KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is determined to reclaim its standing as a strong contender at the SEA Games, with the National Sports Council (NSC) identifying key sports that could become gold medal goldmines for the Malaysian contingent at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
Yesterday, the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF), through the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), approved the reinstatement of six sports—tenpin bowling, weightlifting, wushu, karate, jiujitsu, and kabaddi—that were initially excluded from the upcoming SEA Games in Thailand, scheduled for December.
NSC director-general Abdul Rashid Yaakub welcomed SEAGF’s decision, emphasising the potential for these sports to deliver gold, as they had in previous editions.
He also said that, with around 50 events in the upcoming games, the NSC is evaluating other sports in which Malaysia has the potential to win gold medals.
“First, we’ll go through the list of sports that will be contested. After that, we’ll focus on the sports where we have strength. Out of the 50 events, there might be 15 to 20 where we have a real chance of winning gold, but we need to carefully check which ones can really guarantee us those medals.
“We’ll also look at which sports need more focus and, at the same time, figure out which ones other countries are ahead of us in. This is something we have to be realistic about.
“In some cases, it’s clear that other countries are stronger in certain sports, and I think everyone knows this. So we need to do this analysis first. Once we have all the data, we can decide which sports and events we should focus on to win gold medals. This will be done after the final list of sports for Thailand is confirmed,” said Rashid.
The NSC plans to present and finalise its strategies by early January, following discussions with sports associations during a working committee meeting at the end of this year.
Malaysia’s performance at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia was widely considered its worst, finishing in seventh place with 34 gold, 45 silver, and 97 bronze medals, falling short of the 40 gold target.
Despite the disappointment, Rashid viewed it as a valuable learning experience, noting that nearly 60% of the athletes were young and promising talents.
“Although many people consider Cambodia a nightmare, I don’t think it was that bad. We need to look at the facts of what happened in Cambodia.
“Most of the sports were ones where the strengths clearly favoured Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, and a few other countries.
“Additionally, I believe around 60% of our athletes were first-timers and development athletes, so if you ask me, the result wasn’t bad at all.
“It was good exposure for our next generation of athletes. Regardless, we are now looking ahead to Thailand with a more focused approach,” he added.
Rashid was met by the media during the Flag Handover Ceremony for the national aesthetic sports team, which will be competing in the Unite International Tournament set to take place in Klang, Selangor, on September 25.
A total of 1,000 participants from 9 countries will be taking part in this tournament. — September 19, 2024
