Big challenge ahead for OCM

I REFER to the report “Unforgettable” ( The Star, May 5) on Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar stepping down as Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president.

For the past 20 years, Tunku Imran, who is known as the “sporting prince”, contributed immensely to the values of Olympism in Malaysia. He played a key role in promoting sports and education and developing high performance sports, working closely with the 57 national sports associations and affiliates in the country.

The charming prince also contributed towards the development and training of sports administrators and coaches through the organisation of courses and sponsoring, where appropriate, the participation of officials in the courses.

There’s no doubt Tunku Imran was one of the prime movers in the successful organisation of the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

The new team of elected office bearers will have a tough challenge drawing up a better operating structure for the OCM, with clear policies and greater professionalism in its approach towards discipline and in mediation/ arbitration matters.

Hopefully, under the new president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria, political camps will be a thing of the past and all will work together to bring Malaysian sports to a higher level.