KUALA LUMPUR: National boxing coach Rustam Saidov believes it is not impossible for Malaysia to produce an Olympic medallist in the sport.
Rustam, who took charge at the start of the year, said Malaysia has a promising crop of youngsters coming up the ranks, who have the potential to go far if groomed accordingly.
The Uzbekistan-born is no stranger to success in the ring as he is a former Olympic bronze medallist, a two-time Asian Games gold medallist and a three-time Asian champion.
"It doesn't have to take 10 years," said Rustam when asked how long it would take Malaysia to produce an Olympic medallist.
"We have some good young talent, and what is important is to develop them properly.
"They need to train right, go for competitions, come back and train more, take care of their diet and avoid wasting too much time on the Internet.
"In boxing, what is important is technique, tactics, mental strength and heart.
"The latter is why I always start our training sessions by having everyone sing Negaraku. It is important to respect your country.
"To win an Olympic medal, the whole big 'family' must be involved. It is not just about the boxer… the coach and the (boxing) administration and the government must also play their part."
Rustam said he will be using the Malaysia Cup, which will be held at the new National Sports Council (NSC) Complex in Nilai on Dec 6-12, to gauge his fighters ahead of what will be a busy season next year.
The national squad will be competing in next year's Vietnam Sea Games, Birmingham Commonwealth Games and Hangzhou Asian Games.
Malaysia have been lacking fresh talent in recent years and won only three bronze at the 2019 Philippines Sea Games through Fuad Redzuan, Khir Akyazlan Azmi and Aswan Che Azmi.
The national boxing, cycling and archery squads are among those that will be relocated to the new NSC Complex in Nilai beginning from January.
The pencak silat and wushu squads could also move there to reduce congestion at Bukit Jalil though this is still being discussed.
The new facility, located next to the National Velodrome, features a 20-lane archery field, three boxing and muay thai rings, three pencak silat courts, a futsal pitch, as well as a 44-room hostel.
The complex was built by SkyWorld Development Group as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The Nilai complex will serve as a replacement for the NSC complex in Taman Keramat, which will be vacated by the end of this year as the land, which is owned by Kuala Lumpur City Hall, has been sold.