Incheon: Eight gold-target realistic, achievable - Khairy

The target for Incheon was set lower than what was achieved in Guangzhou, China four years ago, after a careful study was carried out on the current performance of athletes and their opponents.

The eight-gold target was announced by Asian Games chef-de-mission Datuk Daniyal Balagopal Abdullah who heads the South Korea bound 421-member contingent.

Khairy said the target was set after considering the views and recommendations of the National Sports Council (NSC), National Sports Institute (ISN), OCM and doubts raised by him during the discussion.

"The target for medals is based on traditional achievers. We are also trying to squeeze a gold or two from sports that have not been targetted because we have insisted that they deliver," he told reporters after handing the 'Jalur Gemilang' to the chef-de-mission at the IOI Palm Resort, here Thursday.

Khairy said an overall evaluation of all sports that make up the Malaysian contingent was needed and not just focused on sports targetted for medals.

"We know that not all athletes can win gold medals but we need to assess their performance to measure their level of contribution, especially those involved in measurable sports.

"Athletes in measurable sports must at least better their personal best to justify their participation. For subjective sports (mostly combat sports), we must look at the ability of the athlete to progress.

"If we only look at the medals won, we cannot make a comprehensive analysis and that will not help us to prepare for the next four years," he said.

Earlier when addressing about 200 athletes from the Incheon-bound Malaysian contingent, Khairy reminded the athletes to be competitive and inculcate a winning mentality.

"We need to ensure that the target is achieved so as to revive the confidence of the people, especially after the failure during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

"The country has gone through some tragic moments due to a number of major tragedies. Through success at the Asian Games, we can help cheer up the people to a certain degree," he said.

Malaysia's best achievement in the Asian Games history was during the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games in China with a haul of nine gold, 18 silver and 14 bronze medals.