KUALA LUMPUR — The Paris Olympics post-mortem is expected to be held next week to discuss the performance of the national contingent and areas of improvement that need to be addressed.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced this in Parliament today in response to questions from Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) and six other MPs about the government’s plans to enhance the national contingent’s performance.
The session will also involve other key stakeholders besides the ministry, including the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), the National Sports Council (NSC), and the National Sports Institute (NSI).
“The post-mortem will include input from the National Sports Science University (NSSU), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Ministry of Economy, as well as representatives from local universities and media associations.
“The results of this review will be used to shape our strategies leading up to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics,” said Hannah.
While Malaysia fell short of the gold medal target set under the “Road to Gold” programme, the contingent did not return empty-handed.
The men’s badminton doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, along with singles player Lee Zii Jia, brought home bronze medals.
Additionally, three national records were broken. Weightlifter Aniq Kasdan shattered the national record when he lifted 130kg in the men’s 61kg category, while track cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri set a new national record in the women’s sprint, clocking 10.709 seconds in the qualifying round.
Meanwhile, veteran cyclist Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, competing in his final Olympics, set a national record in the men’s sprint with a time of 9.402 seconds, surpassing his previous record of 9.523 seconds.
Hannah today also discussed the allocation spent by the government, amounting to RM20.1 million, for athlete preparations, highlighting the contrast with other nations such as India and Great Britain.
“The ministry, through the NSC, spent about RM20.1 million this year in both the RTG (Road to Gold) and Podium programmes for athletes’ qualification and preparation for the Paris Olympics 2024.
“Of this amount, RM13.2 million was allocated specifically for the RTG programme. The RTG account is currently undergoing an audit, and I will report back to Parliament once it is completed.
“This allocation is relatively small compared to other countries; for example, India spent RM235.2 million (US$56 million) and Great Britain RM153 million (US$34.7 million),” she added. – November 7, 2024