Gnanalingam’s place in history assured – in the world of sports and ports

AT one time, Malaysia’s elite athletes were keen to shed the tag “Jaguh Kampung” coined by certain segments of the sportswriting fraternity.

It was the cynics’ way of labelling athletes who excelled in their own backyard but struggled to replicate their form away from home.

Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam, who passed away at the age of 78 on Tuesday, offered a different perspective in an interview following the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, when the Malaysian contingent returned empty-handed.

He proposed for the authorities to tap the talent reservoir in the kampungs.

“Our jaguhs come from the kampungs, with a strong family support system. This is something we should explore,” he said.

When asked how to kick-start a commercial culture into Malaysian sports, Gnanalingam proposed that the Youth and Sports Ministry establish a fund similar to that of the agricultural sector, where organisations or individuals who believed they have the capacity to produce and nurture world-class athletes, could apply for funding.

The idea, sadly, fell on deaf ears.

Before turning Westport into a top cargo hub with significant milestones achieved within a short time, Gnanalingam was known as a marketing man, after obtaining his Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in History from Universiti Malaya in 1968.

The late historian, Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim, was fond of telling his students to emulate Gnanalingam, a history graduate who made his mark in the corporate world.

“Professor Khoo kept telling us to make Gnanalingam our source of inspiration,” said renowned sports journalist, Randhir Singh, himself a university junior of Gnanalingam who ventured into the corporate world upon leaving journalism.

Iconic sports commentator, Datuk Rahim Razali, paid tribute to Gnanalingam, a former colleague whom he described as a clever man ahead of his time.

Rahim and Gnanalingam were colleagues at the Malaysia Tobacco Company (MTC), now known as the British American Tobacco (BAT).

“We joined MTC as executives in the 60s. While he rose to become the marketing director, I became the public relations manager,” said Rahim.“Indeed, I have so many fond memories of Gnanalingam. We both attended a course at the BAT training centre in Essex, England, in 1970.”

As colleagues, Rahim and Gnanalingam were involved in discussions with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in turning the Merdeka Tournament, the governing body’s jewel in

the crown, into a money-churning festival in the 1970s.

But it was the FIFA World Cup in Mexico in 1986 that left a mark in Rahim’s career. Thanks to Benson & Hedges, RTM became the first broadcaster in the world to telecast live all 52 matches of the 1986 World Cup, with Rahim as the anchor of the pre, half-time and post-match show.

On days when two matches were played simultaneously, one went on live and the other was recorded for immediate delayed telecast.

“Prior to the World Cup, we travelled to the whole of Europe to conduct a one-on-one interview with the coaches – all 24 of them. As RTM bought the TV rights, everything was coordinated and arranged by Gnanalingam and his team as representatives of Benson & Hedges,” said Rahim.

Randhir credited the commercial success of the 1989 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games to Gnanalingam’s marketing nous.

“He proposed for the SEA Games Torch Run to be made a nationwide exercise designed to attract not only potential commercial partners but also the rakyat’s buy-in.

“Naturally, with Gnanalingam as the marketing consultant, the Games became a huge success, off and on the pitch. The profits were then channelled back to finance the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) building that is the Wisma OCM today.

“Because of the success in 1989, the sports industry labelled Gnanalingam the Peter Ueberroth of Malaysia,” said Randhir referring to the president and chief executive officer of the Olympic Games of Los Angeles 1984.

The apple does not fall far from the tree, they say. In Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam Abdullah, the Gnanalingam passion for sports lives on.

A co-owner of the basketball team KL Dragons, Ruben was at one time co-chairman of English football club, Queens Park Rangers (QPR).

Arguably the nation’s first commercial and sports branding guru, Gnanalingam’s place in history is assured. In the world of ports and sports.