KUALA LUMPUR – Bowling legend Datuk Shalin Zulkifli believes that the younger generation of athletes needs to be accountable for their performance.
She said that athletes should show accountability as they receive the benefits and rewards for their sporting endeavours.
Shalin, who is the head of the Malaysian Athletes Career and Education Secretariat at the National Sports Council, said the benefits athletes receive are due to the hard work done by the previous generation.
The athletes should know that if their performances are not up to par, then those benefits and rewards can be taken away.
“We have undergone many changes in sports over time. In the 70s, times were tough but it was from that era and tough times that qualities like grit and a never-say-die attitude were born.
“To change your family’s economic state, you needed to work hard. The progress you see today in terms of the benefits and rewards athletes receive was because of the efforts of my seniors.
“But if the younger generation does not produce results that justify the benefits and rewards, it should be taken away,” said the four-time Asian Games gold medallist at the Asian Sports Summit yesterday.
Shalin added that the fans would not mind seeing them lose as long as they gave their 120% effort. The fans can tell from an athlete’s body language if they have given their all.
As winning and losing are part and parcel of sports, Shalin added that sometimes an athlete will have their highs and lows, but they should always have the right attitude, which is to succeed and do what it takes to excel.
“Even though times have changed, the essence of an athlete’s need to excel should always be there. Athletes should be giving their earnest effort and showing grit and determination to succeed.
“Having a sense of patriotism is also important; in the past, bringing glory to the nation was all it took for athletes to give their best effort because they did not receive the kind of benefits the athletes of today get.
“We want athletes to get these benefits for their social security but they cannot be complacent.
“They should want to work harder after receiving all the benefits,” said the three-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Shalin said one way to combat this sense of complacency is by making sure the benefits are being distributed based on merit.
“You can see the new Athletes Contract Services Scheme is only starting with those in the Podium Programme.
“This is because to be a Podium athlete, you need to be the cream of the crop, so the backup athlete who wants to enjoy the same benefits needs to fight their way to the top.
“This also eliminates any sense of entitlement, as some of the new athletes coming up will ask, ‘What will I get if I become a national athlete?’ instead of those in the past who focused more on how they can bring glory to the country,” said the two-time world champion. – January 20, 2024