Hii (centre) presenting the flag to the national women’s team embarking on one of the overseas exposure trips in preparation for 2017 SEA Games.
SIBU: Sarawak Volleyball Association (Sava) deputy president and local sport entrepreneur Dr Gregory Hii Sui Cheng is a man in a hurry.
Having served Sava for decades and having seen all successes achieved, he has already embarked on another big step forward.
On Aug 4, 2014, representing Sava, he took part in the Malaysian Volleyball Association’s (Mava) presidential election held in Kuala Lumpur but he failed to win the post.
Sava immediately lodged a complaint to Malaysian Sports Commissioner (MSC) that the election result was manipulated and unconstitutional.
The MSC, after an investigation, discovered discrepancies and ordered for another round of the election on Sept 5, 2015.
This time, Hii secured the two-year term to helm the national body.
It’s 16 months since and much changes have taken place in Mava and Sava since the effervescent 2013/2014 Tokoh Sukan assumed the post.
Looking relaxed and comfortable in his trademark batik shirt for an exclusive interview, Hii said he has set out long term plans to help rejuvenate and revolutionize Mava, hoping to play his roles effectively in helping the national volleyball teams retain their past glory.
“It’s not going to be easy, especially when Mava has remain relatively inactive for the past few years and it really takes time to gel all these players to become dominant again.
“But with all the resources and if all the Mava’s affiliates work together with full commitment and determination, there is a possibility that we can bring back our glory days,” he added.
The greatest asset that Hii brings is his invaluable experience from decades of involvement in Sava.
He believes that for any sports association to flourish, there must be good teamwork with dedicated people from the top.
The leaders must instill trust and willing to contribute and carry out the activities, look for financial resources and always try to be financially accountable.
“Only when we have a good team of people with good team spirit can the association become more successful and can be see light at the end of the horizon, “ he insisted.
The Fab Four
Besides Hii, Sava is driven by three other good leaders who make Sava click.
They are Sava’s president Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau Lee Ming, Sibu Volleyball Association (Sva) president Dr William Ting Wei Ung and Sva chairman Dato Moh Wung Ming, who is also the national coach.
They are popularly known as the `Fabulous Four’ who have committed their time, energy and sacrifice their life wholeheartedly towards the development of volleyball in the state and the nation.
Then there is also Andrew Ting, the Referee Board chairman, the coaches and all the top brass from the respective Sva affiliates throughout the state.
“Every decision must be collectively made and every policy to be implemented must be unanimously agreed… that is the key to success.”
Hii added that everybody must be treated with equal fairness and respect, including players while leaders themselves must set good examples.
Any internal dispute, disharmony and differences in opinion should be settled amicably among the leaders and the whole team.
“Don’t betray the trust put in the top leaders and should that happen, then the association will lose all its credentials and credibility and should that happen, the image will be tarnished.”
(From left) Moh, Lau, Malaysia Sports Council deputy director Dato Jalil Abdullah, Hii, Ting and Joseph at a press conference during Sarawak Sukma.
Vision for Mava and Sava
Hii hopes to bring all the Mava affiliates closer to build a bigger base of players.
He wants Mava to become an effective, respected and efficient national organization which is result oriented.
Emphasis is placed on the technical and competition, the national team management, volleyball development and budget & finance.
“These are the key four areas which the new team will work on and to achieve great results, we need all the stakeholders support.”
Hii admitted that it would take some time for the plan to materialize.
Support from all the 17 affiliates of Mava is critical for Mava to regain its past glory in international competition.
“I want to make sure that we have systems in place where we can assist and monitor all our affiliates on a regular basis, and build a better platform for all the affiliates to express their views and opinions.”
Since he won Mava’s presidency, Hii had frequently shuttled between Sarawak and the peninsula, attending meetings and seeking plans to upgrade the image of Mava.
He has pledged to restructure Mava, improve its administration and finance and try to be transparent.
“It has always been my trademark that anything I do, I always subscribed to a very high degree of transparency and accountability and with good administrative procedure in place.
Hii, who served as Mava vice-president for three terms from 2004 to 2009, is only the second Sarawakian to helm Mava.
Former Sarawak State Minister the late Tan Sri Datuk Amar Ling Beng Sung was the first president of Mava in the 1960s.
Quest for SEA Games gold
Hii also talked at length on Mava’s mission that aims to wrest both the gold medals in the 29th SEA Games to be held in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
“Our biggest priority is to win big in 2017 SEA Games so as to really hope to revitalize the glory of the volleyball days of Malaysia.”
He admitted it was a tall order but with commitments and perseverance from the players and the coaches, he believed that there was nothing impossible.
“Our Sports Minister (Khairy Jamaluddin) had asked us to work hard and come back with the results. We are confident that we will be able to fulfill his wishes.”
Hii recalled the best result Malaysia had ever achieved in SEA Games was the Men’s silver medal it bagged in 2001.
“Since then, we rarely hit the limelight and in fact, on most occasions, we were turned into the whipping boys,” he added.
However, Hii is confident that the Malaysian team assembled for the 2017 SEA Games would be a different and a solid team.
Training for both the men’s and women’s team had already started a few months back. The men are training in Shah Alam while the women are training at the newly completed Sibu Volleyball Stadium in Rejang Park.
“We opt to start early to give the players the necessary preparation and the experience to give them their best shots when the time comes.
We are now entering the second phase of preparation for SEA Games, from Dec till March next year. We are determined to make an impact at the 29th SEA Games and show to the rest of the world that Malaysia is serious about making a grand comeback in the sport.”
Hii said they had already shortlisted 18 players for both the men’s and women’s sections and the final 12 players would be selected before they would undergo the third phase of intensive training.
As a prelude, Hii said the players would also take part in the Asia Volleyball Championship, to be held in Shah Alam in May next year.
It will be a tough battle for the Malaysian players as the Asia tournament will see some of the top players from world class teams like China, Japan and South Korea taking part.
“We aim to be the top five in the Asia Volleyball Championship and if we can break into that category, then our chances or securing the two gold medals at the SEA Games will be bright.”
Hii (fourth from left) receiving sponsorship from Milo’s representative Ng Ping Loong (second from left) and Esther Law of Sunrise Sports (fifth from left).Looking on from left are Mava secretary Joseph Gerard, Olympic Council of Malaysia secretary Datuk Low Beng Choo and Mava vice-president Choy Teik San.
Incentives
Hii said Mava is also working on a comprehensive plan that offers incentives to the national players who can excel in the SEA Games.
He said the incentives will commensurate with performance.
“So long as the team can qualify for the quarter-final, then the incentives await them.”
However, there is a catch and if the team fails to win a single match, then the players would be penalized and have to refund some of the allowances given to them.
In the 2015 SEA Games held in Singapore, Malaysia unfortunately failed to win a single match. It was a nightmare which Mava hoped would not be repeated.
Hii said Mava would soon introduce a player’s commitment scheme.
“The whole intention is to allow our players to stay focused and to ensure that they will raise their game when it matters most. On paper, there is no reason why we cannot win a single match and we hope this will be translated into action during the SEA Games,” he added.
“We will get the undertakings from the players and if they are willing to face the challenges, then they should work for it.”
Malaysia’s best result in SEA Games history was the silver medal in 2001.
The plan also entails Mava constantly monitoring and reviewing its progress under the various phase of training.
“Our next step is to look into the fund raisings for Mava and hopefully, we can get the financial support from the business entrepreneurs so that all the Mava’s programmes could be carried out successfully.’
This is the third of the three-part series on volleyball development in Sarawak.