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.

The aftermath continued to be in the national conversation for months after, before the advent of Facebook, Twitter and Tik Tok, with the National Sports Council (NSC) being made the convenient scapegoat.

The bottom line was that no medals were won, no personal records were created and no national records broken.

The 26 athletes from 11 sports – athletics, archery, badminton, cycling, diving, gymnastics, sailing, shooting, swimming, taekwondo and weightlifting – earned their tickets on merit and were sponsored fully by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

At that point of time, the contingent formed the largest number of sports that we have ever participated in at an Olympic Games.

In the intervening years, however, we have seen how the Olympic sports began to open up to urban sports such as sport climbing, three-on-three basketball, BMX freestyle, breakdance and skateboard.

They appeal to the millennials and provide broadcasters great visuals, in line with the Olympic family’s desire to attract massive TV audiences.

These changing trends mean the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and NSC will need to engage and eventually develop the skateboard, dance sport and wall climbing communities for the long-term.

In the interim, we will continue to rely on the three sports – badminton, diving and cycling – to deliver the medals come Paris 2024, hoping to land the elusive gold by then.

Yet some things continue to remain relevant.

Until today, I am intrigued by the 50-page report submitted by Malaysia’s chef-de-mission to Athens 2004, Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan, to the OCM.

In summarising the Athens adventure, the three-time Olympian-turned-scientist stopped short of prescribing the panacea to Malaysia’s ills.

In sharing his personal philosophical reflections, Dr Jega challenged the sports family to be cerebral and strategic in moving forward.

“You must possess the persona to exert supremacy if you were to excel in sports. Persona is the face we turn to the outer world,” Dr Jega told this writer then.

“A high level of confidence was necessary if you were to succeed and intimidate your opponents. You cannot expect a mouse to suddenly turn into a lion in the battlefield.”

Putting it bluntly, Dr Jega, winner of the 1995 National Science Award for having discovered a bacterium, lamented the lack of burning desire among the athletes.

“In our sporting endeavours, you must not only have the burning desire to win but also hate the thought of losing. And are we prepared to pay the price? Sadly, not many of us are willing to do so.”

Despite acknowledging athletes as products of the society, the Flying Doctor called upon the athletes to dig deep into themselves and raise the bar.

“We are what we invest in. Even if an athlete has a strong multinational firm as his sponsor, the biggest sponsor is the athlete himself. He decides the parameters, the level he aspires to.

“But you can’t be buying economy tickets always hoping for an upgrade. If we were to put in an effort valued at RM10, surely we cannot expect something worth RM20 in return.”

A good process alone does not guarantee us the desired outcome.

Whether you are running side by side with the reigning Olympic 100m champion Marcell Jacobs, performing tricks on a skateboard or dancing your way to the jury’s hearts, a regular fare in terms of effort would only result in an “economy” performance!