KUALA LUMPUR: Despite not being a clear-cut choice for inclusion, there is a slim possibility that national diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises could be included in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the RTG committee will discuss Rhodict's situation when they meet later this month.
Rhodict, 19, currently does not meet the criteria for inclusion in the RTG programme. He is, however, the only Malaysian diver that qualified for the Paris Olympics.
"There are two (main) criteria for inclusion in the RTG programme. The first is that the athlete must be ranked in the top-10 in the world and the second is that the athlete is a former Olympic medallist," said Yeoh yesterday.
"The first step, however, is that the athlete must qualify for the Olympics. Although Rhodict is not currently in the RTG programme, he is part of the Podium programme. All Podium programme athletes will also be given full support to prepare for Paris.
"Nevertheless, we will discuss (Rhodict) in the RTG meeting later this month."
Rhodict secured early qualification to Paris in the men's 10m platform individual event at the Fukuoka World Championships last year.
The national squad, comprising 13 divers, had a disappointing outing at the Doha World Aquatics Championships earlier this month which doubled up as an Olympic qualifier. It was their last chance to qualify for Paris.
RTG is an elite athlete preparation programme intended to provide cream-of-the-crop athletes the additional support they need to challenge for gold in Paris, LA2028 and other major international competitions.
In addition to extra sport science support, competition exposure and coaching, athletes under the RTG programme also receive an additional allowance of RM3,000 a month.