Wherefore Our Athletes?

The Olympics have come and be gone, it will be another four years before we have another chance at Olympic gold, if our Olympians that are still left in the running doesn't pull off any surprises. After the money and resources spent, maybe we should look at the ways and methods that is supposed to generate world class Malaysian athletes.

How do we create world class athletes?

One answer is to create special establishments like the Bukit Jalil Sports School, Spending millions on infrastructure and equipment to create the environment within which to foster sporting greatness.

Some would argue that we invest in sports sciences, developing technology that can help to give athletes an edge. But before we can even begin to actually look at those external factors, it is important for us to look at the athletes themselves and how to create the passion and motivation that is core to any great athlete.

You can be naturally gifted with talent or have it developed by exposure, training and augmented by science, but if your heart is not in it, you will not be able to really cut it. Before you become great, you must first have the heart for it.

But how do we develop the passion and motivation within the athletes in addition to the external stimuli that can help make them great?We should not have to look too far for the answer, for it lies at our very own doorstep.

Nurul Huda Abdullah, Nicol Anne David, the Sidek Brothers, Alex Yong and latest one is LEE CHOND WEI. Mention any of these names and our hearts would flutter and quiver, for these are Malaysian sportsmen and women who have made us proud.How did they succeed? They were not the product of any high performance sports center, special sports school or government programs but the fruits and products of the hard work and support of their parents and family.

Mirroring the story of Tiger Woods’ father whose efforts were recognized to be the cornerstone of his son’s achievements, our athletes above were motivated and supported by their parents, friends and family. Most of the time, they sourced for their own funds for equipment, travel and training.

What is core here is probably the values and passion that is able to be instilled in the young athlete by the sincere efforts of the parents and their family. Building not only their skill and muscles but also their heart and soul through their training and hard work.

While I am not trying to belittle the efforts by our government to produce world class athletes, Lee Chong Wei for example is an alumnus of the Bukit Jalil Sports School. The results speak for themselves, with most of our sports achievers being from outside the system.

Their efforts do have merit, but until these programs can be up to snuff and stand toe to toe with international standards we should not just focus on them but also encourage the independent efforts of parents and passionate young athletes.This should translate into more support, financial and otherwise, for those seeking to advance themselves in sports.

As for the programmes themselves, they need to be refined to provide the same support and motivation that the homegrown athletes have and probably reworked to ensure the cushy environs work for the benefit of the young athletes instead of coddling them.