AUGUST 8 — One of the key misunderstandings in our sports is to assume the errors — to evolve our sporting culture, resources and organisation structures — are everyone’s except the rakyat.
Unpopular opinion? Most certainly but not an ounce untrue.
The Paris Olympics goes down the final stretch with four days left and major nations slug it out at the top of the medal counts.
Minor nations like Malaysia, at the other end of the count, typically turn up the heat in the media and not in the ring, to ask for resignations. Top of the chopping block are personalities like Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and OCM (Olympic Council of Malaysia) President Norza Zakaria.
Let’s posit this here, to revisit. Australia — population 26 million — will have at the end of August 8, 18 gold medals (41 medals in total) to occupy third spot in the medal tally. They already exceeded their 2020 Tokyo gold haul and days still remain. They may hit 25 golds.
Memories of Mexico City in Paris
In Paris, our sole track and field athlete Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi finished last in his heat, clocking 10.45 seconds. Fifty-six years ago, our representative Mani Jegathesan ran 10.35 seconds over the same distance at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Tenth of a second faster half a century ago.
To improve context, the winner in 1968 was American Jim Hines in 9.95 seconds. This week, American Noah Lyles won with 9.79, more than a tenth of a second faster 50 years later.
The gulf in performance, or rather the opposite directions the two nations are moving compels discussion.
Compare apples and apples. There is no expectation for Malaysians — or South-east Asians — to win the Olympic sprint in the conceivable future. However, there is expectation for results to move forward, not regress.
Muhammad Azeem is not the centre of Malaysia’s track and field malaise but he is an example of how far the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) has slipped. The MAF is representative of the overall drop across Malaysian sports diligently executed since the early 1980s.
The steady erosion, to the point Malaysia from being the dominant track and field squad in SEA Games is an also-ran presently. In SEA Games 2023 Cambodia, Malaysia yielded five golds out of 44 possible. Thirty years before at Singapore 1993, Malaysia took 14 of the 44 track and field golds and topped the tally.
These determined falls are not one offs.
Ball no ball, still losing
The same story is all over the Malaysian sports fraternity. Steady declines.
And the faux pas by those on top, such as Hannah Yeoh wooing to be Thai shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsam’s fangirl — who incidentally ended our own Lee Zii Jia’s gold ambitions — and Norza defending his family’s presence at the Olympics Village as part of his personal quota, bring attention to smaller sins.
The true horror of Malaysian sports is that so many have failed to do the minimum, let alone sustain the better days of the 1960s and 1970s.
We have to own the mess. Otherwise, nothing changes. First thing to overcome problems is to admit them, and the second pivotal thing is to own the mistakes.
Norza is reported to let go his BAM (Badminton Association of Malaysia) leadership post, though he still sits over badminton as OCM chief. Yeoh’s seat is the prime minister’s prerogative.
There will still be non-sports persons heading the OCM or ministry. It will remain the blind leading the blind.
Remember, Norza wanted to leave BAM last year and the minister asked him to stay.
Why do sports associations want politicians or government backed millionaires to head them? That is the better question. BAM eyes Miti Minister Zafrul Aziz to replace Norza.
The mad, mad love for members of the feudal elite to head our sports associations even if they do absolutely no actual executive work is with foundation. They head those associations because of two things, funds — from government and private sector— are possible when the connected person is on top and the over-bureaucratic make-up of Malaysian power demands an equally powerful person to lobby for action.
The ugly truth, our sports associations do not have enough community support or participation. They’ve given up on themselves as a collective and resigned to hope the next chairman will give more to them. From ministries, then schools through to local councils, the associations cannot demand.
How many sports facilities did your local council build by contracting those with no sports knowledge? Are those facilities well maintained with adequate resources together with access guaranteed and promotions ongoing with sporting communities?
Other than creating sports schools, how rigorous and comprehensive are our schools and colleges sports programmes and competitions?
All sports must thrive at the grassroots. When they do, the sport can grow organically rather than rely on the excellence of few competitors.
Here’s where the rakyat became complicit.
There is low level of interaction and engagement from Malaysians in either playing the sports themselves actively or developing/promoting/training sports across age groups and areas or volunteering into the sports associations.
The associations reflect the people. They are registered entities in Malaysia. They need Malaysians to drive them forward. Unless Malaysians want to contribute, they should not protest too much.
Be a better country
Look at the Olympic medal tally and the link between national prosperity and sporting prowess is plain to see.
Malaysia is similarly prosperous yet the results do not match the level of the country’s development.
The idea remains, the population of vibrant thriving democracies have more time to pursue sports from school to old age, avenues and access to sports at all levels and higher technical, tactical and academic teaching of sports.
The medals suitably follow the rationale adopted.
Australia has the wealth but not the population and seems to be proof that a widespread sporting culture along with an attitude to compete generates an exceptional number of sportsmen per thousand citizens.
Enough and competent athletes to mount challenges from skateboarding to shooting in the low-brow section, and swimming and track and field in the blue-riband end.
So, when asked how to judge a nation’s overall progress, its sporting performances are excellent indicators.
From our perspective, where we sit the solution is direct.
Changing politics and business patrons for the sports associations will always be a coin toss. What must change to yield sporting success is more Malaysians involving themselves in grassroots support, demanding using their platforms for more access and better facilities.
When the sports associations and their respective communities are stronger, the overreliance on personalities — ceremonial bosses — taper off.
The biggest enemy of Malaysian sports is a lack of inertia across the land.
The people must act, not wait and expect. Not enough of that transpires.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
