KUALA LUMPUR: Former World Masters Championships gold medallist Cindy Ong said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the Sports Ministry's decision to introduce a new multi-sport domestic games for athletes over the age of 40.
The new competition, announced by Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh last week, is expected to be launched later this year.
Cindy said the new event, which has yet to be named, is a positive step forward for Malaysian sports.
"I'm pleasantly surprised. I didn't think that masters sports mattered to the authorities," said Cindy when contacted recently.
"It was just a few years ago when I was told (by Malaysian sports body) I couldn't even carry a Malaysian flag when competing overseas at the world championships as masters swimming is not a recognised sport and is considered a hobby.
"To go from that to hosting a national-level competition is significant progress."
Cindy said she is keen to compete in the competition herself if swimming is included.
The 40-year-old disclosed that she had faced numerous challenges when representing Malaysia in international masters competitions in the past but persisted.
She made her own arrangements to compete and was largely self-funded when she won five gold and two silver medals at the 2019 Gwangju World Masters Championships.