KUALA LUMPUR – The media is also to be blamed for adding pressure on Malaysian athletes to perform at the forthcoming Hangzhou Asian Games.
With the games scheduled from September 23 to October 8, the national contingent has taken an unconventional stance by setting a total medal target of 27, without specifying their colour.
The National Sports Council’s athlete division director, Jefri Ngadirin, said the approach aims to alleviate undue pressure on athletes.
By avoiding medal colour specifics, the intention is also to deter relentless media questioning and reports on medal expectations, enabling athletes to focus solely on their performance.
Reflecting on the lessons learned from last May’s SEA Games in Cambodia, Jefri pointed out that athletes often found the targets set for them to be overwhelming, leading to constant media attention and pressure.
“If we look at the post-mortem of the 2023 SEA Games, most of the athletes we met who spoke to sports minister Hannah Yeoh, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and the National Sports Institute said that sometimes the targets placed on them had too much of an impact on them.
“Every time we set a target, the reporters are sure to find them (for stories) and so on.
“So they feel that it’s better for them to just perform and be evaluated later rather than for us to set an initial target. They know their own goals.
“This comes from the athletes, coaches, and sports associations themselves,” said Jefri when met after the flag handover ceremony, by Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, for the Malaysian contingent heading to Hangzhou for the Asian Games and Para Asian Games.
Support for this strategy extends beyond Malaysia, with Japan’s Nippon Sports Science University confirming that major sports nations like Japan and Australia have also adopted similar practices.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s deputy chef de mission to the Asian Games, Assoc Prof Dr Farrah Hani Imran, acknowledged the value of some pressure to motivate athletes.
However, it begs the question of whether athletes are equipped to manage such pressure effectively.
In her view, pressure can manifest in various ways, and the focus should be on athletes’ commitment to performing at their best for their nation, rather than striving to meet predetermined medal colours.
“When we remove the element of (medal) colour from the equation, it allows athletes to focus on giving their best performance.
“There is also no concern about wasting the taxpayers’ money because it should not overshadow athletes’ primary goal of doing their best for the country.
“Then we will conduct a post-mortem to prepare for the Olympics next year and the next Asian Games in Nagoya for the next edition,” she said.
Farrah – a former national gymnast and a surgeon and mental health specialist at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital – clarified that sports officials do not have an official mandate to dictate the colour of medals, apart from what has already been officially announced. – September 11, 2023