PUTRAJAYA: Jamaica looks like the lightning bolt of an idea to re-ignite Malaysian track and field, as the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Sports Council (NSC) initiate a special programme to revive the success of athletics.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said athletics needs to be given special attention because the country has lost its prominence in track and field events due to a dearth of new stars, one reason being the lack of competitions organised by state associations.
Khairy said reports that Jamaica would offer its expertise in the development of athletics would be a shot-in-the-arm for Malaysian athletics and sports in general since the Caribbean country is renown for its prowess in athletics, with its most famous export – Usain Bolt the fastest man on Earth, the current world record-holder in the 100m (9.58s) and 200m (19.19s).
Khairy said details of expertise to be offered by the world powerhouse in athletics would be known once Deputy Prime
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin returns home after attending the 19th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers in Bahamas, where the ‘Jamaica inspiration’ first sprang forth.
Khairy when met by reporters during a signing ceremony between his Ministry and the Federation Malaysian Skill Development Centres (FMSDC), here yesterday said the offer was made by Jamaica’s Education Minister Reverend Ronald Thwaites during a bilateral meeting with Muhyiddin on the sidelines of the conference.
In another development, Khairy said the National Under-13 squad participating in the Ibercup Costa del Sol Championship in Spain and performing exceptionally well under coach Lim Teong Kim, would be send for attachment with leading clubs in the world for exposure.
He said he does not want players under the National Football Development Programme (NFDP) to end up as ‘jaguh kampung’ by signing for local teams when they come under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), at the age of 17.
“Our huge investment and training might just be a waste because the system adopted by FAM at the senior level has not been fruitful,” he said.
The U-13 squad that beat Spanish club Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their first match, continued their impressive performance to beat Portugal club SL Olivais 2-0 on Wednesday to march into the quarterfinals of the competition.
The Ibercup, regarded as the most prestigious age group tournament in the world, features renown clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid from Spain, Liverpool from England, Inter Milan, Juventus from Italy and Lyon from France.
Speaking of the FMSDC, Khairy said through the signing of the agreement, 450 students from the National Youth Skills Institute (IKBN) would be send to undergo technical and engineering courses for a year so that they would be equipped with the required skills when entering the job market.
“Since the transformation of IKBN last year, we have signed with 15 leading organisations, including four this year,” he said. — Bernama