National Athletes Ought To Measure Up To Olympics, Says Ahmad Sarji

LONDON, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's quest for the gold medal at the Olympics here depend on whether national athletes can measure up to the competition, said its chef-de-mission, Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid.

"We have to be realistic. Don't talk about their performance before the Olympics because what determine whether we can break the impasse is their performance during the competition," he told Malaysian reporters here, Thursday.

He said no matter how good their records and ranking were compared to that of their opponents, their performance during the competition that matter.

Ahmad Sarji hoped Malaysian fans would not put undue pressure on 30 national athletes in chasing the elusive gold.

"If they fail to bring home the gold, we must look at their achievement from another angle such as erasing their personal best or national records," he said, adding that their participation in the Olympics was an achievement in itself.

From his observation, he felt that Malaysia should develop water sports for the Olympics like canoeing, rowing and sailing where national athletes would stand a better chance of winning medals, apart from elite sports such as badminton, cycling or archery.

Ahmad Sarji said the proposal would be submitted in his report to the Youth and Sports Ministry after the Olympics, he added.

From Zulhilmi Supaat -- BERNAMA