KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — The National Sports Council (NSC) has adopted a new approach by setting gold medal targets as the key performance indicator (KPI) for Malaysian contingents and athletes at major multi-sport Games.

NSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin said the approach is aimed at providing clear targets for contingents and athletes, particularly as Malaysia prepares to host the SEA Games next year.

“The NSC Board of Management, under the leadership of Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari, held extensive discussions at its previous board meeting on the method and approach for setting medal targets.

“The Board of Management has decided that, this time, in view of the SEA Games next year, we will set a gold medal target so that a clear KPI can be given to the contingent and athletes on the objectives they are expected to achieve,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference after the Jalur Gemilang presentation ceremony for the Malaysian contingent to the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games at the NSC headquarters in Bukit Jalil here today.

Earlier at the same press conference, Malaysia’s Chef de Mission (CDM) to Glasgow 2026, Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz, announced a target of five gold, two silver and four bronze medals for the quadrennial Games.

For the record, the Malaysian contingent to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games adopted a different approach by not setting medal targets based on colour, instead aiming for a total haul of 27 medals, with the same approach subsequently used at several other multi-sport Games.

Meanwhile, Jefri stressed that Glasgow 2026, which runs from July 23 to August 2, remains a key focus for the national contingent despite preparations for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September also being given priority.

He said the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and SEA Games each play an important role in the country’s overall high-performance sports development programme and are accorded the attention they deserve.

According to Jefri, the appointment of Awalan, who is also president of the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation (PLBM), as Malaysia’s CDM for Glasgow 2026 reflects the seriousness in ensuring the contingent’s preparations are properly managed.

“If we did not regard it as important, we would not appoint a capable president (of a national sports association) to lead the contingent. That is why we consider every one of these multi-sport Games to be extremely important for the country,” he said.

A total of 59 Malaysian athletes, including 22 para athletes, will compete in eight of the 10 sports featured at the Glasgow Games, including swimming, track cycling, athletics, weightlifting and lawn bowls, as well as the six para sports contested in an integrated programme. — Bernama