ONE of the biggest challenges for the nation’s three biggest sports – football, badminton and hockey – is to cope with the stratospheric expectations from the public.

THE year 2023 was memorable for the Malaysian football team as Kim Pan-gon and his team basked in the plaudits after ending the year on a high note by becoming the third biggest gainer in FIFA rankings.

WHILE we take a moment to reflect on missions accomplished throughout 2023, there is no limit to what we can achieve the next 12 months.

TRIBUTES came pouring in as the nation mourns the demise of double Olympian, Datuk Krishnasamy Thambusamy, who passed away peacefully on Wednesday, at the age of 79.

FLAIR, creativity, vision and goals – all hallmarks of the beautiful game of football that we celebrate as the No 1 sport in the world.

AS the hub of Malaysian sports, Bukit Jalil is either a source of glad tidings or discouraging and frustrating news.

AS a journalist who covered cycling before Josiah Ng and Datuk Azizulhasni Awang exploded onto the scene, I share the deep sadness felt by the sports fraternity following the passing of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) president, Datuk Abu Samah Abdul Wahab, on Tuesday.

A COMPREHENSIVE pension scheme is in the offing for the nation’s elite athletes, finally.

​​​​​​​IMPRESSIVE resumes do not necessarily translate into success, especially in football.

BEFORE the final day of action at the KL Masters at Titiwangsa Stadium recently,the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) held a ceremony to pay tribute to the late Datuk Punch Gunalan.The badminton legend was a player, coach, manager and administrator extraordinaire before passing away in 2012 at the age of 68 due to liver cancer.

ABDUL Rashid Yaakub, the ninth individual to helm the National Sports Council (NSC) as their director-general, is the last of the Mohicans, so to speak.

CONVENTIONAL wisdom says sports is a great unifying factor. The performance of Malaysian athletes – past and present – constitute an integral component in our nation-building process.