KUALA LUMPUR – Issues surrounding Cambodia hosting the 2023 SEA Games for the first time have concerned many countries, Malaysia included.
Apart from the hot weather and dusty streets as well as the incomplete sports village, the newly built facilities also troubled some athletes as they might not have been tested before.
Malaysia Swimming secretary-general Mae Chen said her team will be departing to Phnom Penh earlier to prepare for anything necessary, especially to acclimatise the athletes to the newly built springboard at the aquatics centre.
“We are sending them one day earlier (on May 5) because they need to acclimatise to the springboard.
“When the swimming pool was built, the springboard and platform were yet to be used, as Cambodia has no divers.
“So, to prepare the athletes, the coaches will be bringing some tools and equipment to prepare whatever is necessary for the divers,” she said when met yesterday at the 2023 SEA Games flag-handing ceremony at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil here.
Diving has been listed as one of the biggest medal prospects for the SEA Games.
Commenting on the expectation, Mae added the divers would need to be ready for any circumstances.
She cautioned that even with enough preparation before the Games, sometimes what stands in the way of the athletes performing well on the event day is their focus level.
“In diving, we hope to contribute at least three gold medals, but of course, our female divers are SEA Games first-timers.
“They are very young, whereas some countries like Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines have enlisted their senior divers.
“Sometimes, it is not just about adequate training but also their last-minute mental readiness when they are on the springboard or the platform when the whole stadium is looking at them.
“I hope our young divers and swimmers can maintain their composure and do their best.
“Anything can happen when they stand on the starting block.
“It all boils down to their focus on that day.” – The Vibes, May 1, 2023
