It was a project that was two years in the making, featuring two familiar faces in Malaysian journalism.
Seasoned sports journalists Rizal Hashim and Haresh Deol have joined forces again in a new podcast called ‘Julang’ (to lift, raise, or elevate in English). The first episode of the primarily sports-themed podcast was aired on YouTube on Oct 30, and it has been a weekly affair since. Snippets of the conversations are posted on Instagram, X, Facebook, and Spotify.
This podcast is produced by Sportswork Group, and popular music producer Zarimi Zahari, better known as Zimi.
Rizal has clocked in his years with Berita Harian and The Malay Mail, having been the critical voice of sports since he started journalism in 1991. He was also a Ballon d’Or juror from 2010 to 2021, was named journalist of the year in the 2014 Sports Writers’ Association of Malaysia (SAM) Awards, and was a winner of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) award in 2005.
Haresh, a multi-award-winning journalist who has won two MPI and seven SAM awards, is the editor of Twentytwo13. He is also part of the UK’s The Guardian worldwide panel – consisting of former players and active journalists – to select the world’s top 100 footballers this year. This is his seventh stint, having been part of the panel in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
“Having enjoyed greater liberties in expressing my views those days, ‘Julang’ offers me an opportunity to reinvent myself as a podcaster while being mindful of the way content is being consumed today,” said Rizal.
Haresh added: “Rizal and I go a long way back. He was my senior during my early days in journalism, and later on, we featured quite regularly on several television shows. Pairing up with Rizal was only natural.
“The idea is to spark conversations, real conversations about sports. But it doesn’t mean that we will stop at that, as other topics, like politics, the economy, and health, are also intertwined with sports. It’s about looking at the bigger picture and listening to the comments of our viewers and listeners,” Haresh added.
Sportswork Group co-founder Nur Jasni Mohamed said ‘Julang’ is a celebration of sport and entertainment’s community spirit.
“We intend to connect, inspire, and engage audiences through dynamic, authentic, and community-driven content. In short, real stories by the people, for the people,” said Nur Jasni.
“The dynamic chemistry between Rizal and Haresh helps deliver a fresh mix of experience and knowledge in sport … less opinion, and more fact-based discussions on issues of the day that’s relevant to the public.”
Julang’s upcoming episode will be aired live on Jan 8. To be part of the conversation, catch ‘Julang’ on YouTube and across social media platforms such as X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Spotify (@Julangpodcast).
