AUGUST 4 — Nelson Mandela’s famous quote still rings loudly – “Sport has the power to change the world... it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
The recently concluded World Cup and Commonwealth Games stand true to this.
Every four years, the whole world comes to a standstill during the one month of World Cup action, in awe of top football teams from all nooks and corners of the world. Many of the players are national and global football gods to the young and mature.
The likes of Neymar, Messi and Ronaldo have the power to inspire people especially the youth in a unique way; the way only sports and its idols can.
We Malaysians are a sports-‐loving nation.
Hearing the boys talk about the Premier League at the mamak can be funny and scary at the same time, as they get territorial about the teams they support. It’s a shame we are not as inspired by our local Malaysian Football League, which has been in much turmoil over the years.
Most main roads and highways in Malaysia were almost empty on the night of the Thomas Cup final. Even non-‐sport loving Malaysians tuned in to support our shuttlers in search of national glory.
Our boys put up a gritty display for a team that was given a vote of no confidence, but our wait to lift the Thomas Cup again continues.
Malaysia has been suffering a dearth in sporting heroes. In current times, we are lifted time and again by the personalities that have glorified Malaysian sports for many years – top shuttler Lee Chong Wei, squash queen Nicol David and Olympic bronze medallist Pandalela Rinong.
The country has had successes in cycling, shooting, lawn bowling and weightlifting but these are few and far between. Big sports such as football and hockey continue to disappoint and it has left us without heroes we so want to cheer on.
Causes that have led us to this sad state of affairs are three-‐pronged. On one hand, we have a schooling system that over-‐emphasises academic success and has downplayed the importance of physical activities and sports.
This leaves National Sports Associations (NSAs) with a much smaller talent pool to pick from as parents continually pressure kids into academic excellence.
A second factor is deep-‐rooted bias within the selection system in sports that has been rotting over the years. It is a sensitive issue but a glaring one as we have more often than not sent less qualified athletes to represent the country for reasons only known to the NSAs.
Selection processes are not transparent and non-‐performing NSAs are left scott free without having to justify poor performances.
To top it all, is the career path of an athlete. The short time frame of an athlete’s sporting career makes it very challenging to secure sufficient funds before retirement unless they reach the pinnacle of their respective fields. Until the
Ministry of Youth and Sports and NSAs mend this through improved funding and career alternatives for athletes who have passed their prime, there is no incentive for youths to opt for a sporting career. As glamorous as it can be, there is a harsh financial reality once the curtains are down.
Failing to reach our meek 7 gold target at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after a massive12 golds at Delhi 2010 is disappointing and alarming.
The sports landscape in Malaysia needs a major overhaul and this has to be done hand-‐in-‐ hand with development of sports at the grassroot level.
Much is to be gained from a healthy sporting culture.
Apart from national pride and glory, sport has the ability to instil in young minds key attributes of hard work, willpower and discipline in becoming successful individuals.
As Whitney Houston aptly sung, “everybody’s searching for a hero...”.
We are too and we hope the wait is over soon.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
