KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will be sending a 23-member contingent comprising 18 athletes and five coaches to the 2011 Youth Commonwealth Games in the Isle of Man, United Kingdom from Sept 7 to 13.
National Sports Council’s (NSC) back up athletes preparation department director Jefri Ngadirin said the athletes would compete in four of the seven sports contested, namely badminton, athletics, cycling and swimming.
Malaysia will not participate in boxing, gymnastics and rugby 7s.
“We (NSC) are targeting at least a gold medal from badminton through Asian Youth Championships men’s singles champion Zulfadli Zulkifli,” Jefri told Bernama.
In the 2008 edition held in Pune, India, the Malaysian contingent won three gold, five silver and four bronze medals with badminton accounting for two gold medals and shooting contributing one.
The Malaysian contingent that leaves to the Isle Of Man on Sept 6, will be headed by the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s (OCM) assistant secretary Rosmanizam Abdullah.
The first edition of the Youth Commonwealth Games was hosted by Scotland in 2000 and held every your years, the same year as the Olympics. — Bernama
In 2005, however, the Commonwealth Games Federation decided that the Games that features athletes below the age of 18, would not be held on the year of the Olympics. — Bernama