KUALA LUMPUR — Echoing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous line “I’ll be back” from The Terminator, former national diver Wendy Ng has assured Malaysian sports fans of her eventual return after honing her coaching skills overseas.
The Olympian, who has achieved multiple podium finishes at international diving events, including the Asian Games, recently made headlines after joining Singapore Aquatics as its new talent development coach.
Wendy, 31, retired last year and briefly served in the Federal Territories’ coaching setup.
Speaking to Scoop while in town to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family, she said, “My loyalty lies with Malaysia. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
Explaining her decision to take up the coaching role in neighbouring Singapore, Wendy said, “After retiring, I had a brief and smaller coaching role, but I felt it wasn’t enough. I want to gain further knowledge and experience.
“The good thing is, I will return after gaining all of this.”
Wendy’s remarks come in the wake of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh expressing concern over the increasing trend of former national athletes being “lured” abroad for their expertise.
Referring to Wendy’s move earlier this month, Hannah acknowledged that the issue could be linked to the uncompetitive salary schemes for local coaches in Malaysia.
The minister has since called for corporate support to improve incentives and retain coaching talent within the country.
Separately, Wendy shared her plans for Chinese New Year, traditionally celebrated at her grandmother’s home in Ipoh.
“Since my grandmother has moved to KL, we’ll be celebrating the New Year here. I’m grateful to my company for supporting me and covering the expenses for me to return home,” noted Wendy, who signed a two-year contract with Singapore Aquatics, with the option to extend. — January 28, 2025