KUALA LUMPUR – The Road to Gold (RTG) committee is looking to emulate the blueprint of Nippon Sports Science University (NSSU) in Tokyo and Yokohama in a bid to secure Malaysia’s first Olympic gold medal.
RTG committee co-chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, who returned from his visit to the institution this morning, said the visit proved fruitful as they took the chance to learn and take a closer look at the country’s equipment and athlete support system.
“We visited NSSU and the Japan Sports Council because we wanted to find the right template for RTG through how other countries are doing, especially as Japan has proven its template a successful one and produced 41 Olympic gold medallists.
“While we do that, (RTG coordinator) Stuart Ramalingam and his team will conduct focused engagement with our athletes and talk (to understand what sort of additional assistance they need to qualify for the Olympics).
“But to make this work, we need commitment from the athletes too.
“In badminton, for instance, we need to see BAM’s and the independent players’ wishlists, so we can try to find a common ground for them to train as a team, focus on the qualification, and get points,” he said.
Norza, who is also Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, was met after the 2023 Malaysia Masters announcement held at Akademi Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara here today.
On Saturday, he joined the RTG delegation in Japan led by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
Other committee members who participated in the visit were National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail, National Sports Institute chief executive officer Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli, and RTG coordinator Stuart.
In February, NSC and OCM inked a memorandum of understanding with NSSU to provide opportunities for knowledge sharing and expertise related to sports science and physical education with the university known as Nittaidai.
Norza said that they will also consider looking at other institutions that may be relevant to the terms and needs of the RTG committee.
The RTG project was launched on March 12 to coordinate the country’s efforts in its quest to bag its first Olympic gold medal.
Its framework covers Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. – The Vibes, April 17, 2023
