It’s all on merit
Stricter selection criteria for future multi-Games
KUALA LUMPUR: No more trips for freeloaders and under-performers. The Olympic Council of Malaysia ( OCM) have set stricter selection processes and criteria for future multi-Games, including the Philippines SEA Games in December.
Athletes who wish to be fully funded must come up with a season-best performance within a period of 12 months to qualify.
The selection process used to be based on the results of the previous Games but OCM president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria said this is no longer applicable.
“We have selection criteria for five levels of multi- Games. They are namely world, Asian, SouthEast Asia, youth and other levels.
“For those fully funded under category A, they have to be in the top three for individual sports while the athlete must be ranked in the top eight if they want to be supported by their associations under category B.
“For team sports, they have to be ranked in the top three or four,” said Norza.
Any sport that wishes to self-fund their athletes must also pay half of the amount when the nomination process start and pay the rest 60 days before the opening of the Games.
This is to avoid incidents of sport associations unable to repay the expenses incurred by OCM in sending athletes to multi-Games under category B previously.
Norza added the selection committee for athletes and officials will be more independent and transparent from now.
“The committee will be made up of the chairman ( OCM president), the director general of National Sports Council, the chief executive officer of National Sports Institute and two independent members.
“The selection of chef-de-mission for future Games will only be through a list of candidates established by OCM and will be regularly updated.”
The changes were proposed by the independent panel set up by OCM executive board last September to review the existing policy established since 1983.
The members of the independent panel comprised of Tan Sri M. Jegathesan, Tan Sri Dr Ibrahim Saad, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad, Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, Lt Col Wong Ah Jit, Nurul Nuda Abdullah and Maninderjit Singh.
Meanwhile, it was confirmed that Philippines will host 56 sports and 523 events for the SEA Games in three clusters – Manila, Subic Bay and New Clark City.
Norza added a representative from the Philippines SEA Games organising committee will give a special briefing in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 23 and urged all the sports associations to attend.