Raja Muda Selangor Tengku Amir Shah (front, centre) and Syed Saddiq on his right charge on after the flag-off of the MEX 2018 cycling event at Seri Kembangan. Also seen is national cycling champion Azizulhasni Awang (front, fourth right). — Bernama photo
SERI KEMBANGAN: High-performance athletes at the Asian Games have a heavy responsibility on their shoulders as they are the ‘barometer’ of the ‘Podium Programme’ under the National Sports Institute (ISN), which kicked off in 2015.
When asked to comment whether the seven-gold-medal target for the Games was reasonable as the Podium Programme had received a huge amount of allocation, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the target was decided by the Podium Programme, the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the chef-de-mission to the Asian Games.
He also gave a positive response and described the Podium Programme as ‘being very significant’ in producing more high-performance athletes in the future.
“But there are some things in the programme that need to be looked back on, especially in reducing expenditure and attracting more sponsorship.
“The target of seven gold medals is the minimum target, as I said before – the minimum seven to 11 gold medals. There are many more that need to be fixed in the programme,” he said when met by the reporters during the Maju Expressway (MEX) Ride 2018 at Seri Kembangan Rest and Service Area here yesterday.
Syed Saddiq said in general, the ‘Podium Programme’ is regarded as a good programme, but there needs to be more sponsors to reduce costs.
“This is a very important programme – we will have a comprehensive discussion after the Asian Games,” he said.
The podium is a special preparation programme for local elite athletes under the ISN to help them achieve great success at international sports events such as the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Olympics. — Bernama