SEA Games: Minister concerned with Malaysia's lowly sixth spot in medal standings

HANOI: The national contingent's current sixth position in the medal standings at the ongoing 31st SEA Games here has caught the attention of Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who wants the situation to be looked at from every angle.

He said all parties, including the National Sports Council (NSC), athletes and national sports associations, should find a way to improve that in future Games.

"Of course, all Malaysians are disappointed because we are not at a higher position. We should not be contented with our sixth position at the Games.

"So, I pray for the best and to use the experience gained here to improve our performance in future Games," he said when met at the Hoang Mai Gymnasium, the venue for the sepak takraw competition, here today.

Earlier, Ahmad Faizal held a meeting with International Sepaktakraw Federation (ISTAF) secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Kader, who is also the Asian Sepaktakraw Federation (ASTAF) president.

Malaysia have bagged 36 golds, 40 silvers and 77 bronzes thus far to be placed sixth in the medal tally, with just three days to go before the curtain comes down on the 31st edition of the biennial Games here on Monday (May 23).

For the record, Malaysia has frequently managed to finish among the top five in the SEA Games, except for the one time they finished sixth at the 1983 edition in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Faizal was full of praise for the performance put up by 40 per cent of the athletes aged below 21 at the ongoing Games, and believes that they have the ability to shine in future international championships.

He hoped that all these athletes, including more than half who are making their SEA Games debut, will use the experience gained from the Hanoi SEA Games to do their best in more competitive meets, like the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 in July and the recently-postponed Hangzhou Asian Games 2022.

"The Hanoi SEA Games is a platform for them to go even further. The exposure gained at the SEA Games is crucial for us to achieve more success in other multi-sport Games like the Commonwealth Games and Asiad," he said.

Almost 58 per cent or 338 out of the 584 Malaysian athletes are making their debut at the biennial Games here to gain international-level exposure.

-- BERNAMA