PUTRAJAYA, July 4 — Newly minted Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman says he will be making an announcement on the medal target for the national contingent at the Asian Games in Indonesia scheduled to take place this August.
He said he would hold talks with athletes, officials and other related parties including national sports associations, the National Sports Council, the National Sports Institute, and the Olympic Council of Malaysia to set a realistic target for the Games.
“The target for the Asian Games is already there, but we have to review it. At the same time, we have to take care of the athletes’ welfare..we do not want to pressure them to a level that their welfare is compromised,” he said during a press conference after the briefing and handing-over of duties ceremony at the ministry’s headquarters here, yesterday.
Meanwhile, former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he was prepared to take responsibility if the country’s targets at the 2018 Asian Games were not met.
Previously, the ministry had targeted a top-10 finish at the Games, but no gold medal target was specified.
In the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, Malaysia finished in 14th place, winning five gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals, while the country’s best achievement to date was in the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, China (9 Gold, 18 Silver, 14 Bronze). — Bernama
