The Malaysian contingent, represented by 104 athletes, returned from the just-concluded Commonwealth Games with seven gold, eight silver, and eight bronze medals.
It was one gold medal more than the six-gold target set prior to the team’s trip to Birmingham.
Pockets of successes were recorded, with some disappointments along the way. Much has been said and written about the highs and lows in Birmingham.
It must be pointed out that any judgment related to an athlete’s performance must take into account his or her performance throughout the season, and not just at the Commonwealth Games alone. Athletes head to such Games to give their best. Stakeholders must find out why some made it, while others didn’t.
There were several surprises in the form of our table tennis mixed doubles players, Choong Javen-Karen Lyne, and the women’s team, comprising Ho Ying, Tee Ai Xin, Karen Lyne, and Alice Chang, who picked up two silver medals. The squash players deserve a pat on their backs, while judo exponent Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed, made the fraternity proud with his bronze medal effort.
Malaysia’s calm and collected powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin showed that he was a class above the rest by picking up the gold medal, while Ng Joe Ee, proved to be the darling of the contingent after bagging two medals in rhythmic gymnastics (ball and ribbon events).
Shuttler Ng Tze Yong stepped up to win silver in the men’s singles final, while Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah outclassed their opponents and cruised to the final, winning the gold in the badminton women’s doubles event in style.
There are those who are hesitant to speak their minds, for fear of the cancel culture or backlash, for ‘criticising’ the contingent’s performance at the Games. The definition of criticism also seems vague these days. What is crystal clear is that there were failures, and that lessons can be learnt from these disappointments.
The fact is, Malaysia remains stagnant in its quest to create an impact on the world sporting stage.
Malaysia’s best-ever medal haul was recorded at the 2010 New Delhi edition – 12 gold, 10 silver, and 14 bronze medals. The next best outing was registered in 1998, when Kuala Lumpur played host. The contingent obtained 10 gold, 13 silver, and 12 bronze medals.
Malaysia, with a population of 32.37 million, still struggles to garner 10 gold medals or more, consistently at the Commonwealth Games, and is still searching for that elusive gold medal at the Olympics. The reason: a lack of direction, attention, and investment, especially at the grassroots.
This observation was also made by the Olympic Council of Malaysia president, Tan Sri Norza Zakaria.
Norza pointed out that the Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) and Malaysia Swimming (MS), require a new blueprint, “or else, their sport will be stuck in a time warp”. Instead of feeling slighted, officials from these two organisations must take the cue from what was said. After all, athletics and aquatics contribute to the bulk of the medals in multi-sports Games – from the SEA Games to the Olympics.
Norza, who is the BA of Malaysia president, also touched on grassroots.
“My point is that the value chain needs to ensure progression. We need to be certain that the ‘pipe’ (providing talents) will not drain out. Right now, the pipe is shrinking. We need to fill the pipe through grassroots development and get more players involved.
“How do you compete in aquatics with China when it (the Republic) has many athletes? We need to build the right way forward.”
What Norza said is neither new, nor rocket science. The stakeholders in the country should have taken a deep interest in grassroots sports many moons ago, to ensure that the nation possessed a strong foundation of talents, and to cultivate the sporting lifestyle among the young.
While Malaysia boasts world-class divers in the form of Datuk Pandelela Rinong Pamg and Nur Dhabitah Sabri, no young girls will be diving in the upcoming Malaysia Games due to the lack of entries.
And while there is this illusion (evident in cyberspace, at least) that Malaysians are passionate about sports, the country continues to register high numbers of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The lack of a healthy lifestyle and poor eating habits are the main causes of NCDs.
In April, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that Malaysia was probably the worst nation in Southeast Asia, in terms of the health of its citizens.
Australia continues to dominate the Commonwealth Games, this time with 67 gold medals and with a total medal tally of 178. A nation with 25.69 million people, Australians embrace sports, calling it a “way of life” and a “means of expression”.
Despite a population of 1.38 billion, India only managed 22 gold medals and a total of 61 medals in Birmingham. In 2016, the BBC quoted the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as saying that the government “has not always done enough to support its athletes”, adding “there is more to India’s sorry performance than just a shortage of cash or organisation”.
IOA chief Narayana Ramachandran said sports is rarely at the top of anyone’s agenda – and that includes athletes and their families.
The same can be said about Malaysia, where many tend to jump on the bandwagon when an athlete delivers, but often avoid conversations related to funding, facilities, the sports industry, and the welfare of athletes.
There need to be serious discussions and actionable plans to beef up the sports ecosystem, from grassroots, to the top, instead of just reviewing the performance of the Malaysian contingent each time they return from a major sporting event.
Some are easily excited just surpassing passive targets. Strings of excuses and justifications are formulated, painting a rosy picture, that all is well in Malaysian sports. But it is not, especially when its athletes and the country have so much more to offer.
Malaysia has talents who are world beaters. Don’t insult their true capabilities by romanticising mediocrity.
Malaysia’s medal winners at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games
Gold (7)
Badminton
Mixed team event: Chan Peng Soon, Aaron Chia, Ng Tze Yong, Soh Wooi Yik, Tan Kian Meng, Cheah Yee See, Goh Jin Wei, Lai Pei Jing, Pearly Tan, M. Thinaah
Women’s doubles: Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah
Para powerlifting
Men’s lightweight: Bonnie Bunyau Gustin
Rhythmic gymnastics
Ball: Ng Joe Ee
Ribbon: Ng Joe Ee
Weightlifting
Men’s under-55kg: Aniq Kasdan
Men’s under-61kg: Aznil Bidin
Silver (8)
Badminton
Men’s singles: Ng Tze Yong
Diving
Women’s 3m springboard individual: Nur Dhabitah Sabri
Women’s 3m springboard synchronised: Nur Dhabitah Sabri, Wendy Ng
Men’s 3m springboard synchronised: Syafiq Puteh, Gabriel Gilbert Daim
Lawn bowls
Women’s triples: Azlina Arshad, Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman, Nur Ain Nabilah Tarmizi
Table tennis
Mixed doubles: Choong Javen, Karen Lyne
Women’s team: Ho Ying, Tee Ai Xin, Karen Lyne, Alice Chang
Weightlifting
Men’s Under-73kg: Erry Hidayat
Bronze (8)
Badminton
Men’s doubles: Aaron Chia, Soh Wooi Yik
Mixed doubles: Tan Kian Meng, Lai Pei Jing
Diving
3m springboard mixed synchronised: Syafiq Puteh, Nur Dhabitah Sabri
Judo
Men’s Under-73kg: Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed
Lawn Bowls
Women’s singles: Siti Zalina Ahmad
Rhythmic gymnastics
Women’s clubs: Izzah Amzan
Squash
Women’s doubles: Rachel Arnold, Aifa Azman
Track cycling
Men’s keirin: Shah Firdaus Sahrom
