PUTRAJAYA – Datuk Pandelela Rinong’s place in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme will be decided soon enough.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, who is also the co-chairman of RTG, refused to comment on the diving queen’s failure to qualify for this year’s Paris Olympics.
“I don’t want to comment on Pandelela right now, for RTG athletes we will call a specific press conference to make the latest announcements.
“The next meeting will be soon, I would have to talk to Datuk Stuart Ramalingam (programme coordinator) first.
“We will coordinate and then we will definitely give an update to everyone,” she told the media after chairing a roundtable discussion on creating a culture of sports among senior citizens at Menara KBS, here today.
Yesterday, the two-time diving Olympic medallist shocked the nation when she missed out completely on qualification for the Summer Olympics.
She partnered with Nur Dhabitah Sabri in the 10m synchronised platform event at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar but could only finish in 12th place.
On Sunday, the Sarawakian diver failed to make it to the semi-finals of the individual 10m platform after finishing 29th out of 46 divers.
Both results confirmed that the 30-year-old will miss her first summer games since making her debut at Beijing in 2008 as a 15-year-old.
Meanwhile, the roundtable discussion was held to get views, ideas and feedback from stakeholders of senior citizen sports including from government agencies, the private sector, sports associations and non-governmental organisations.
The input received is expected to help the Youth and Sports Ministry, through the National Department of Youth and Sports (JBSN), to build a network of strategic cooperation with stakeholders to support the empowerment efforts of sports development for all ages.
This includes senior citizen circles, developing inclusive, effective, and comprehensive sports development programmes and activities, and supporting the government’s desire to improve the quality of life and the well-being of the elderly. – February 8, 2024