MIRI: Sarawak needs a systematic and professional coaching support in its effort to bring back the glory days as a sport powerhouse in the country.
Assistant Minister of Sports Datuk Lee Kim Shin said such aspiration can be possible with the total commitment and cooperation from schools, parents, private sectors and the community.
“In the modern sport industry, olden methods are no longer relevant with current global changes. It is because in order to compete with others, the athletes must be developed under a professional and organised coaching system,” he stated in his address when officiating at the ‘Sports Nutrition Talk’ organised by the State Sport Council (MSNS) at Miri Stadium yesterday.
In effort to boost the performance of the state’s athletes, Lee said the state government has formulated a long term sports development programme by engaging sports consultation from Australia.
“This long term sports development consists of a ten-year master plan to produce an elite team of athletes to represent the state,” revealed Lee.
He also added that the performance of the athletes is not only determined by their sporting talents.
“Apart from having good sports facility, the athletes must possessed physical and mental toughness, good strategy and many other factors too. In addition to that, the athletes must have good knowledge on the importance of nutrition and watch on their diets. The performance of the athletes would be affected due to wrong diet practice,” informed Lee.
Perhaps in the near future, a psychology talk would be conducted to the athletes in the efforts to develop high level of confidence.
The sports nutrition talk was conducted by the head of Food Service Unit National Sports Council, Mohalijah Mohd Ali.