Athletes are not quitters, they’re fighters. Chin up!

THE country’s sports are blooming again, after three months of a harsh winter brought about by the Covid-19 virus.

But the swallows are not singing yet. There is a long way to go for it. Athletes need to reignite the adrenalinepumping momentum after the brakes were slammed on their vigorous lifestyles.

For some, the days of sweating it out on the training field or battling for honours at the competition arenas seem like a distant dream.

But for organisers, a logistical nightmare awaits as they scramble to reschedule tournaments that were postponed or cancelled.

Sports-starved fans are getting tired of watching reruns after reruns and are eager for some real action; and some team owners will have to deal with financial issues like unpaid wages and delayed payments from cash-strapped sponsors.

It’s never easy to restart the engine after it has gone cold.

That’s why athletes, officials, fans and all other sports stakeholders have to keep their chins up. It’s a struggle, but it has to be won.

Courage and determination is needed now, not fears and complexities. But it’s certainly not impossible. It just needs determination.

Sports, after all, is all about heroes who pick themselves up in the most dire of situations.

Remember Derek Redmond? The Briton pulled a hamstring just after the 150m mark in the 400m race of the 1992 Barcelona Games. He went down on his knees, grimacing in pain and everyone thought he would be stretchered out. No.

Redmond picked himself up and limped all the way to the finish line, with his father supporting him as he finished the race in a show of sheer grit.

The stadium thundered, as fans rose to applaud.

Redmond did not win a medal but to this day, no one really cares who won the gold. It was Redmond who won the hearts.

That’s determination.

Diver Greg Louganis of the United States cracked his head on the board during the 3m springboard qualifiers at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games but still made it to the final.

A few days later, with five stitches on his head, he went on to win the gold.

That’s determination.

Then, there was Tanzanian marathoner John Stephen Akhwari at the 1968 Mexico Games.

He suffered cramps and to make it worse, he was caught in the melee of athletes trying to fight for positions.

He fell hard on the ground, his knee was dislocated and his shoulder hurt after hitting the pavement. He should have been rushed to hospital. But he ran slowly to finish the race while 18 others from the 75-member field pulled out.

He said after the race: “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

That’s the kind of determination that’s needed – a daredevil attitude in the face of adversity.

We have our own heroes, too – both men and women.

There’s Olympian cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, for one.

Who can forget the superhuman image of Azizul mounting himself back on his bike with a 20m splinter skewered into his calf after a horrific crash at the World Cup in Manchester in 2011. He gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain to finish third and then collapsed.

Azizul’s indomitable spirit won hearts over.

We all need to be indomitable now. All those anxious to start all over again, remember Azizul, Akhwari, Louganis, Redmond and many others. They stood tall amidst hardships. We can, too.

It’s not only about winning medals but also about inspiring others along the way.

It’s about making a difference, And it’s about defying the odds.

Faced with a common, invisible enemy that threatens to decimate all sports, all Malaysian athletes and sports officials need to face the mighty challenges, like champions.

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