KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia Aquatics (MA) is on the lookout for coaches for its Fast Track Programme for young athletes.
The programme is aimed at identifying and nurturing divers under the age of 11 for full-time training at the National Aquatics Centre in Bukit Jalil.
Speaking to Scoop, MA diving technical director Bryan Nickson Lomas said they need specific coaches for the newly set up programme.
“We are in the process of looking for two coaches, one foreign and one local.
“The local coach must be an ex-athlete with more than three years of experience, while the foreign coach should possess the ability to harness the skills of the youngsters and have prior experience leading a junior team,” said Bryan when contacted.
Previously, he said the lack of coaches was a major factor contributing to the significant gap in quality between the senior and backup squads.
To address the issue, the National Sports Council (NSC) approved the hiring of three coaches – one for the elite podium programme and two for the backup squad.
However, the three-time Olympian said that the coaches selected for the Fast Track Programme will exclusively focus on developing the young athletes and will not be involved in the backup or senior squad.
“We haven’t decided when to finalise the search for coaches.
“I will discuss this with high-performance director Khairul Safwan Mansur, but I believe we will try to finalise things before Aidilfitri in April,” said the 33-year-old.
Additionally, Bryan outlined plans to commence talent scouting for the fast-track initiative post-Eid.
This collaborative effort involving MA, NSC, and the National Sports Institute will entail nationwide talent identification.
Bryan added that potential candidates may include talent transfers from other sports, some starting from scratch, as well as athletes from state teams.
The fast track young athletes initiative is one of five components included in the diving sports recovery plan approved at the Diving Sports Working Committee Meeting last Thursday.
This move follows a disastrous campaign at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha last month, where the likes of Datuk Pandelela Rinong, Nur Dhabitah Sabri and Ng Yan Yee failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
Bertrand Rhodict Lises will be Malaysia’s sole diving representative in Paris. – March 5, 2024