We can’t be buying economy tickets always hoping for an upgrade

THE world of sports has changed considerably since the only time this writer was handed the privilege of covering the Olympic Games in Athens almost two decades ago.

Athens 2004 was widely seen as a watershed in Malaysian sports. Upon the contingent’s return from the ancient city, changes began to take shape, with the formation of the Cabinet Committee for Sport chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, a steering committee headed by Tan Sri Dr Ibrahim Saad to run the training programme and the appointment of a foreigner – Hallam Pereira as a consultant.