Prior to the SEA Games in Hanoi, Malaysia set a target of 36 gold medals. The target raised eyebrows.
Many had expected more from a country that still harps about winning 144 gold medals at home in the 2017 edition. At the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, the Malaysian contingent took home 55 gold medals.
Malaysia ended its campaign in Hanoi with 39 gold medals, and placed sixth in the medal tally. To the stakeholders, nailing the additional three gold medals was a win. To the many Malaysians out there, it was simply unacceptable.
For the record, Malaysia was represented by 584 athletes – 359 men and 225 women. Sixty-two per cent (367) of the athletes were first-timers at the regional Games, while 34 per cent (119) were below the age of 21.
Fifteen gold medals came from the SEA Games debutants while nine gold medals were thanks to the young (below 21) athletes.
There were certainly pockets of success and the winners should be given the push to soar.
Officials these days seem to fear releasing medal targets. Singapore, for example, did not reveal its target prior to the SEA Games. In some instances, officials put a low target to manage expectations, – under-promising, and claiming that they had over-delivered, if more medals were won.
There is also this new trend of “romanticising” failures. And people are spending more time debating and defining what “failure” means, instead of using that energy on more constructive pursuits – like actually winning.
So what exactly happened in Hanoi?
The excuses
The National Sports Council (NSC) listed several factors that contributed to the low gold medal haul. For starters, 22 sports, including squash, sailing, and lawn bowls, were not contested in Hanoi.
This further strengthens the argument that the SEA Games is merely a “friendship” Games, as the list of events often favours the host nation. This was evident in Malaysia’s unbelievable haul of 144 gold medals in the 2017 Games. Malaysia was outgunned in the subsequent editions.
NSC also said it didn’t have information about the other athletes in the region, mainly due to the fact that many tournaments had been cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19.
Covid-19 not only disrupted the sporting calendar worldwide, but also resulted in budget cuts. The political instability following the fall of Pakatan Harapan in 2020 had also impacted the running of sports in the country to some degree.
Many initiatives were left hanging, most notably the National Sports Vision 2030 and the setting up of the Sport Satellite Account. These initiatives would help further promote the sports agenda in the country, with the end game of ensuring Malaysians embraced sports, and created economic opportunities from it. This would mean monetising sports and ensuring athletes are able to stand on their own two feet, instead of relying solely on government funds.
Today, we are still seeing athletes who are without the services of dedicated coaches, and are at the mercy of sports associations who do not seem to have a clear, well-defined programme to push them forward. The recent outbursts by high jumper Nauraj Singh and former high jumper Lee Hup Wei show that athletics in Malaysia still has a long way to go.
F for fail, football
The NSC zeroed in on the sports that failed at the Hanoi SEA Games. Football, futsal, and swimming were among the sports that made the unenviable cut. Much attention is often placed on Malaysian football due to its popularity, but results-wise, the sport continues to struggle at the regional Games.
Ironically, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, earlier this year, had allocated RM10 million to the FA of Malaysia for the development of local football. Either Ismail Sabri was ill-advised, or he simply wanted to bank on football’s popularity. Truth be told, the allocation could have been put to better use on performing sports that are able to make a bigger impact on the world stage.
Among the sports that made the “excellent” list were athletics (yes, you read that right), diving, badminton, Muay Thai, and snooker. Our divers and shuttlers are world-class. Muay Thai and snooker, on the other hand, are only remembered when they win at the SEA Games. For the record, the cue artists still don’t have a permanent training ground.
Athletics delivered five gold medals, thanks to discus thrower Irfan Shamsuddin, triple jumper Andre Anura Anuar, hammer throwers Jackie Wong Siew Cheer and Grace Wong Xiu Mei, and sprinter-turned-pole vaulter Nor Sarah Adi.
The Malaysian Athletics Federation must ask itself, where the walkers and runners are.
Only one SEA Games record, eight national records broken
Winning medals is the barometer of a team’s success. So are breaking records.
From the 584 athletes, only one broke the SEA Games record.
Nurul Syasya Nadiah Arifin scored 239.3 points to break the SEA Games 10m women’s air pistol record of 234.8 points.
Eight other athletes broke national records. They were:
Swimming
4x200m freestyle – Khiew Hoe Yean, Lim Yi Chuen, Arvin Shaun, Welsom Sim.
New record: 7:17.75s
Old record: 7:26.74s.
1,500m freestyle – Goh Chia Tong.
New record: 17:07.64s
Old record: 17:17.92s
50m freestyle – Bryan Leong.
New record: 23.09s
Old record: 23.10s
Weightlifting
50kg – Muhammad Aniq Kasdan.
New record: 252kg
Old record: 249kg
73kg – Muhammad Erry Hidayat.
New record: 315kg
Old record: 312kg
Athletics
4x100m relay – Muhammad Haiqal Hanafi, Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, Zulfiqar Ismail, Arsyad Saad.
New record: 39.09s
Old record: 39.27s
Discus – Queenie Ting Ku Ni.
New record: 52.76m
Old record: 50.67m
Hepthatlon – Norliayana Kamaruddin.
New record: 5,262 points
Old record: 5,247 points
That’s it.
Rome was not built in a day
The performance of our athletes today is the result of programmes and initiatives carried out years ago. Rome was not built in a day; the same is true in developing athletes.
The number of sports that will be contested at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games remains to be seen. And if the host nation decides to trim down the number of events and host non-Olympic sports, like vovinam and Chinlone, that will further frustrate Malaysia’s chances of clinching medals as athletes in the region will not be able to enhance their skills in a bid to qualify for the Olympics.
Former deputy Youth and Sports minister, Steven Sim, in a statement, lambasted Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu for Malaysia’s worst-ever performance at the SEA Games in 40 years. Sim said the latter should bear the brunt of the responsibility.
Ministers and their deputies come and go. With a general election looming, Ahmad Faizal’s tenure at Wisma KBS will certainly be brief, just like his predecessor, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
The rot in Malaysian sports, generally speaking, started decades ago, when there was a lot of obsessing and fawning at the elite levels, while ignoring the grassroots. Most public schools are ill-equipped with facilities and coaches, offering zero motivation or encouragement for students to pick up and commit to sports.
The club system in the country remains in shambles. In some sports, clubs are still viewed as a threat, because sports associations and other related agencies fear losing control, and by extension, funding.
Also, the insular and “territorial” mindset that seem to be prevalent among officials often see the various stakeholders competing with, instead of complementing, each other.
What’s next?
Preparation for the 2023 SEA Games, scheduled for May 5-16, will start next month. The training programmes will be carried out in two phases – June till December, and January till May, next year.
Medal winners in Hanoi will be selected for the training programme, but it remains to be seen which sports will be contested in Cambodia.
Some of the athletes will also be participating in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, scheduled for July 28-Aug 8. Some 220 athletes are expected to take part in the Games. The final list will be revealed by the selection committee next month.
For some athletes, this will be a build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The conversations, however, should be about major events in the next 10 to 20 years. Athletes need to be identified and developed to ensure continuity.
The planning and execution of those plans must start today. Otherwise, there will be another round of excuses, defensive statements, finger-pointing, and the “romanticising” of failures, as Malaysia continues to trail its neighbours in the region.
Should we tolerate such a performance?
Aside from military power, sports and the economy are the yardsticks by which a country’s might is measured. Yet, allocations for training have been slashed by the government as it often views sports as the least of its priority.
It remains to be seen if we will be in for another “embarrassment” at the Commonwealth Games.
Main image: National Sports Council | Facebook
