KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Olympians Association president Noraseela Mohd Khalid is calling on the government to put its money where its mouth is during the tabling of the Budget 2022 tomorrow in the Dewan Rakyat.
Although she applauded the successful organisation of sporting events and rebranding of sports programmes in the past, the government has yet to achieve the desired results, particularly in winning gold medals in the Olympic Games.
“Why don’t we, as a high-performing sports nation, follow the four-year Olympic Games, where we effectively prepare athletes to win the targeted gold medals?
“The government has been pumping in a lot of money over the years but we are still not seeing the desired results,” she said.
“Although there is talk of funds being allocated into visionary sporting programmes, such as Visi Sukan Negara 2030 and Negara Bersukan, what is our aim exactly?
“Are we really investing or allocating these resources effectively into certain sports?”
The four-time 400m SEA Games gold medallist said sports should instead be given the same importance as education – sports should be a passing requirement in schools and not just an extracurricular activity.
“In my opinion, education and sports compliment each other.
“If our system does not encourage the younger generation of students to excel in sports during their primary, secondary, and tertiary education, we will not have (high-performing) athletes.”
She said the relevant ministries should provide more opportunities for students and value the educators, coaches and trainers, who help nurture students to achieve their fullest potential.
“Instead of developing sports from top to bottom, we should focus on development from the bottom up,” said Noraseela, adding that sports should be a lifestyle.
She shared the same sentiment as former Malaysian Olympic Council president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar in his recent interview with The Vibes.
He had said that the Education Ministry should play a greater role in promoting sports among students as they spend most of their time in school.
“Greater focus should be given towards elementary, primary and secondary schools because we need to establish a sporting culture in the community, not just for national representation.” – The Vibes, October 28, 2021
