No talent left behind: Hannah backs sport-to-sport transfers for young athletes

Youth and sports ministry is committed to ensuring young athletes are not limited to a single sport, with Minister Hannah Yeoh emphasising talent transfers to maximise potential and prevent wasted efforts

7:46 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR — The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) is committed to ensuring that talent development is not confined to a single sport, particularly if an athlete shows limited potential to represent the national team in that discipline.  

Minister Hannah Yeoh said efforts would be made to help athletes transition to other sports, ensuring that the time, effort, and financial investment of parents in their children’s sporting pursuits do not go to waste.  

“Sports require athletes to start training at an early age, with rhythmic gymnastics being one of them, but not all children will grow up to represent Malaysia.

“I do not want the initial investment made by parents to be wasted when children realise they may not excel in their chosen sport,” she said after launching a new branch of the Rhythmic Excellence Academy yesterday.  

She also praised the collaboration between the Rhythmic Excellence Academy—founded by Malaysian Gymnastics Federation vice-president Petrina Low—and the diving academy in Bukit Jalil, which is working alongside former national diver Datuk Leong Mun Yee.  

“This is the kind of initiative we want to see, where athletes can switch to another sport,” she said, adding that the National Sports Council and coaches are studying ways to implement this approach.  

Hannah highlighted examples of Malaysian athletes who initially trained in different sports—former national badminton star Datuk Lee Chong Wei first played basketball, while national wushu champion Tan Cheong Min began with badminton. — February 10, 2025

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