KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Swimming Federation (MS) hopes to boost its coaching set-up to prepare for the 2025 Thailand Sea Games.
But it will all depend on the National Sports Council's (NSC) budget for the sport.
MS assistant secretary Nurul Huda Abdullah revealed that the federation is in talks with NSC and proposing a foreign technical director, head coach and a coach for the senior team.
The federation also aims to beef up its junior set up by hiring a foreign coach and two local coaches.
"At the moment, the coaches and technical directors haven't been confirmed yet; we are still in discussion with NSC," said Nurul Huda.
"We have received applications from overseas, including candidates from the United States, Australia, and Europe. We are hoping to get the best coaches within the allocated budget."
The national swimming team are facing challenges due to a lack of funding, reflected in their performance at the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May, where they won only one gold, three silver, and four bronze medals.
The only gold was delivered by Khiew Hoe Yean in the men's 200m freestyle.
"We know swimming needs to improve, and we have identified areas that we can improve, and one of them is the coaching structure," she added.