Look to the schools for future Olympic glory, Hannah

 

Youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh apologised on Aug 13 for the Malaysian contingent’s failure to win the nation’s first Olympic gold at the Paris Olympic Games.

Yeoh said her ministry would meet soon to discuss the contingent’s performance and that an audit report would be tabled in Parliament.

Malaysia sent 26 athletes from nine sports to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics which ended on Aug 11 but won only two bronze medals – through badminton singles ace Lee Zii Jia and doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.

The important thing is that our athletes gave their best. Now, we should look to the future.

If the nation is to win gold, the minister should pay more attention to schools – the breeding ground for talent. This has been neglected in recent decades.

There was a time – especially from the 1950s to 1980s – when schools put in great effort to produce and nurture talents. There was a time when principals insisted every student should take up one sport.

Now, however, the commitment is lacking. Sports, it seems, is 

fine but not essential

 in schools.

The school sports day, for instance, has become just an annual event on the calendar that must be ticked off on the list of things to do for most school administrators and teachers.

I have attended school sports days over the past couple of decades and have come away disappointed. There is little of the excitement, the atmosphere, the sense of pride and the fun of yesteryear.

During my school days, it was compulsory for all teachers and students to attend the school sports day. And despite the forced attendance, the field would be brimming with excitement.

Parents of boys taking part would turn up to cheer their children and even the townsfolk would come to watch.

These days, very few students can be seen on the field, and most of them are either participating athletes or students taking part in the march past.

There are also fewer events on the annual sports day. The 100m and 100×4 runs are regulars but missing are events such as the 800m and 1,500m runs. Also missing are the long jump, hop step and jump, the high jump and the discus and javelin throws.

I am told that most schools hold these before the sports day and that some schools do not even hold some of these events prior to sports day.

Why is there less emphasis on sports in schools? Former top sports administrator A Vaithilingam has some answers.

Teachers, he says, are no longer excited or enthusiastic about sports.

“During the 1960s and 1970s, there were many teachers who gave their time and energy to train their students and even young adults outside school.

I can immediately think of many dedicated teachers – such as C Ramanathan, Rennie F Martin, Alban Ham, Tan Choo Mong, Edwin Abraham and Liu Kwai Keat – who helped produce some great sportsmen and sportswomen through the school system over the years.

Vaithilingam, who served on the Malaysia Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU, now known as Malaysia Athletics Federation) council from 1962 to 1995 and was technical committee head as well as meet manager at numerous athletic championships, observes: 

That level of commitment is absent today.

In the past, teachers went out of their way to train students. Many of them were talent hunters. But today, the attitude of many teachers is, ‘Why should I do this when the ministry has professionals who get paid to train our sportsmen?’ Also, they don’t get paid for it, so they find it is better to give tuition during that time and earn money.

Vaithilingam also notes that the spirit of volunteerism has almost disappeared. In the past, he says, many of the athletes and players were discovered and trained by coaches who volunteered their time and effort, especially in districts and states.

Powerful athletes such as T Krishnan, G Rajalingam, R Rajamani, Dr Mani Jegathesan, Ahmad Mahmud, Cheryl Dorall, Kamaruddin Maidin, Nashatar Singh and Ishtiaq Mobarak were trained by volunteer coaches. Many of them had also gone through some good school coaches.

Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, who was MAAU deputy president from 2000-2006, agrees there is less enthusiasm for sports in schools.

The emphasis on sports is gone. It is good to pay attention to studies but games should be an integral part of school life too. There is also a lack of pride in sports achievement. Sports can be motivation for a growing child and the lessons learned on the field – such as team work and determination and discipline – will stand one in good stead later in life. But most administrators today don’t see this.

Most schools are no longer breeding grounds for sports talents due to this lack of emphasis, laments the retired first admiral of the navy.

Danyal, who was president of the armed forces athletics body in the 1980s and 1990s, says school sports days have become mundane and uninspiring affairs.

I’m sorry to say this, but it has become like a kampung affair,

 he adds.

It is clear then that unless we give greater emphasis to sports in schools, unless we spot and nurture talents at the grassroots, we can stop dreaming of producing Olympic gold medallists. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.