JUST this week, three excited communication students from UiTM Shah Alam came over to the office for a podcast interview. They wanted to know about print and digital media, especially post Covid-19 pandemic and how the world of media has evolved.
These students were in their early 20s, and had not even been born when my career as a journalist began in 1997.
Then, I had pens and notebooks. These young girls came with all kinds of gadgets. Even the word notebook would have meant a different thing to them.
How things have changed. Yet, they remain the same. We still report with integrity, clarity and accuracy. We keep the readers informed and stay as the voice for the voiceless.
That had me reflecting about Malaysian sport this year. How much had changed, how much remains the same and what do we need to do?
Rise of young stars
IT was nice to see some new faces making their way up in sports this year, especially in diving. There are several fresh ones in badminton, football, and cycling too but they need to do some quick catching up. In fact, the bulk of top performers at this year’s SEA Games and Asian Games were those in their early 20s, which is a good sign. US-based sprinter Mohd Azeem Fahmi, 21, has shown outstanding improvement. And there’s that old-and-new family – Shereen Samson Vallabouy, a new star born of supernovas.
Social media abuse on athletes
A study conducted at the recent World Athletics Championships in Budapest showed that more than half of the online abuse of athletes was of racist and sexual nature. They had analysed 450,000 posts and comments on social media in bid to protect 1,344 track and field athletes and said the abuse had increased by 14%. There is a similar trend in Malaysia and we must protect athletes from social media abusers. Irresponsible comments by armchair warriors have to stop. Giving constructive criticism is one thing but undermining an athlete with hurtful and disparaging words is cowardice.
Some good decisions and calls
The decision to limit the traditional sports in SEA Games to four from the 2025 edition in Bangkok onward is a good move. It will limit the manipulation of hosts to win more medals and turn the regional Games into a circus.
And a big round of applause for the decision to introduce EPF for athletes. It’s one of the many new calls made by the Youth and Sports Ministry this year under the leadership of Hannah Yeoh. Many more steps to raise the profile of sports are in the pipeline. Hopefully, they will be implemented efficiently.
Battered image in the region
Malaysia’s performance in the SEA Games and Asian Games has paled in comparison to the glory days of the past. In the SEA Games, even Vietnam – once the minnows – have overtaken us. Heck, even our women’s badminton team lost to the Philippines. Our football team were out of depth too.
At the Asiad, we were left far behind with the top guns like China, Japan, South Korea, India and even Thailand. We finished 14th out of 38 countries with six gold medals.
It shows that our sports system is flawed and needs some rework, maybe even a lot of rework.
Welfare of coaches
The exodus of coaches to neighbouring countries is alarming. As of this year, nine gymnasts left the country to take up lucrative coaching offers in Singapore. There are several badminton and hockey coaches abroad too. Coaches here earn pittance and their allowances and salaries have not been reviewed for decades. It’s time to give our local coaches the due respect, and what’s due to them.
Olympic Games dream
In seven months, Malaysia will take part in the Paris Olympic Games but it’s anyone’s guess whether we will end our elusive gold medal chase. This year, the Road to Gold programme was formed but there have been constant changes. Hockey made the cut, and then it was dropped. The criteria for sports to be under the programme keeps changing. Naming a new team to lead just a year before the Olympics seemed like a huge risk. We need a sustainable programme, not one that keeps changing every time there is a change in the leadership.
Development programme
Some states are still in a slumber and this is reflected in the poor participation of athletes in Malaysia Games (Sukma). Some sports are dropped, especially for girls, due to lack of entries. Tennis has potential but it’s not included in the Sukma programme, leaving those interested to go abroad. Former athletes should run state programmes not politicians or some state excos who hardly have time to monitor grassroots programme. It also doesn’t help that some religious bigots get into the act, looking at women’s bodies rather than their sporting prowess.
Malaysian sport has potential to go far but we need the right leaders, officials and coaches with the passion to identify talent and groom them. Of course, the athletes too must be willing to go the extra mile.
Next year, we have the Olympics and Sukma in Sarawak. One is for the cream of the crop and the other is for new gems. Will we be successful at both end?
Personally, I cannot wait to interview the country’s first Olympic Games gold medallist. And even the future ones.
