KUALA LUMPUR – The bronze medals won at the Paris Olympics would have been impossible without the Road to Gold (RTG) programme, according to Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
The minister’s response came after the post-mortem meeting of the national contingent’s performance at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, respectively.
The session involved key stakeholders beyond the ministry, including the Olympic Council of Malaysia, the Paralympic Council of Malaysia, the National Sports Council (NSC), and the National Sports Institute.
Hannah said that the ministry’s stakeholders were pleased with the performance of RTG athletes in the world’s biggest multisport event, particularly given that the programme was only recently established.
“Thank God we had the RTG. Through this, we secured a special allocation for our qualified athletes, and without it, achieving what we did in Paris would not have been possible.
“If we had started RTG earlier, we might have achieved even better results. However, without RTG, our performance would not have reached this level. This programme has helped us overcome issues with bureaucracy and limited budgets for athlete preparation in the past.
“The programme has also received very positive feedback from coaches such as John Beasley and Rexy Mainaky, who remarked that their athletes’ performances in Paris were as good as anticipated.
“We hope to continue and improve this programme, aiming to achieve our elusive gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” Hannah said during a press conference at the NSC today.
Hannah also revealed plans to increase the budget allocation for the RTG programme, including an amendment to the main athlete criterion, expanding it for athletes who are ranked in the top 20. Currently, the RTG only caters to athletes who are in the top 10 in the world.
Meanwhile, she clarified that the RTG committee would not force any independent athletes who do not wish to participate in the programme.
“We cannot compel independent athletes to join RTG. They have their own contractual agreements, which we must respect. However, one encouraging point raised by experts in today’s post-mortem was the reminder that representing the nation should be seen as a badge of honour.
“Athletes should prioritise national pride over financial rewards and must be dedicated and disciplined if they are part of RTG,” Hannah added.
The RTG programme, established last year, provides not only coaching and competition exposure but also additional financial support, including a monthly allowance of RM3,000, underscoring the commitment expected from athletes in the programme.
Among the RTG athletes who contributed to Malaysia’s two bronze medals in Paris were Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the men’s badminton doubles category. Lee Zii Jia also won a bronze in the men’s singles, despite not being part of the programme. – November 14, 2024
