KUALA LUMPUR: Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli believes that Malaysia may not even be able to send 20 athletes to the Paris Olympics (Jul 26-Aug 11).
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) said that they expect to send at least 20 athletes to Paris which includes athletes sent via universality places - better known as wildcards - and unused quota slots.
Currently only five athletes Bertrand Rhodict Lises (diving), Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif (sailing), Johnathan Wong (shooting), Ariana Nur Dania Mohd Zairi (archery) and Nur Aisyah Mohd Zubir (road cycling) have officially qualified on merit for the competition.
Track cyclists Azizulhasni Awang and Shah Firdaus Sahrom are also on track to qualify.
If Malaysia does send 20 athletes to the games, it will be the smallest contingent in decades.
Pekan is hoping that those sent to the games will still be able to finish on the podium.
"Based on my observations, it looks like it will be hard for us to send 20 athletes to the games," said Pekan when contacted today.
"I think between 14 to 17 would be a more realistic number, that includes athletes sent on wildcards.
"I have always stressed the importance of qualifying on merit for the competition. We should always strive for quality not quantity.
"I am hoping that the athletes who have qualified will be able to rise to the occasion and deliver.
"We want to avoid the nightmare of ending the competition without winning any medals at all.
"We have to look to the future and focus on developing our current young athletes, including those who have qualified on merit for Paris."
Previously 32 athletes represented Malaysia at Tokyo 2020, 32 at Rio 2016, 29 at London 2012, 32 at Beijing 2008, 26 at Athens 2004, 40 at Sydney 2000, 35 at Atlanta 1996 and 26 at Barcelona 1992.
The smallest contingent sent was during Seoul 1988 (9 athletes).
The last time the national contingent came home empty handed from the Olympics was during Athens 2004.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sports and Recreation Faculty senior lecturer Sadek Mustaffa said the small contingent to Paris should serve as a wake up call for Malaysian sports.
"As I have said previously, we are currently going through a decline in performance across the board," said Sadek today.
"This is something we must acknowledge and face. It is a reality check that we must accept.
"One of the main reasons behind this is due to the lack of substantial investments or funding towards sports since the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games ended.
"The lower allocations have affected Malaysia sports in many aspects which cumulatively have affected our overall performance.
"We have not spent enough on developing the next generation of athletes and have instead been overly reliant on a number of senior athletes for results.
"What we must do now is prepare a clear roadmap to revive Malaysian sports with the goal of preparing our athletes for Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
"This will also help us improve our performance in other competitions such as the Asian Games and Sea Games."
Sadek added that Malaysia should spend more funds on athlete development rather than hosting competitions such as the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
