HANGZHOU – Following Malaysia’s success in exceeding their 27-medal target, the Youth and Sports Ministry, through the National Sports Council, will focus on further strengthening the performances of medallists at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Its minister, Hannah Yeoh, congratulated the national contingent and said that the ministry would conduct a comprehensive study on the accomplishments of all athletes competing in the Asian Games to determine how they can be assisted to improve their performances.
“This will include assistance such as financial resources to ensure more consistent performance.
“We do not want them to just win once and then fail. We want them to continue to improve and excel, for example, moving from bronze to silver, silver to gold while defending the gold.
“The performances at these Asian Games will be studied jointly with the Nippon Sports Science University in Japan, with whom we have signed a memorandum of understanding.
“I will first meet with the athletes to hear what problems need to be overcome, just as I did at the Cambodia SEA Games last May,” she told reporters last night.
Earlier, Hannah met the national squash team, which excelled with a haul of three golds, one silver, and one bronze.
Hannah said that athletes who demonstrated potential to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics would be evaluated for possible inclusion in the Road to Gold programme, while overseas training for sports not included in the Olympics programme would be considered.
The Malaysian contingent has collected five golds, six silvers, and 17 bronzes, for a total of 28 medals so far.
Meanwhile, Malaysian chef de mission Datuk Chong Kim Fatt is confident that the national contingent has the potential to win more medals before the competition concludes on Sunday.
“I am delighted and congratulate everyone for achieving their goals and dreams. This is a joint effort by all stakeholders, such as athletes, sports federations, the National Sports Council, the National Sports Institute, and the Malaysian Olympic Council.
“The spirit of the athletes is still burning. We will fight until the last day to win more medals for our country,” he said.
Malaysia will continue its challenge in equestrian, badminton, jiu-jitsu, sepak takraw, rhythmic gymnastics, and karate today. – October 6, 2023