KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- The Youth and Sports Ministry will conduct
a post-mortem on the performance of national athletes who competed in the London
Olympics to ensure better preparations can be done to face the 2016 Olympics in
Brazil, said its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
He said besides studying financial allocations for programmes to prepare
Malaysian Olympians, the ministry also needed to look at ways to raise the bar
of national athletes in competing at the world level.
"We do not want in four more years (in Rio de Janeiro), we are faced with
the same situation of being disappointed in not being able to win Malaysia''s
first gold medal in an Olympics," he said.
He told this to reporters after attending a breaking of the fast event of
the ministry, here tonight, which was attended by some 1,000 guests.
Ahmad Shabery said for the minsitry''s ''Road to London 2012'' programme, the
government had allocated almost RM20 million in its efforts to secure the all
elusive Olympic gold medal.
-- MORE
SUKAN-SHABERY (OLIMPIK) 2 KUALA LUMPUR
Commenting on the failure of the national badminton and cycling contingents
which were deemed as the best bets to secure gold medals at the (London) Games,
Ahmad Shabery said a study needed to be done urgently to find out why they
failed.
Datuk Lee Chong Wei came close to securing the country''s first Olympic gold
medal but lost to Lin Dan of China by a whisker in the final of the Men''s
singles of the badminton competition on Monday while Mohd Azizulhasni Awang,
dubbed Pocket Rocketman, came in sixth place in the men''s individual keirin
final yesterday.
Ahmad Shabery said the failure of the national athletes to secure an Olympic
gold medal for the country was the responsibiilty of all stakeholders including
himself, the national sports associations, the National Sports Council and the
the National Sports Institute.
"When the results are not forthcoming, I also am responsible. Its whether an
apology on my part suffices or changes must be made in the sports structure," he
said.
On Datuk Naim Mohamed''s intention to step down as deputy president of the
Malaysian National Cycling Federation following the cycling contingent''s failure
to win any medals at the London Games, Ahmad Shabery said it was his right
whether to continue in the post or not.
-- MORE
SPORTS-SHABERY (OLYMPICS) 3 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia'' remaining hopes of a medal in London now lie squarely on the
shoulders of divers Pandelela Rinong and Traisy Vivien Tukiet who will be
competing in the heats of the women''s individual 10m platform at the Aquatics
Centre in London early tomorrow morning.
Besides the duo, Heidi Gan will be in action in the women''s 10km swim
marathon on Friday.
-- BERNAMA
NS/MCYS/FA HK DC HA
