KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysia Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) hopes that the National Sports Council (NSC) will consider the consistent inclusion of its athletes in the Podium Programme.
The governing body urged the NSC to maintain a uniform approach, refraining from basing athlete inclusion or exclusion solely on performance in specific multi-sport events such as the Commonwealth Games and the SEA Games.
Speaking to Scoop, MLBF president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said he believes that integrating lawn bowl athletes’ into the Podium Programme through specialised training would improve their performance and results in tournaments.
“Our athletes have achieved success by winning championships without being included in the Podium Programme – imagine how they would excel if included in the programme.
“After our remarkable performance at the World Bowls Championship in Australia, our coaches are being sought by foreign teams. They were surprised at how we can achieve so much in the sport with limited resources,” he said.
National athletes Nur Ain Nabilah Tarmizi and Aleena Ahmad Nawawi made history after securing the country’s first women’s gold at the World Bowls Championship since the inception of the women’s pairs event in 1969.
“While we wait for updates on our inclusion, we hope the NSC will make the right decision. Otherwise, it could be a significant loss for the nation,” said Awalan.
Over the past year since their removal from the Podium Programme, Awalan added that the MLBF has covered all expenses, amounting to approximately RM1 million, including player accommodation, food, and training.
For context, the exclusion of lawn bowl athletes by the NSC was attributed to their failure to meet targets at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year.
Awalan, who is also the president of the Asian Lawn Bowl Federation, said that discussions are ongoing with the Olympic Council of Asia and the organising committee of the 2026 Nagoya Asian Games in a move to secure lawn bowls inclusion into the multisports event.
However, he said that it is still in the initial stages of discussions.
Meanwhile, NSC athlete division director Jefri Ngadirin explained that reintegrating lawn bowls into the Podium Programme hinges on the assurance that the sport will be featured in the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand and the 2026 Asian Games.
“We have been working our best to include some of the medal-winning sports in the programme because it’s a challenge for us to cater for the needs of all sports as we have so many of them in our country.
“The last time we announced that lawn bowls could be included in the programme because we thought the sport would be played in the Asian Games and SEA games and until now we have yet to get a clear indicator on the inclusion of this sport in the Games,” said Jefri.
He added the NSC committee council meeting on January 22 will determine the temporary inclusion.
In September last year, Jefri announced that lawn bowls would be included in the elite athlete preparation programme for the upcoming SEA Games in 2025 (Thailand), 2027 (Malaysia), and 2029 (Singapore).
The national lawn bowls team, led by head coach Zuraidi Puteh, is set to compete in the U-25 Asian Lawn Bowls Championship in Pattaya, Thailand, from March 3 to 10.
In last year’s edition, Malaysia emerged as the overall champions after securing four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the Perak Lawn Bowls Arena clinching their ninth Asian title. – December 5, 2024