KUALA LUMPUR – With less than 50 days to go before the Paris Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to August 11, the Malaysian contingent has yet to finalise potential candidates to carry the Jalur Gemilang flag during the opening ceremony.
Olympics Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria, said that they have not yet discussed the matter in detail.
“It has not been discussed yet,” stated Norza briefly when approached by media at the National Sports Council in Bukit Jalil today.
In the previous two editions of the Olympics, badminton athletes were bestowed the honour of carrying the Jalur Gemilang at the opening of the Games.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Goh Liu Ying and Lee Zii Jia had the privilege, while for Rio 2016, Malaysian badminton legend, Datuk Lee Chong Wei, led the national contingent while donning an elegant all-orange Baju Melayu outfit.
As of now, 18 athletes from seven sports have qualified for Paris, and it is anticipated that several more athletes from athletics and golf will augment Malaysia’s representation.
Malaysia’s track cycling champion, Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, who is aiming to clinch gold in Paris, previously had the honour of carrying the flag at the Beijing 2008, marking his debut on the Olympic stage.
Azizulhasni’s upcoming appearance in Paris is expected to be his final one after competing in five editions of the Games.
However, Malaysia’s top men’s doubles badminton pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, stand as potential candidates, having contributed to Malaysia’s medal haul in Tokyo by clinching the bronze.
Currently, the OCM is still in the process of determining how to present the Jalur Gemilang to the Malaysian contingent bound for Paris, especially since several athletes are scheduled to depart for Europe soon for centralised training camps.
The national track cycling team departed for Belgium last week and will remain there until the start of the Paris Olympics.
Meanwhile, the badminton squad will head to Paris early as well, as they are scheduled to undergo a 10-day centralised training camp in the Aire Sur La Lys region from July 10 to 20.
“I believe that when it comes to the flag-handling ceremony, it’s usually significant at events like the SEA Games or the Asian Games, where we have a large contingent. However, sometimes it doesn’t make much of an impact.
“We’ll consider this aspect regarding the ceremony. But what’s more crucial is that our contingent isn’t very large. The focus is more on assembly.
“We want our athletes to concentrate on their preparations rather than waiting around for the ceremony. The key is that athletes and sports associations have already planned ahead,” he added. – June 11, 2024