KUANTAN, Feb 13 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh will hold a meeting with the national diving squad soon to further understand the internal turmoil that has been affecting the team, resulting in the athletes’ performance to be affected at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, last week.
National diving queen Datuk Pandelela Rinong revealed to the media yesterday that there have been “issues” within the national diving squad, leading to the failure of the team to secure a slot for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“I will meet with them (the national divers) soon, and listen to everything from them. But as I have mentioned before, we are currently in the process of reforming our sports ecosystem,” she told reporters here today.
She was met after attending the Handover Ceremony of the Synthetic Track at Darul Makmur Stadium here, which was also attended by Pahang Communications & Multimedia, Youth, Sports and Non-Governmental Organisations Committee chairman, Fadzli Mohamad Kamal.
Pandelela failed to qualify for the synchronised 10-metre platform event alongside her partner Nur Dhabitah Sabri after finishing the final in 12th place out of 16 diving pairs. Only the four top pairs qualify for the Paris Olympics.
On Monday, the athlete in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme apologised for failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics after being eliminated in the qualification round in Doha in the individual 10m platform event.
Meanwhile, Hannah said the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) has implemented various reforms, including providing contributions to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for all athletes, and coaches have also received salary increases.
“... there is still room for improvement, and we will continue to carry out this (reform) programme throughout the year to listen to the targeted groups, including athletes, coaches, and the National Sports Council (MSN), because each has their justifications for why things are done in a certain way, but we will listen,” she said.
Regarding athletes under the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, Hannah said the government has provided all the necessities, including financial resources, to eligible athletes.
“Anyone competing has the chance to win or lose... qualify (for the Olympics) first. That process is still ongoing, including for badminton... qualify first and then do your best and be serious,” she said.
Hannah also informed that KBS has held discussions with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to reduce electricity payment costs for sports facilities nationwide.
To encourage seniors to remain active in sports, she said MSN has been mandated to organise open tournaments for all age categories, including for the veteran group. — Bernama
