Asian Games: Pekan tells Malaysia Aquatics to be ruthless, not sentimental

Malaysian diving failed to secure any individual medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games for the first time since 2002, despite winning three diving medals. The nation finished fourth in the medal standings behind Japan, South Korea, and China. Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli has urged Malaysian Aquatics (MAS) to adopt a more ruthless approach when making decisions about senior athletes, rather than being sentimental.

He emphasized that the team's mistake has been giving too much importance to senior divers, and that the focus should be on objective assessment using sports science, considering age, physical condition, and the specific demands of diving. Pekan acknowledged the difficulty of decisions when athletes wish to continue competing, but stressed that Malaysia's performance must improve to remain competitive internationally.

The analyst suggested that Malaysia could learn from China's approach to athlete development and selection, given the country's dominance in world diving. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics less than two years away, Pekan urged senior divers to assess their feasibility of remaining competitive at the Olympics.