To be a sporting nation, we must start with dream of being the world’s best

I WAS planning to make a trip to the Tokyo Olympic Games after my retirement in July 2020 with my wife.

My plan, of course, went up in smoke when the coronavirus pandemic turned out to be the winner as the Olympics had to be rescheduled to this year.

I waited patiently despite all the talk that it will be scrapped but eventually, when it took place, I did not miss a single action of the Tokyo Olympics from home.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two weeks of quality showmanship. I was in high spirits too as I supported the Malaysian team, as 18 of the 30 athletes were my former students – either from Bukit Jalil Sports School or the Tuanku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (Johor).

Amid strict protocols and regular tests, the competition went on and there were inspiring performances and surprises too. Athletes from different countries broke world records and there were new Olympic marks too. Even without fans, the Tokyo Games delivered what it promised – a good show.

Despite all the challenges, the display of sportsmanship proved that the often repeated phrase of the Olympics spirit and unity can be more than just an empty slogan.

It has been more than a week since our athletes returned from the Games as the 74th ranked team among 206 participating countries, thanks to the bronze medal from men’s doubles shuttlers Aaron Chia-soh Wooi Yik and silver from Azizulhasni Awang in the men’s track cycling keirin event.

While we salute the medal achievers, let’s not forget the efforts from the rest of our Malaysian athletes too.

It’s easy to feel disappointed whenever Malaysians miss the mark for a spot on the podium, but no one else is more wounded than the athletes themselves, who had trained so hard to get to the Olympics stage. After all, most of them have dreamed of that day as early as their childhood. Congratulations to you too!

Now that the Tokyo Olympics is done and dusted, let’s do some evaluation and move on.

Malaysian has shown its might and capabilities in many diverse fields and sports is one of them. Are we a sporting nation then? Yes, in some way as we can see it in the investment, result and interest shown in the recent Olympic Games.

But of course more can be done. To make Malaysia a sporting nation, the passion and love for sports must start with the dream of being the best in the world.

We need to play, watch and talk about sports on a more regular basis – and not only during Olympics or other major Games – to become a sporting nation.

Sports has the power to instil unity, create bonds and fire up patriotism. We all know how we can come together through sports.

Sports also fosters positivity, selfesteem and self-identity. When such a socio-cultural impact is created, the value of sports is enhanced, paving the way for us to be a sporting nation.

The fundamental need is to educate children about the importance of health, fitness and the role that sports play in our lives.

For this to happen, we need a good model put in place, a structure that will include a central and state-level roll-up. Such a model will provide the platform for systematic development.

As a firm believer in grassroots development, we must start young. This is where the passion and love for sports must start with the dream of being the best in the world.

We need good academic background or qualifications from a good university to create many thinking athletes.

Discipline, self-sacrifice and mastery of the sport, together with guidance from top-notch coaches, are essential in building champions.

One must be good enough to compete in the world arena, ever eager to learn first-hand from top players.

The right attitude is key to becoming a good athlete.

For a sporting nation to succeed, there must be recognition of the benefits and the impact it will have on culture, economy and the people. Let’s separate sports and politics.

The Malaysian people can drive this vision and accomplish it with our iconic slogan Malaysia Boleh!

The writer Suhaimi Sun Abdullah is a sports enthusiast. He has retired from the Ministry of Education; he is an excellent principal of Tuanku Mahkota Ismail Sports School (Johor); viceprincipal of Bukit Jalil Sports School (KL) and is currently involved in various grassroots programmes.