It’s a roller-coaster ride

THE year is coming to an end and it’s time to reflect and review. For sports, it has been a year of highs and lows. It has been a year of change too – with a new Youth and Sports Minister stepping in with his new ideas and approaches. StarSport ’s RAJES PAUL spoke to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria on his views of Malaysian sports so far, and what’s in store for the future.

StarSport: How would you sum up this year for Malaysian sports?

Norza: I’ve mixed feelings as there have been mixed results. We went through two major multi-sport Games – the Commonwealth and Asian Games. Some athletes delivered, some did beyond expectations but some fell short of their targets. Unfortunately, the Podium Programme did not meet its Key Performance Index (KPI) of a top-10 finish in both the Games. Based on that, the Youth and Sports Ministry decided to introduce new programmes, which will be implemented next year.

StarSport: Are you disappointed that the Podium Programme was scrapped without much thought being put into it?

Norza: It’s the prerogative of the government to change the policy of the Podium Programme but whatever changes made, the transition must be seamless because we do not want it to affect the livelihood of the coaches and athletes.

StarSport: As the OCM president, which area do you think the National Sports Associations (NSAs) need to improve the most? Is it lack of leadership, poor management or lack of focus in development?

Norza: It all boils down to KPIs. I think KPI-setting is very important. This is to ensure that every level of sports management is addressed responsibly and with accountability. Then, it’s easier for us to know the areas that need to be addressed urgently.

StarSport: What are the sports that have failed to deliver this year and why?

Norza: I don’t really like to categorise sports into successful and failing sports. Our approach must always be athlete-centric. We must understand that these athletes have their ups and down. The most important element is understanding their needs in order to fill the gaps between where they are now and where they want to be. NSAs must have proper blueprint to ensure that there is a mechanism to evaluate the athletes based on short-, medium- and long-term goals. Institutional reforms must always be in the mind of NSA leaders.

StarSport: What are the sports that have flourished and should be role models for others?

Norza: There are many sports that have shown improvement such as bowling, cycling, squash, hockey, rugby, football, cricket and others. But honestly, it’s best that we don’t categorise them, just like my answer to an earlier question.

StarSport: What do you think of the new Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman? Many have mixed responses about his leadership. Some feel that he is not the right candidate.

Norza: Syed Saddiq is new to his job. The most important thing now is that everyone needs to give him all the support he needs. Nevertheless, I alsol dod think that he needs to go down and meet leaders, coaches and athletes more regularly to hear their views and understand the current sporting landscape before embarking aggressively into new sports like eSport. OCM will work closely with him to bring Malaysian sports to the highest level – especially in chasing the elusive Olympic Games gold medal.

StarSport: What is OCM’s main focus next year?

Norza: Our immediate task is to focus on the Philippines SEA Games (in December next year) and prepare the road to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo as qualifying for most sports starts next year. We want to get as many qualifiers as possible for the Olympics. It’s a crucial year. The more qualifiers we have, the better our chances at getting Olympic medals. In badminton, we are working on getting two tickets in every event. At theth Rio Olympic Games in 2016, we only expected to win medals through Lee Chong Wei but we also won silvers in the men’s doubles (Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong) and mixed doubles (Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying). We’ve better chances with more qualifiers.

We must also continue to strengthen the Olympic move- ment in Malaysia and focus on housekeeping.

StarSport: There have been a massive cut in the funding for NSAs. How are they facing it - especially ahead of the Olympic Games preparation?

Norza: Yes, I understand the challenges of our NSAs in this area. But with the current fiscal limitations, our main task is to move away from over-reliance on government’s support. The NSAs have to find ways to stand on their own two feet. We’ll assist in whatever way we can.

StarSport: Doping, gambling and match-fixing are still a problem in Malaysian sport despite all the efforts to have a clean image. There were more cases of doping in weightlifting and gambling in badminton this year.

What is OCM doing about it?

Norza: We’ll not stop fighting against all these vices. We’ll work closely with the relevant authorities such as MACC ( Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission) and Adamas (AntiDoping Agency of Malaysia). From education to prevention, we will continue to create awareness among the athletes, coaches and officials. We’ll also come out with rules and regulations to curb any illegal activities. I believe, we can eradicate this.

StarSport: In your opinion, who are the outstanding athletes this year?

Norza: I don’t plan to single out anyone. To me, all athletes have made our country proud. All the athletes want to do well for their country. I appreciate that. But if you want to know who are the best performers thithis year, do come for our 25th OCM Annual Dinner and Awards Night tomorrow (tonight) at the Grand Ballroom, Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur (laughs).