that this culture has spread in the sport system.
I hope that we can monitor closely and take sterner action against those that take and encourage use of banned substances. In 2017, at the ministry we will strengthen Adamas (National Doping Agency) and I will work to ensure that the agency will become a statutory body with its own powers to act and with a bigger budget and a Wada-accredited lab.
I hope to get the greenlight from the government to make Adamas a priority so that the doping issue can be solved structurally. I also hope to see national associations with internal problems emerge stronger ahead of the Sea Games with a better administration.
Archery must resolve its internal problems, those in leadership transition like FAM (FA of Malaysia) can put in place a new line of leaders to take the sport forward.
Thirdly, 2016 was a big challenge as the private sector was unable to help develop sports. It is still down to the government to develop sports but I hope in future, the private sector will join the government in this effort.
The government cannot be depended upon to solely develop sports, government funding is needed elsewhere. I hope the private sector can come in to sponsor elite athletes for example. A sports conference will be held soon so I can explain to the private sector the sporting assets that are available.
Q: How important is the Malaysia Games for the future of sports in the country?
A: The Malaysia Games is important to allow young athletes to shine, to develop talent while investing in sport facilities. When Perlis became host, they built facilities which they never had like an aquatics centre. We have stopped the Games being organised in Kuala Lumpur in between the one hosted in states for non-core sports due to the costs involved. We hope that future hosts will be more flexible in allowing certain sports to be contested.
Q: Malaysian football has had its share of trouble in 2016. How can football extricate itself from the situation it is in?
A: Football teams should be run according to their financial capability. Football management inflation over the last three or four years has risen drastically with player wages going ever higher and resulting in teams hiring expensive players without concern for their own financial ability.
When running sports, we need to look at our income and then spend accordingly. But in football, they spend first and then source for income. This is not sustainable because in the end it only creates problems.
In the current economic situation where sponsors are hard to come by, they are stuck with financial obligations which they cannot fulfil. If the team have the ability to spend, then they may continue to pay high wages to players but if everyone else follows suit in order to achieve wins, then it becomes a big problem. Teams have to live within their means.
Secondly, structurally they are weak. Sometimes you need to consolidate. In Selangor for example, it may be time for Selangor and PKNS to merge and become a club structure.
The FA of Selangor should only be a governing body in charge of development and state leagues instead of running a professional team.
This is not a new idea. State FAs should not be running professional teams. This job should be done by somebody else and the reliance on state governments for funding should be reduced.
If we are to improve the football structure, we need to do that. It will take time and won’t be easy. When we merge the teams, some players will lose out and there will be accusations of leaving players in the lurch but consolidation is necessary to ensure the whole thing is sustainable.
Q: With the FA of Malaysia due to elect a new leadership in March, do you have a preference on who should be president?
A: I have no preference and I hope that FAM affiliates are able to make the choice for a president who can do a good job and work full-time. We need someone who can lead FAM and is hands-on, understands the structural issues and has the courage to take action and reset the football industry. Someone who is acceptable to all affiliates and can work together with everyone. FAM affiliates are led by big personalities and FAM require someone with the clout to get everyone to work together towards a football transformation.
Q: What is your new year’s wish?
A: My wish for 2017 is for Malaysia as a whole to become a sporting nation. One of our successes in 2016 was that seven million people turned out for the National Sports Day and this programme must be continued to achieve more success in future. I hope Malaysians continue to be active in sports and become fitter on our road to becoming a sporting nation. My other wish is for Malaysia to become overall champions at the Sea Games, a top-two finish at the Asean Para Games and see the emergence of a lot more young talent in sports.