KUALA LUMPUR: As our sports officials backslap each other and claim that it is a mission achieved at the 2018 Asian Games, here are some sobering thoughts.
Malaysia, in winning seven gold medals in Indonesia, may have met their target but in the Olympic perspective, we are not getting any nearer.
That is because of Malaysia’s seven gold medals, only two are from Olympic sports. The two gold are through cyclist Azizulhasni Awang in the men’s sprint and sailor Fauzi Kaman Shah in the Laser 4.7 open category.
Squash and bowling, which each contributed two gold, are not contested in the Olympics.
Squash legend Nicol David won the women’s singles gold while the Malaysia men’s squash team of Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan, Ng Eain Yow and Ivan Yuen defied the formbook to win gold.
Malaysian bowlers, going to Jakarta with a world class reputation, duly delivered through Rafiq Ismail (men’s Masters) and Esther Cheah, Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman (women’s trios).
In sepak takraw, Malaysia picked up a regu gold for the first time in 24 years but the sport is still waiting for an inclusion in the Olympics.
National contingent chief-de-mission Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Zabidi said Malaysia’s seven-gold haul was better than 2014 in Incheon where Malaysia got only five gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals.
However, prior to the start of the Indonesian Asian Games, the talk in the local sports fraternity was that Malaysia had lowered the bar, as far as the gold target is concerned.
In fact, Malaysia had to wait till Saturday, the penultimate day of the two-week long Games, to reach the seven-gold target through the men’s squash team.
Badminton to deliver Malaysia’s first ever gold at the Olympics, 2020 in Tokyo? The signs from the Asiad are just not good.
Disbelievingly, Malaysian shuttlers, who won three Olympic silver in 2016, came back from Indonesia, empty handed. None of them were even able to go beyond the quarter-finals. For the first time in 32 years, Malaysia failed to win a medal in badminton in the Asian Games.
The medals table says Malaysia finished No 14 out of 45 nations, with seven gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze.
Retrospectively, on the eve of the Asian Games, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he had hoped for the Malaysian contingent to finish in the top 10.
Malaysia produced a ‘magnificent seven’ show at the Games but it is not an encouraging preview for the 2020 Olympic screen.
