Give more time for better results — Tunku Imran

KUALA LUMPUR: The Podium Programme under the National Sports Institute (ISN) should be given a chance to be implemented over a longer period of time, to see better results.

Former Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar said it is not fair to put the blame on the programme as it has only been introduced in 2016.

“The Podium Programme is only two years old, we have to give it a chance, for example in squash, we built Datuk Nicol Ann David to become a world junior and it took us eight to ten years.

“One of the problems in the programme is there are too many individuals in it. I think we have to prioritise the programme probably to have few people on board and also have another programme just like “Kita Juara” programme which was created for the SEA Games,” he told the media after attending the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) Anti-Corruption Pledge in Kinrara Oval.

Tunku Imran who is also the patron of the MCA yesterday took part in the anti-corruption oath taking and signing ceremony together with the athletes and officials.

Asked on whether the programme should be led by the locals or foreigners, Tunku Imran said: “You definitely have to get international expertise from overseas, we can’t just do it by ourselves. There are certain sports we probably can but somehow we can learn from them if they lead us,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tunku Imran agreed with OCM president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria who made the decision to tighten the selection of the athletes under category B in the future based on their poor performance in the Asian Games.

“How do you determine which athletes get in the Category B, the OCM and national sport associations should decide properly and do more rigid tests before they decide to put them (athletes) in…but the category should not be abolished,” he added.