The race to LA28 begins with Sukma, will there be new stars?

THE dust has settled after the Olympic Games in Paris. Or has it?

After years of self-control and sacrifices, the hype and more than two weeks riding a rollercoaster of emotions – athletes, coaches, sports associations and governments are going through post-Olympics highs and blues.

For now is the time to take stock of what has happened, to re-look the success stories and the defeats, and to draw up plans for the future.

For some, life has changed for the better.

Pakistan Arshad Nadeem, for one, is an instant hero after winning the country’s first gold in javelin. The athlete from a poverty-stricken family, who was long ignored by the country, is still being feted and showered with gifts of cash, land and even cows.

Then there is Turkiye shooter Yusuf Dikec who shot to global stardom for his casual manner of shooting en route to winning a silver. His sangfroid and self-confidence have inspired a flood of online memes.

But what won my heart was what Dikec said to Elon Musk after the billionaire on X had shared a video of the former that garnered 170 million views.

Said Dikec: “I asked him (Musk) if robots could win a medal with their hand in their pocket. I don’t think so because there are things neither technology nor money can achieve. They require heart.”

But it was all heartache for South Korean shuttler An Se-young en route to her country’s first women’s singles gold.

While happy with the smashing end to her first Olympics, the talented Se-young revealed that she had been bullied by her seniors for seven years since she joined the national team at the age of 16.

She had to do the laundry and string racquets for her seniors even when she was injured and tired after gruelling training. It was the price she had to pay for being the youngest in the team.

But the gold-medal victory has given Se-young the courage to speak up and she has taken her sports association to task, not only for the bullying but also for their outdated training methods, restriction on sponsorship contracts and salary cap for pro shuttlers.

Many were shocked with Se-young’s outcry but the Korea Times reported the youngster’s statement: “My intention is not to fight but to express my desire to focus solely on my sport. I hope my statements are understood in the right context.”

The government has started an investigation but a sports industry insider in Korea has called for a reform, saying: “Instead of focusing on assigning blame, we should use this opportunity to uproot the old-fashioned ways that still exist in the sports world.”

That brings me home to Malaysia. We like to assign blame too. Who are we blaming for the contingent falling short of our gold medal target yet again.

Malaysia have won a total of 15 medals – eight silvers and seven bronzes – since 1956 (well, since 1992 to be accurate, although we have taken part since 1956.)

We were ranked fourth among South-East Asian nations in Paris with two bronze medals that both came from badminton, via Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles) and Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles). We were 18th in Asia and let’s not even talk about where we stand compared to the United States, China, Japan and Australia. There are light years ahead.

Do we blame the Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and National Sports Council (NSC) for it? Some do. Hannah came under heavy fire when she did not set goals for the SEA Games. Now, she is receiving brickbats for setting a gold target and not meeting it.

There have been improvements under Hannah since 2022 but she needs a team of like-minded people.

The Road to Gold programme has been good for the athletes, although it did not bring the success it had targeted. National badminton coaching director Rexy Mainaky believes that if not for some of the aid from RTG, even the bronze may not have come.

If RTG is given more time, and with a little tweaking, it will give athletes the extra edge at the next Games in LA in 2028. And LA may be where the gold lies.

How about the athletes then? Are they to be blamed? Some battled to qualify for the Games, some gave their heart and soul in Paris and fought bravely. And some made mistakes. We can only hope that it will make them hardier for the next assault.

Are the officials, associations and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to be blamed? These are questions that continue to be asked.

The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are already making plans through Pemandu to relook their structure and come out with a four-year plan for next Games. Even the BAM management will have KPIs to meet, like the shuttlers and coaches.

Zii Jia has paved the way for professionals to have the self-belief that they too can shine in the Olympics, and it’s time for pro clubs to get cracking. National coach John Beasley is already making plans to find successors for Azizulhasni Awang.

Diving is already in the hunt for new heroes and heroines too, with only the truly deserving making it to the next Games.

Everyone, though, agree that the work starts now. The Malaysia Games (Sukma) which officially begins today in Kuching, is the place where we hope to see the birth of the future stars.

These youngsters, given the right guidance, could be our Olympic stars of the future.

What’s more important, though, is continuity. From schools, states, clubs, national teams, ministry, sponsors and fans, the support must come for all. If one is not working, everyone will suffer.

We have to work together. Change can only happen if all of us have our hearts in the right place.