Paralympic Council Malaysia (PCM) president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin is targeting 10 gold medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics from Aug 8 to Sept 28.
That is more than a three-fold increase in gold medals compared to Tokyo, Japan in 2020, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.
In Rio, Malaysia finished 36th in the standing with three gold medals and one bronze, while it was 39th in Tokyo with a haul of three golds and two silvers.
“In recent times, the Youth and Sports Ministry has only set total medal targets without mentioning colour, but I believe we need specific targets as we are using taxpayers’ money to train our athletes. We must be responsible and accountable,” said Shahriman.
“At the end of the day, people want to see who is on top of the medal tally. That depends on how many gold medals a nation wins.
‘We can have 1,000 medals, but if there is no gold among them, we will not be high up in the standings.”
Boosting Shahriman’s confidence is PCM’s Strategic Partnership deals signed on March 5 to help the Paralympic Movement, and to assist PCM in winning more gold medals in Paris, France.
Among the partners are Limkokwing University, which will design the official jersey and attire for the opening ceremony in Paris.
PCM also signed deals with Asas Arena, Evomania, Mitra Network, Savvy Travel & Tours, Creative Sports Network, Bulb Communique, Scotieg Entertainment, and Percetakan Advanco.
Asked about PCM’s partnership with Limkokwing University, Shahriman said it was a continuation of Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing’s legacy. Lim’s daughter, Datuk Tiffanee Marie Lim, is the university’s group chief brand officer.
“Tan Sri Lim had a hand in the first Tiger Stripes national jersey. Now, his daughter is following in his footsteps. Like her father, she wants to give back to the nation,” said Shahriman.
“I am grateful to her and to the other Strategic Partners who have come forward to help us prepare for the Paris Games.
“We need all the support we can get, as it is not easy, nor cheap, to prepare our athletes. I am confident that with their support, and the support from the government entities, we can achieve the association’s target of 10 gold medals.”
Separately, Shahriman said PCM needs more money to unearth new talents. Under Budget 2023, PCM only received RM12 million, but he said that amount was only for elite athletes.
“We need at least RM50 million to carry out talent identification at the grassroots,” said Shahriman.
“We cannot just look at the elite athletes. We need to go out and find future stars. That costs money as we need to organise more events.
“Hopefully, the government will listen to us,” he added.