SPORTS today is a vital component for socio-economic development of a nation. It has repeatedly proven that it has no barriers - it cuts through race, creed and colour.
At the stroke of midnight August 31, 1957, this nation was born on a sporting ground. Malaysia’s independence was achieved at the Selangor Club Padang, now known as Dataran Merdeka.
Later that morning at the Merdeka Stadium the proclamation of independence was read by Malaysia’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, a passionate sports fan particularly football.
Tunku became the Football Association of Malaysia president and later headed the Asian Football Confederation. The Merdeka football tournament which was initiated as part of the Merdeka celebration, was the brainchild of Tunku which soon became one of the most prestigious in Asia. If only Malaysians then had known that this was going to be as good as it got for our country’s sporting scene.
The big question now is what ails Malaysian sports? Why has our growth stunted? There are numerous factors but a few key ones to ponder over are as follows:
Firstly, there is lack of youth development programmes throughout the country. In order for a youth development programme to be effective, its outreach must be sizable enough to coax young individuals throughout the country to attend. This would require a substantial number of trainers and personnel to create a structure that will support its development.
Performance in sports has always been measured by results. This is a true indicator as to whether steps taken are in the right direction. This framework is monitored by the country’s sports associations who are overseen by the government.
That said, the support from the government such as the allocation of funds and resources can be vastly improved. Governance must be refined and clearly there is insufficeint strategic planning at a national level.
Last but not least, young talent face a major issue from their own family. Parents today are reluctant to encourage their children from pursuing a career in sports because of the stigma that has plagued the nation for the past 30 years - that the sports system in the country is racist.
This notion must cease for Malaysia to harvest the best talents to take the nation to greater heights.
As times change so should practices, Malaysia is a country whose potential has not been fully explored.
This can be rectified with more effort, care and concern from the people who are in power to make decisions in favour of the country’s advancement in sports.
The right people must be in place to see that sports advancement in Malaysia comes to fruition and if done in haste, this nation may very well never be taken seriously in the sporting world. - The Vibes. August 30, 2021
