KUALA LUMPUR – Minor documentation issues have delayed the arrival of new coaches for Malaysia’s diving team, said Malaysia Swimming diving technical director Bryan Nickson Lomas.
In December, the three-time Olympian outlined plans to bridge the gap between senior and backup divers by securing approval from the National Sports Council (NSC) for the hiring of two coaches dedicated to junior development and one for the elite Podium Programme divers.
Initially slated for finalisation by February, Bryan said the recruitment process had encountered a setback due to unforeseen documentation issues.
“There is a little delay in the arrival of the new coaches as there are minor details regarding their contracts and documentation which is holding up the process.
“The process is ongoing and we have to wait for the NSC but hopefully, everything can be finalised by March or April,” the 33-year-old told Scoop when contacted.
Bryan added that the coaches had undergone an interview process conducted by himself, high-performance director Khairul Safwan Mansur, Malaysia Swimming and the NSC.
“We have interviewed and agreed to hire two coaches from China and one local coach.
“They have undergone a thorough interview process before we agreed to hire them.
“All that is left is for them to put pen to paper but there could be last-minute changes.
“Hopefully that won’t happen and because of that I cannot give out their names yet as we have not received the green light from the NSC,” said Bryan. – February 15, 2024