KUALA LUMPUR – The national track and field squad is earnestly strategising to regain its status as a powerhouse in Southeast Asia ahead of the 2027 SEA Games.
The 34th edition of the regional tournament will be held in Malaysia, aiming to expand its roster of coaches.
Malaysian Athletics Federation (MAF) technical director, Robert Ballard, explained that they have received the green light from the National Sports Council (NSC) to hire more personnel after attending the Working Committee Meeting at Bukit Jalil today.
MAF is currently scouting for seven to 11 qualified coaches to lead athletes in various events including sprinting, jumping, hurdles, middle and long distance, and throws.
Additionally, MAF is seeking a dedicated strength and conditioning coach to oversee the athletes’ training from a sports science perspective.
These new additions will collaborate with the existing 11 coaches in the national camp, and vacancies are open to both local and international coaches.
For Ballard, this initial step aims to establish a solid foundation for the country’s sports structure.
If everything progresses smoothly, Malaysia could potentially secure more medals at the 2027 SEA Games.
“It’s all about teamwork, and the teamwork here is that we see there are so many more available opportunities for gold medals, especially at SEA Games for athletics.
“We’re achieving an average of about five gold medals of the 47 available, and we know that we have the potential to double that.
“Not doubling by next year (SEA Games 2025 Thailand), but in the years to come. We have to have the coaching structure in place, and this meeting today was the right step moving forward,” said Ballard.
For the record, over the past three editions of the SEA Games, the national track and field squad has consistently clinched five gold medals.
During Malaysia’s hosting of the games in 2017, the national contingent only managed to secure seven gold medals.
The last time the contingent amassed more than 10 gold medals at the biennial sporting event was during the 1999 edition in Brunei, where they achieved a total of 12 golds.
At the same time, the vacancy also extends to finding a new head coach for the national sports camp, a position that has remained unfilled for a year since Zaki Sadri’s departure.
“So the (new) head coach will be here to help oversee and take over whatever additional workloads are required.
“But the more important thing is about teaching our local coaches how to manage multiple athletes.
“This is the key, we’re going to bring in experienced people who have been there before and they’ve done this before. We want to draw on their experiences and learn from them,” he added. – May 14, 2024