Malaysia’s quest for an Olympic gold medal continues today as Datuk Azizulhasni Awang and Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom compete in the men’s Keirin event at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines National Velodrome.
Azizulhasni aims to complete his medal collection, having won bronze at the Rio Olympics (2016) and silver at the Tokyo Games (2021).
Cycling is now Malaysia’s last hope for gold in Paris. Badminton players Aaron Chia Teng Fong and Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles) and Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles) have already secured two bronze medals.
However, if there were gold medals for jumping to conclusions and making misguided comments on social media, Malaysia would be far ahead.
Don’t get me wrong, social media can be great, but it has its pitfalls, with “instant experts” quick to judge without considering the facts.
NORZAGATE
A week has passed, yet debate and criticism continue to surround Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria for taking his family to Paris. Many assumed that Norza’s wife and son received accreditation passes, which the public believe should have gone to shuttler Goh Jin Wei’s coach Nova Armada, or to Lee, who paid for two support members.
Although Norza clarified that he received “guest passes” as OCM president, dissatisfaction persists. Taking his family to the Olympics isn’t against the rules, as the guest passes do not give them access to the athletes. This practice is common among top Olympic officials from other countries.
The guest passes shouldn’t have been an issue. This doesn’t mean I or the public must like it, but unfortunately, that’s how the system works. It would only be unethical if OCM had paid for Norza’s family’s flight tickets and accommodation, as such funds should rightfully be invested in the Council’s member affiliates. If government funds were spent, that would have been a waste of taxpayers’ money. But none were used in this case.
Some refuse to accept the explanation, given the trust deficit involving leaders in sports and politics. Even if Norza had taken OCM officials or members of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, he would still face criticism, with those individuals labelled as being in “the president’s camp” or “on holiday”.
COACHESGATE
Some critics argue that Norza should have given Goh Jin Wei and Lee Zii Jia his guest passes for their support teams, but as mentioned, these passes wouldn’t provide access to the players.
Having followed Goh’s career since she was 10, I am saddened that Nova wasn’t with her. However, she did receive assistance from Rexy Mainaky, Academy Badminton Malaysia’s coaching director, so she wasn’t entirely on her own.
Lee’s coach, Wong Tat Meng, was part of the contingent, but Lee wanted to bring a personal physiotherapist and a sparring partner. A team from the National Sports Institute, including physiotherapists and masseuses, already looks after the national athletes, including the badminton team and Lee.
Lee wanted a personal physiotherapist and had to pay out of his own pocket. If every athlete insisted on doing the same, where do we draw the line?
OFFICIALSGATE
Before the Games began, some questioned why 40 officials were accompanying only 26 athletes to Paris.
These “factors” were then linked on social media, leading to ‘Norzagate’. Due to the low number of athletes who qualified for the Paris Games, Malaysia received a limited number of accreditation passes for officials.
Why so many officials, then?
In each sport, it’s standard to have a manager and a coach accompany the athletes. If only one athlete qualifies per sport, there could be two officials per athlete – or one if there’s no manager.
In badminton, eight shuttlers qualified, so athletes outnumbered the officials.
If team sports like hockey or football had qualified, or if more athletes had qualified for each sport, the situation would be different.
Critics overlook the support team, including doctors, sports psychologists, physiotherapists, masseuses, and nutritionists, who are essential for the athletes’ success. The sports science unit serves all sports and contributes significantly to the number of officials.
Also included are technical staff and performance analysts, who are crucial to an athlete’s performance.
The OCM secretariat also plays a key role, coordinating and liaising with organisers on behalf of each sport, booking training facilities, arranging transportation, and handling other logistical issues. They also share schedules, results, athletes’ quotes, and photographs with the media in Malaysia.
Perhaps the number of officials could have been reduced slightly, but they would still outnumber the athletes.
GO FOR GOLD
Whatever the controversies, let’s wish Azizulhasni and Muhammad Shah Firdaus the best of luck in their quest for gold in the Keirin event tonight and tomorrow.
