KUANTAN: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is ready to lend an ear to the country's diving team following allegations of internal turmoil which resulted in the below-par performance at the recently concluded World Aquatics Championship in Doha, Qatar.
Yeoh said she will be meeting national diver Pandelela Rinong to hear about claims that certain matters had resulted in the dip in performance in Doha which will see Malaysia not being represented by women divers at the Olympics for the first time since the 2000 edition.
"I will meet the divers and hear from them. The meeting will be held soon," she said briefly when met after witnessing the handing over of the upgraded synthetic running track at the Darul Makmur Stadium here today.
Yesterday, Pandalela, the first Malaysian woman to win an Olympic medal, claimed that an internal turmoil that occurred in the national diving camp had affected the performance of both the junior and senior divers in Doha. However, she did not reveal further about the issue, saying she will speak to Yeoh about it.
Meanwhile, Yeoh said the ministry was reforming the country's sports system whereby they had already increased the coaches' salaries and provided athletes with EPF (Employees Provident Fund) contributions.
"We are ensuring the best for our athletes and will continue hearing from the target groups (on how to bring about suitable improvements). Everyone has their justification on why certain things are done but we will hear from them....a lot has been provided for the Road to Gold (RTG) programme and now it lies in the hands of the athletes to deliver," she said.
When asked if the task to deliver the country's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics in July this year will be shouldered by the badminton and cycling athletes following the women's diving team's absence, Yeoh said the burden should not be placed only on one or two athletes.
"RTG's criteria is for medal winners at the last Olympic games and those listed in the top 10 in the world. Some are not in the top 10 but they can win...in sports, anything can happen," she said.
Meanwhile, Yeoh said to help promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage the involvement of senior citizens in sports, the National Sports Council (NSC) has been tasked to introduce sports for people of all ages.
"Last week, a roundtable dialogue was held with the Health Ministry, Economy Ministry and Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry to look into ways to intensify efforts in promoting a healthy lifestyle among senior citizens. This is to help them stay active in their golden years.
"We understand that Sukma (Malaysian Games) caters for those below 21 years old but what about those in their late 30s and senior citizens? So NSC will introduce sports suitable for veterans and those in the masters' category," she said.
Yeoh also said only three states, namely Johor, Sabah and Penang, did not take up the ministry's grant offer to upgrade the drainage system and replant new grass at selected stadiums in the country.
"Each state will receive RM500,000, with RM300,000 for drainage system upgrades and RM200,000 for grass planting. Johor has its stadiums while Penang and Sabah require more time to look into the matter.
"Once the fields are upgraded it will ensure the Malaysia League football matches can run smoothly throughout the entire year including during the rainy season," she said.
