KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysia Lawn Bowls Federation (MLBF) is not satisfied with the National Sports Council (NSC) for not listing its athletes in a full-time podium programme.
After more than a year of being absent from any podium programme, MLBF athletes were recently granted inclusion in a temporary initiative.
Under this arrangement, the NSC determines the tournaments in which athletes participate, each needing approval or recognition from the council.
Speaking to Scoop, MLBF president Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz said the governing body remained unclear about the tournaments that would be sanctioned by the NSC, citing that its athletes needed to participate in tournaments that would allow them to maintain Malaysia’s world rankings.
According to the World Bowls Rankings, Malaysia’s men’s team are ranked fourth out of 65 countries, while the women’s team rank fifth.
He further 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 SEA Games.
“We are not clear until now on which tournaments we are going to get full support from the NSC or for which tournaments we will be getting half support. It seems to me that the definition of our current situation is based on a case-by-case basis as they support us based on tournaments they approve, and we need to figure out how to find a solution to send our athletes to other tournaments.
“Lawn bowls has consistently secured international medals while being part of the podium programme for years. The significance lies not just in the medal colour but in our unwavering success. However, there’s a disparity in interpretation by the NSC as they solely judge our athletes’ inclusion based on their performance in multi-sport events,” 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.
“Take football, for example, where the World Cup reigns supreme; similarly, the World Bowls Championship holds paramount importance for us, surpassing even the Commonwealth Games with its 20-plus participating nations. In order for us to maintain our top-five world ranking, the NSC should emphasise the necessity of consistent participation in world-ranking competitions.
“Preparing for prestigious tournaments is not cheap, and I have even had discussions about this matter with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh. We really hope that the government will reconsider our plea and include us back in the full podium programme.
“Since the government overly prioritises multi-sports events, there are initial stages of discussions taking place that lawn bowls may be included in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics in Australia, and for sure, Australia would love to have the sport at the Games as they are currently the world number one team and it’s a medal-winning sport for them.
“As the 2032 Olympics is eight years down the road, our athletes need to start training vigorously now, and it will be too late and there will be no point in including the athletes in the full-time podium programme when the Olympics gets closer,” Awalan added.
The national lawn bowls team, led by head coach Zuraidi Puteh, are set to compete in the U-25 Asian Lawn Bowls Championship in Pattaya, Thailand, from March 3 to 10.
A total of 20 players have been shortlisted for the tournament, including reigning world champions Nur Ain Nabilah Tarmizi and Aleena Ahmad Nawawi, who 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.
Only 10 players (five men and five women) will make it to the final list of the tournament.
In last year’s edition, Malaysia emerged overall champions after securing four gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the Perak Lawn Bowls Arena, clinching their ninth Asian title. – February 22, 2024