KUALA LUMPUR – Despite receiving offers from multiple foreign lawn bowls for his expertise and services, national lawn bowls head coach Zuraidi Puteh chose to stay with the Malaysia Lawn Bowls Federation out of loyalty and love for the nation and his athletes.
The Perak-born coach has so far received offers from Australia, Singapore, India, Hong Kong, and Brunei to become the head coach of their teams after leading Malaysia to success in last year’s World Bowl Championships.
Under Zuraidi’s tutelage, Nur Ain Nabilah Tarmizi and Aleena Ahmad Nawawi made history by securing the country’s first women’s gold at the tournament since the inception of the women’s pairs event in 1969.
Speaking to Scoop, Zuraidi openly admitted that he had the temptation to leave the country, citing that at one point he felt that his efforts and struggles were not being appreciated by the National Sports Council (NSC).
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.
“Yes, I was offered by foreign teams around the world, but I didn’t want to leave because of the high patriotism I had towards my country.
“I have known all my players for many years and I have a very good bond with them as they are very disciplined, and I have instilled good values in them. They are not just athletes for me; they are like my children.
“It’s easier to work together with established players, but nothing feels greater than developing a player from scratch and making them win medals for our country.
“But yes, sometimes I did have the temptation to leave the country, as I was frustrated that all my and my players’ efforts for the country were not recognised by the NSC after they removed us from the podium programme.
“However, at some point, I realised that if I gave up and left the country, I would be setting a bad example for my players. Hence, I decided to stay and continue doing my part by producing the best players to bring glory to the country, and we can see the results now that we’re back in the programme, even if only temporarily,” said Zuraidi.
Zuraidi, when met at the National Lawn Bowl Training Centre at Bukit Kiara, further said that he and the coaching team are fully focused on preparing a strong team for the Asian Lawn Bowls Championship in Pattaya, Thailand, from March 3 to 10.
“Nothing is going to stop us from defending our title, and I have been trying several varieties of training with my players over the past few weeks.
“The players that I have on my team all have a proven track record in tournaments such as the Sea Games, Commonwealth Games, and the World Bowl Championships. With the strength that we have, I can assure that we will be the champions,” Zuraidi added.
A total of 20 players have been shortlisted for the tournament, while 10 players (five men and five women) will make it to the final list of the tournament.
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. – February 23, 2024